Review Detail

The Northman is a visually-striking, hard-hitting epic based on the same Scandanavian legend that Shakespeare took Hamlet from. While the story has been drawn from like a well for screenwriters over the ages, the dedication to imagining Viking culture and getting that tone is what sets this film apart. For those that loved all that, there is a bit more here to flesh it out.

The technical aspects of this are flawless...fantastic editing skill, particularly in making the audio seamless. I took a look at the new visual grade of the film, but opted for the "purist" extended edition. For me, the cinematography of Jarin Blaschke and Robert Eggers is already a strong suit, so I didn't need any change to it. However, I'm sure others will appreciate the alternative color-grading. (The rest of my thoughts on the film in general are in more detail here: https://boxd.it/3onicv)

Watching this with the deleted/extended scenes laid in actually made me realize what was holding the film back from being awesome though... there's just too much speechifying at points, making it really feel like the writers didn't realize they were making a film and not an old-fashioned stage play. The movie is at its best when the characters demonstrate their states through action, not through exposition. Unfortunately, the extra scenes are mostly the latter, and so actually I think I'll revert back to the theatrical version of the film on rewatch. In fact, I'd prefer an edit of this that cuts even more dialogue, I think.

Although more Ethan Hawke giving speeches IS always a good thing... but here it was actually a cut that improves the film overall. Probably those who want a new color grade will most appreciate this, and others might want it to be even MORE stagey, and will want Fran Garcia's other edit, "Amleth's Saga".