'The Northman' goes heavy on blood-soaked style and light on substance

April 21, 2022

'The Northman' goes heavy on blood-soaked style and light on substance
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Part "Hamlet," part "Conan the Barbarian" and a whole lot of "Vikings," "The Northman" is a gorgeously shot exercise in visceral thrills that goes heavy on atmospherics and very, very light on story. Director/co-writer Robert Eggers ("The Lighthouse") has sought to make the definitive Viking movie, and while the film issues a guttural cry for theatrical viewing, it is built around such a basic revenge plot as to blunt those simple charms.