After The Witch and The Lighthouse, it’s safe to say that audiences have been anxiously awaiting the release of Robert Eggers’ The Northman. The action-filled epic stars Alexander Skarsgård as a young Viking prince on a quest to avenge his father’s murder. We’ve still got a couple of weeks to go but the first reactions to The Northman have begun trickling out on social media and we’ve collected a few of them below. First up is our own Chris Bumbray, who called the film an absolute masterpiece.
In addition to Alexander Skarsgård, The Northman also stars Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe. In addition to directing the film, Robert Eggers also co-wrote the screenplay with Icelandic poet and novelist Sjón.
Ralph Ineson, who also starred in Robert Eggers’ The Witch and returns for The Northman, teased to NME last March that he had seen a little of what they’ve shot and was blown away. “It’s an enormous movie,” Ineson said. “I saw a four-minute montage of some of the stuff they’d already shot and I was really blown away. The marriage of Rob Eggers’ imagination and Viking folklore… Jesus, man.” Ineson also had plenty of praise for Alexander Skarsgård. “[There’s] a scene where he beats this guy in a battle; bends down and rips his throat out with his teeth, screams to the gods and he’s got his shirt off – and you think: ‘My god that’s not a bodybuilder doing a scene, that’s like a proper serious actor!” Ineson exclaimed. “He’s made himself look like some kind of monster for the part, the dedication’s incredible. I think it will be a bit of a masterpiece, to be honest.” It certainly sounds like Ineson’s reaction to The Northman was right on the money. I can’t wait to check it out for myself!
The Northman will hit theaters on April 22nd.
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