The Northman: Robert Eggers’ Journey from Indie Auteur to Blockbuster Filmmaker
The Northman (2022)
Directed by Robert Eggers
Starring Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy
Robert Eggers’ first two films, The Witch (2015) and The Lighthouse (2019), might just rank among the greatest feature-length debuts by any auteur. Hyperbole? Recency bias? I don’t think so. Who else can compare? Orson Welles with Citizen Kane (1941) and The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)? The Coen Brothers with Blood Simple (1984) and Raising Arizona (1987)? Quentin Tarantino with Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Pulp Fiction (1994)? I could go on, but I won’t. In my opinion, the only contemporary filmmaker who comes close is Ari Aster, with Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019). Are we in a new golden age of cinema? If Eggers, Aster, and their peers like Yorgos Lanthimos, Alex Garland, and the Daniels have anything to say about it—yes.
Personally, the immense pressure I put on The Northman to be brilliant skewed my first viewing on opening night. I was expecting a big-budget, period-piece extravaganza akin to Braveheart (1995) rather than the character-driven, intimate storytelling of The Witch or The Lighthouse. Why? Probably the onslaught of promotional material and trailers, which primed me for ultra-violence and cinematic battles. On my second viewing, I came down to earth and appreciated Eggers’ third film for what it is. The attention to detail is still present, though not to the obsessive level of his previous works, which were confined to a single location and in black-and-white, allowing for tighter historical accuracy. With The Northman, the full-color, multi-location approach stretched the $60 million budget, his first major studio effort. Backed by Focus Features (U.S.) and Universal Pictures (international), this film had an unrealistic buildup for viewers like myself. Eggers’ previous films, produced by A24 for a combined $15 million, relied on word of mouth to grow his status as an auteur. This larger-budget endeavor, however, ultimately lost money.
But there’s hope. While The Northman may have been a financial risk, giving young filmmakers like Eggers a chance to tell bigger, more expansive stories could ultimately benefit the industry. It might foster goodwill between rising auteurs and major studios, often criticized for churning out sequels, remakes, and reboots. If handled well, this could lead to critical acclaim and long-term gains through streaming and physical media sales.
A large part of that risk, of course, rested on the broad shoulders of Alexander Skarsgård. He’s come a long way from being “the skinny kid” in Zoolander (2001) and then Eric Northman (ironic) in HBO’s True Blood. He’s always had charisma, but is he really a leading man? Or has that term lost some of its meaning?
Either way, Skarsgård got his shot in David Yates’ The Legend of Tarzan (2016), which made money for the studio and led to his role in Godzilla vs. Kong (2021). But leading a Robert Eggers film is a different challenge altogether. While Skarsgård is physically impressive as Amleth, he doesn’t quite rise to the level of his director. In The Witch, Anya Taylor-Joy carried the film, and in The Lighthouse, Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe turned in career-defining performances. Skarsgård’s Amleth, while powerful, doesn’t fully match the talent around him—particularly when acting alongside Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, and Taylor-Joy.
The first act, featuring a young Amleth (Oscar Novak) and Willem Dafoe’s wonderfully odd performance as Heimir the Fool, was my favorite part. But once the film jumps 20 years ahead, the mystery dissipates, and the action takes center stage. The battle scenes are masterfully crafted—both fluid and brutal—but I longed for the surreal, focused storytelling of Eggers’ earlier work. Some of that returns in the third act, but by then, it felt a little too late.
That said, the third act does feature one of the best monologues in recent memory, delivered by Nicole Kidman as Queen Gudrún, Amleth’s mother. Claes Bang shines here too, playing Fjölnir as a perfect foil to our vengeful protagonist. And once the romance with Olga (Taylor-Joy) kicks in, the emotional stakes finally feel heightened. The climactic fight in a visually stunning, impossible location ties the film together with a cinematic spectacle, though I still prefer the psychological intensity of Eggers’ earlier films.
With each rewatch, I expect I’ll appreciate the nuances in story and performances more. But as it stands, if The Witch is a B+ and The Lighthouse is an A-, then The Northman is a solid B.