Incredible
I know there are very mixed reviews here and that made me want to come at it from a different perspective, without judging those who have a different opinion.
First off, about this film being "artsy". That is so not the case. Honestly, if it had been any less "artsy" it wouldn´t have been so incredibly factually accurate.
Most people will probably not realize but this movie is 100% true to the source materials, i.e the Poetic Edda, the Icelandic sagas, ancient Norse heroic legends etc, stories and texts that were written down from the 12th century and to the end of the middle ages (mostly in Iceland). Any professor or someone who had done his research into the culture and life back then, would be impressed with the way the director handled every small detail to make it accurate.
The movie also does not exaggerate anything or make up things that didn´t happen in a viking/farmer family´s daily life. If you read the original sources that inspired The Northman, or scholarly texts about Norse middle-ages history, then you would know that the director could have taken things a lot further (with the drama, the travels, the blood-shed, the love story etc etc). But I for one am glad he didn´t and that he kept things simple. It was so nice to see references to little things from the mythology and heroic poetry, things that you really have to know about to figure out. There were endless easter eggs for those of us who are used to hearing these ancient tales. The cute animals also played a massive symbolic role, and it all fit so well together and it literally gave me chills.
This is our Scandinavian and Germanic cultural heritage coming alive on screen in all it´s truth and glory. It blew my mind to see it. I was just expecting some viking stuff, a lot of gore and maybe something a bit woke, but what I got was anything but. It was not even that violent, compared to some of the Sagas... I can´t wait to watch it again, this time with my family of all ages.
I am a christian but I lived to see all the sorcerers and the paganism in this movie, especially since nothing was made up. The Northman is probably the most historically accurate movie I have ever seen, and I don´t think anyone could claim that something in it was made up (although the dramatic burial scene is from another viking culture - things were probably never so grand in Iceland).
The mysticism and the supernatural elements were masterfully woven into a basic story of a family, revenge, hatred and love. I thought it was beautiful. (I got a little teary during the good-bye sceen on the boat).
But if you still don´t like any of it, fair enough. We all have our own, unique taste. I am just happy to finally see a movie that felt specifically made for me.
First off, about this film being "artsy". That is so not the case. Honestly, if it had been any less "artsy" it wouldn´t have been so incredibly factually accurate.
Most people will probably not realize but this movie is 100% true to the source materials, i.e the Poetic Edda, the Icelandic sagas, ancient Norse heroic legends etc, stories and texts that were written down from the 12th century and to the end of the middle ages (mostly in Iceland). Any professor or someone who had done his research into the culture and life back then, would be impressed with the way the director handled every small detail to make it accurate.
The movie also does not exaggerate anything or make up things that didn´t happen in a viking/farmer family´s daily life. If you read the original sources that inspired The Northman, or scholarly texts about Norse middle-ages history, then you would know that the director could have taken things a lot further (with the drama, the travels, the blood-shed, the love story etc etc). But I for one am glad he didn´t and that he kept things simple. It was so nice to see references to little things from the mythology and heroic poetry, things that you really have to know about to figure out. There were endless easter eggs for those of us who are used to hearing these ancient tales. The cute animals also played a massive symbolic role, and it all fit so well together and it literally gave me chills.
This is our Scandinavian and Germanic cultural heritage coming alive on screen in all it´s truth and glory. It blew my mind to see it. I was just expecting some viking stuff, a lot of gore and maybe something a bit woke, but what I got was anything but. It was not even that violent, compared to some of the Sagas... I can´t wait to watch it again, this time with my family of all ages.
I am a christian but I lived to see all the sorcerers and the paganism in this movie, especially since nothing was made up. The Northman is probably the most historically accurate movie I have ever seen, and I don´t think anyone could claim that something in it was made up (although the dramatic burial scene is from another viking culture - things were probably never so grand in Iceland).
The mysticism and the supernatural elements were masterfully woven into a basic story of a family, revenge, hatred and love. I thought it was beautiful. (I got a little teary during the good-bye sceen on the boat).
But if you still don´t like any of it, fair enough. We all have our own, unique taste. I am just happy to finally see a movie that felt specifically made for me.
- halkatla-62669
- Sep 1, 2022