Is the volcano talking, or the lightning?
That’s just the first wild eruption in a two-hour-plus ultraviolent horror odyssey.
A kind of un-telling ofHamletbased on Viking myth,The NorthmanstarsAlexander Skarsgardas Amleth, orphaned prince gone berserk.
Alexander Skarsgård as Amleth and Anya Taylor-Joy as Olga in ‘The Northman’.Aidan Monaghan/Focus Features
These things I’ve written certainly sound like the plot of a movie.
But the first (and second, and fifth) viewing ofNorthmanis more pure sensual assault.
Eggers risks incoherence for mythic cacophony, sending Amleth into magical-realist subplots about a seer (Bjork!
Nicole Kidman as Queen Gudrun in ‘The Northman’.Aidan Monaghan/Focus Features
The not-unconstant use of hallucinogens suggests an ancient epic hijacked by a midnight movie.
Why it wasn’t nominated:Even non-druggy ancient epics are on the wane with the Academy.
Robert Eggers' ornate style will get a Best Director nominationsomeday.
I say again, though: Trippy Tragic Gorefest ain’t for everyone.
you’ve got the option to check it all out atThe Awardist.
