Reviews are good -- but they were mostly great for THE LIGHTHOUSE (Egger's follow up to THE WITCH) so I'm not entirely trusting of them. Still this looks like a whole other experience...

It looks generally similar to CONAN THE BARBARIAN.

I greatly enjoyed Eggers' eerie and stylish The VVitch, but haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaated the gummy and pretentious The Lighthouse. Considering that there was studio pressure to deny Eggers final cut on the movie, maybe that means this will have a more conventional dramatic and narrative structure (and it better, considering that Covid delays pushed the movie's budget up to $90 million ). Anyways, my dad is up for this (he's always up for historical movies with cool scenery, although he went into The VVitch with me expecting some kind of serious drama about the Salem Witch Trials, and came out saying, "I didn't know there'd be an actual witch...!" ), so I'll report back on this in a few weeks. It's bound to be more interesting than yet another Batman movie, at any rate.

$90 million is crazy. No way this is ever making a profit.

AndyDursin wrote: ↑Thu Apr 07, 2022 12:24 pm $90 million is crazy. No way this is ever making a profit.

It was budgeted at $65 million, but Covid caused delays, which meant more money while waiting. Even at $65 million, it probably would have lost money.

Still, seeing ANYTHING that isn't a $300 million special effects blockbuster these days is encouraging, especially something that looks like a hard-R. I'll even check out that new Michael Bay movie this weekend (which - incredibly - cost only $40 million ). Anything that isn't an established IP should be prioritized.

I'll see it at some point but I'm on the fence as to whether it's going to generate a trip to the theater. I'd also rather see the Nic Cage movie which opens on the same day I believe nationally. With Eggers I don't buy the reviews and I'd be afraid at 2.5 hours the movie is lots of talk and violence, though from what it sounds, "studio interference" has made the movie much more "accessible" than THE WITCH and THE LIGHTHOUSE.

And of course, there would be studio interference, because $90 million is a hell of a lot more money than THE WITCH and THE LIGHTHOUSE grossed, combined. Even $65 million seems like a lot of money for a "specialty" director whose movies did not have much commercial appeal, even in pre-COVID times.



Of course what's "disappointing" to that Reddit poster is also why people like me -- or anyone who didn't care for THE LIGHTHOUSE -- might well prefer THIS film.

AMBULANCE doesn't look very appealing. I don't know what the movie is trying to be, but they initially marketed it more as a horror movie than a Michael Bay action film.

My reaction upon exiting the theater...



This...is...magnificent. Funny that so many are complaining about "studio interference", when it's easily Eggers' most accomplished and accessible film to date. Stunning photography (in real locations!), fantastic acting and bracingly brutal. A new classic.

Tepid audience score at both Cinemascore and even Rotten Tomatoes (plunging into the 60's) means Eggers' movies are clearly going to have a hard time attracting a wide audience. Obviously this isn't THE LIGHTHOUSE but it's still not material or an approach that lends itself to being commercially viable. But that's always been true -- movies typically described as "bleak," "nihilistic," and "brutal" have a hard time commercially, pandemic or not.

Anyway, this movie's theatrical window is only 17 days so I'll check it out, even though I can tell already this isn't going to be my bag necessarily.

Gleiberman's off his rocker with this piece, and I don't even need to see the film to feel that way. Like the pinnacle of a successful director in 2022 is getting invited to make THOR 5? Seriously? What crap.

Of course, I may agree with him that the movie sucks, but his overall point seems to miss the mark.

It's gotten to a depressing point when even MOVIE CRITICS are championing outre art-house filmmakers to jump into Lego-brick franchise building. The Northman is Eggers' most "accessible" mainstream movie to date, but I don't want to see him making an MCU movie anytime soon.

(and The Lighthouse was unwatchable garbage anyways)

And there you have it.

God forbid a historical movie not flood the screen with black lesbians in wheelchairs, to pander to today's crybaby "inclusiveness".

Is it April 1st?

AndyDursin wrote: ↑Sat May 07, 2022 12:34 pm Is it April 1st?

The funniest part of that article is when the author notes Skarsgård's character is "uncomfortably close" to Jake Angeli, when filming on The Northman actually wrapped in early December 2020 -- a month before January 6th.

7/10

Robert Eggers brings the world of THE NORTHMAN (137 mins., 2022, R; Universal) to the screen with all the authenticity that marked the auteur's previous works, “The Witch” and “The Lighthouse.” As an examination of time and place, there's no doubt this is a striking and even powerful visceral experience – yet dramatically, there's just not enough in the movie's screenplay to nourish its leisurely pace and hefty 2+ hour run time.

Alexander Skarsgard plays the title role – the slain son of a Viking prince (Ethan Hawke) whose mother (Nicole Kidman) was abducted by his uncle (Claes Bang). Years later, Skarsgard tracks down her whereabouts, hoping for vengeance with an unquenchable thirst, only partially tamed by his relationship with a Slavic outcast (Anya Taylor-Joy) he meets along the way.

The script, credited to “Sjon” and Eggers, offers few layers beyond its straightforward premise – “The Northman” is entirely about bringing this violent universe to life with historical accuracy. Viewers expecting a Viking “300” will want to head elsewhere as Eggers' visual eye captures the grit, grime, and also wild beauty of its striking environments in meticulous detail, but moves slowly through what turns out to be a predictable dramatic structure. Producer Arnon Milchan and other Hollywood suits provided more funding for Eggers than his past productions, and it's all up on-screen – which makes it a pity that the movie wasn't more involving.

“The Northman” is basically just a one-note tale of revenge in a place where right and wrong scarcely makes a difference – as its protagonist (it's difficult to call him a hero) finds at the end, he's no more righteous than the man who killed his father at the movie's open. That's surely the point, yet one wishes there was more to the story, more layers and characters, that could have added further dimension to what's unquestionably a superb technical exercise but little else.