Starring Alexander Skårsgard, The Northman is one of 2022’s biggest films so far – featuring a massive cast of A-listers ranging from Nicole Kidman and Anya Taylor-Joy, to Willem Dafoe himself.

According to the official description, ‘The Northman is an epic revenge thriller, that explores how far a Viking prince will go to seek justice for his murdered father’.

While it does feature the brutal, visceral action you might expect from a historical thriller, it also gets the first part of that tag right – Robert Eggers’ manic fixation on period accuracy shines through in his earlier films The Witch and The Lighthouse, giving moviegoers a dark, tantalizing taste of well-crafted, atmospheric cinema. 

So, what did the critics think? In short, the film has already become a critical success – drawing in a host of cheers and compliments throughout the week.

Rotten Tomatoes

Davis supports the claim that The Northman is Eggers’ most accessible film. Fair enough,  considering that his earlier films – The Lighthouse in particular – come off as haunting, genreless works that often defy description. He put aside concerns that this ‘more grounded’ take on filmmaking didn’t cramp Eggers’ personal style, and praised both Skarsgård’s and Kidman’s performances.

Gizmodo

Referring to Ridley Scott’s legendary 2000 film Gladiator, Lussier also shared appreciation for Eggers’ richly crafted world – focusing specifically on the language, mythology, and cinematography used to tell his story. As for what ‘smaller that the trailers’ means… we’ll just have to wait and see ourselves.

Collider

Nemiroff shares a great all-round impression of the film – noting how it balances both action and dialogue-heavy sequences with absolute skill.

Insider

What more is there to say? Jason Guerrasio sums up everything in two sentences that let you know this one simply can’t be missed.

The Northman hits cinemas on April 8, 2022.

(Featured Image Credits: Universal Pictures)