Viking lore and history has proven to fascinate even the dullest of minds. With the overnight popularity of both the History Channel's Vikings and HBO's Game of Thrones, who can argue? After a trip to Iceland with his wife Alexandra Shaker in 2016, director Robert Eggers became enamored with Viking mythology and endeavored to make such a film. Alexander Skarsgard has held similar ideas since childhood, and upon meeting Eggers in 2017, the two endeavored to create a Nordic saga.
When a young Viking prince is witness to his father slain in front of his eyes and narrowly escapes with his life to a distant land, he vows to one day return home to avenge his father and save his mother by killing the traitorous murderer. Ten years later, he seeks out the murderer where he has retreated in relative isolation to a sizeable farm in Iceland, but not without being directed by a He-Witch and falling in love before fulfilling his destiny.
Alexander Skarsgard as adult Prince Amleth brings a depth and visceral quality to the role that lends to the intensity needed in dramatic moments as well as allowing the audience to empathize completely with his plight. Nicole Kidman manages a hollow, forgettable performance as Amleth's mother, Queen Gudrun. She could easily be forgotten if not for the important reveal she offers up at the climax which could just as easily be a convenient fiction as truth. Despite his limited screen time, Ethan Hawke does such a stellar job as King Aurvandil, convincingly both a powerful, respected ruler and a caring, wise father that it is almost impossible to believe the story Queen Gudrun tells Amleth in the end. Anya Taylor-Joy (as always) leaves something to be desired, offering a pandering, soulless performance, marking her character as nothing more than an unnecessary distraction from the central themes. And Willem Dafoe always makes for a treat, giving a entertaining and chaotic performance we would expect no less of.
Eggers certainly knows how to frame a scene and maximize the splendor pervading such amazing filming locations in Ireland and Iceland. Robin Carolan and Sebastian Gainsborough's score is quite exceptional, keen on incorporating period-appropriate instruments and tones that nicely highlight the emotion of the scene. However, despite some outstanding action sequences, the story-penned by Eggers himself along with Sjon--leaves something to be desired for a variety of reasons.
Not surprisingly, the story interweaves with some elements and pivotal characters seen in the latter seasons of "Vikings", allowing for a certain level of recognition and familiarity, but where the script deviates from what makes the show successful is in crossing the line from brazen and clever exhibition to overt and overdone scenes that become more distracting than entertaining. Factor in the lack of a strong, female lead both sexes can love to root for, instead forcing us to settle for such common archetypes as the bewitching, murderous trollop simultaneously claiming independence while using sexuality to get a man to do her bidding, and the scandalous, narcissistic mother uses one man to kill another and who manipulates a brother to betray his only brother. The sequences with the He-Witch were excessive and tedious, effectively ruining the pacing. There was no rhyme or reason to where or how Olga conjured up some horses in the middle of nowhere (unless a scene was cut). As stated before, Queen Gudrun's big reveal was quite overdone, seemingly a product of both the poor writing and Kidman's overdone performance.
It is in fact hard to determine whether Eggers' narrative and visual elements that are shockingly reminiscent of those seen in Disney's The Lion King (1994) were intentional or incidental. From the prodigal son who runs away trope, to the incompetent henchman claiming the prince was killed, to returning home from a distant land to save his mother, to the mystical wiseman who shows him his way, to finding love in the middle of his heroic journey, to the epic battle sequence with his backstabbing uncle amidst volcanic ash and red-hot lava, complete with embers floating around them for dramatic effect. You can't unknow it, can you? Eggers thought we wouldn't notice, but we did...
FINAL VERDICT: What started as intriguing became overdone and self-indulgent. There are certainly some amazing fight sequences, beautiful cinematography, and artistic direction, however the bloated elements and glaringly archetypal issues detract from the poignant moments. Ripping major plot points from one of the most beloved Disney movies of all time which arguably ripped elements from another tale is a bad look... or is it history repeating itself?
ALTERNATE RECOMMENDATIONS: "Vikings" on The History Channel/HULU
~AleXa~ An original IMDB user for over 20 years. Don't be fooled by spam accounts and studio-paid reviews.
7.0 = 1,1,1,0,1,0.5,0.5,1,1 - Rewatch Value: 4
Reviewed April 27th, 2022 - 1st viewing 4/21/22 TH in DOLBY at AMC-PK with NO Universal Studios - Rated R - Directed by: Robert Eggers.
When a young Viking prince is witness to his father slain in front of his eyes and narrowly escapes with his life to a distant land, he vows to one day return home to avenge his father and save his mother by killing the traitorous murderer. Ten years later, he seeks out the murderer where he has retreated in relative isolation to a sizeable farm in Iceland, but not without being directed by a He-Witch and falling in love before fulfilling his destiny.
Alexander Skarsgard as adult Prince Amleth brings a depth and visceral quality to the role that lends to the intensity needed in dramatic moments as well as allowing the audience to empathize completely with his plight. Nicole Kidman manages a hollow, forgettable performance as Amleth's mother, Queen Gudrun. She could easily be forgotten if not for the important reveal she offers up at the climax which could just as easily be a convenient fiction as truth. Despite his limited screen time, Ethan Hawke does such a stellar job as King Aurvandil, convincingly both a powerful, respected ruler and a caring, wise father that it is almost impossible to believe the story Queen Gudrun tells Amleth in the end. Anya Taylor-Joy (as always) leaves something to be desired, offering a pandering, soulless performance, marking her character as nothing more than an unnecessary distraction from the central themes. And Willem Dafoe always makes for a treat, giving a entertaining and chaotic performance we would expect no less of.
Eggers certainly knows how to frame a scene and maximize the splendor pervading such amazing filming locations in Ireland and Iceland. Robin Carolan and Sebastian Gainsborough's score is quite exceptional, keen on incorporating period-appropriate instruments and tones that nicely highlight the emotion of the scene. However, despite some outstanding action sequences, the story-penned by Eggers himself along with Sjon--leaves something to be desired for a variety of reasons.
Not surprisingly, the story interweaves with some elements and pivotal characters seen in the latter seasons of "Vikings", allowing for a certain level of recognition and familiarity, but where the script deviates from what makes the show successful is in crossing the line from brazen and clever exhibition to overt and overdone scenes that become more distracting than entertaining. Factor in the lack of a strong, female lead both sexes can love to root for, instead forcing us to settle for such common archetypes as the bewitching, murderous trollop simultaneously claiming independence while using sexuality to get a man to do her bidding, and the scandalous, narcissistic mother uses one man to kill another and who manipulates a brother to betray his only brother. The sequences with the He-Witch were excessive and tedious, effectively ruining the pacing. There was no rhyme or reason to where or how Olga conjured up some horses in the middle of nowhere (unless a scene was cut). As stated before, Queen Gudrun's big reveal was quite overdone, seemingly a product of both the poor writing and Kidman's overdone performance.
It is in fact hard to determine whether Eggers' narrative and visual elements that are shockingly reminiscent of those seen in Disney's The Lion King (1994) were intentional or incidental. From the prodigal son who runs away trope, to the incompetent henchman claiming the prince was killed, to returning home from a distant land to save his mother, to the mystical wiseman who shows him his way, to finding love in the middle of his heroic journey, to the epic battle sequence with his backstabbing uncle amidst volcanic ash and red-hot lava, complete with embers floating around them for dramatic effect. You can't unknow it, can you? Eggers thought we wouldn't notice, but we did...
FINAL VERDICT: What started as intriguing became overdone and self-indulgent. There are certainly some amazing fight sequences, beautiful cinematography, and artistic direction, however the bloated elements and glaringly archetypal issues detract from the poignant moments. Ripping major plot points from one of the most beloved Disney movies of all time which arguably ripped elements from another tale is a bad look... or is it history repeating itself?
ALTERNATE RECOMMENDATIONS: "Vikings" on The History Channel/HULU
~AleXa~ An original IMDB user for over 20 years. Don't be fooled by spam accounts and studio-paid reviews.
7.0 = 1,1,1,0,1,0.5,0.5,1,1 - Rewatch Value: 4
Reviewed April 27th, 2022 - 1st viewing 4/21/22 TH in DOLBY at AMC-PK with NO Universal Studios - Rated R - Directed by: Robert Eggers.