And I have to imagine her K&M would be forced to agree if they thought about it for a moment. The whole time they were talking about how much they loved the film and how painful it was to sit through, they couldn't stop laughing. I bet they left plenty in the cinema.
The Northman is a great film. Time will give it justice. General audience may ignore it, but those who watched it and loved it will love it for ever, and new people will discover it in the future. I don´t have blue ray, neither a good 4k screen, and now I want to start a Blue Ray collection (I have a nice DVD one 😅) because of this movie.
@@tentsio Nah get a 4K blu ray if you can afford them. Digital stream versions go through a lot of compression and look worse. Or torrent them, tho a lot of people aren't comfortable doing that and it has some of it's own draw backs. Key being inability to store Dolby Vision or HDR10+ metadata and i don't think Atmos surround tracks can be stored either. HDR10 can be stored though so if you are fine with that or the film only has HDR10 (which is a lot) then torrenting is a great option.
One of my biggest problems with his reviews, he often exhibits his knowledge of film instead of actually saying anything about the film he’s supposed to be reviewing
I've never truly gotten a sense that Kermode had a knowledge of film. All these years it's like he's still trying to fake it 'til he makes it but he's made it and he's still faking it. He must watch films like health inspectors inspect toilets. "Wow, what a nice clean looking bathroom!" "This bathroom is not where I want my life to be right now!" "A lot clearly went into this turd which is why it's such a shame that it doesn't quite reach the bowl!"
@@johnpoo1662 It shouldn't be for Kermode because in the past he's admired those studios that have been brave with risky projects by pumping out the cash. And he's also grateful for those films that weren't successful at the box office like Howard the Duck. Here he is talking like an accountant which is weird. We should be grateful that in a world where it's becoming rarer than ever to finance independent films, that The Northman has been made. And if some of these movies aren't making their money back, that's all the more reason to tell everyone you know to watch films like the Northman.
@@Phil_Mitchell Yeah he seems to talk like this whenever the film doesn’t win him over completely. You just have to watch his Nightmare Alley review where he only mentioned the budget to say how great the Film looks. Also agree with you that it’s odd how it frames this as well.
I enjoyed the northman, however I preferred Winding Refn’s “Valhalla Rising” which was in my opinion far more existential and brutal. They’d make a great double bill at the Prince Charles
I was disappointed. While the sound and visuals were quite breath taking, i thought the plot was a little dull, so was some of the dialogue. Prefer both the Lighthouse and the witch by miles, those were great.
After seeing any movie, I only ask myself one question. Was I entertained? I can say yes for The Witch, The Lighthouse and The Northman. I really hope he gets to do the Nosferatu remake.
Same. I actively shot off any other thoughts that might be provoked, and if I'm incapable of being unthoughtful, I hit myself in the head with a hammer.
Thanks for inadvertently informing me that this is what they've moved to now (and that the first episode is live) and I'll be enjoying their full podcast over on Spotify, but I let this video play out anyways as a meagre thank you of sorts.
The northman will become a cult classic. Just saw it yesterday. My whole body was quite literally vibrating during the valkyrie scene. I can count on one hand how many movies have had this effect on me.
Yes it will be remembered. Unfortunately the studio made him use kidman who has obvious had plastic surgery (wasnt aware of it availability then) and i also thought the first ten minutes took me out thanks to another big star with an awful accent but a memorable performance. Just imagine the wonderfully massive money losing masterpiece we would have got if it was just eggers and money…..might aswell enjoy this one. He wont get another chance
There is a heck of a lot of Conan in there too. But i found it depressing due to it being quite slow, and also quite accurately pointing out how compulsion to vengeance and ideas of fate are incredibly limiting and, in the end, stupid.
Althoughit was by no means a bad movie,I was left underwhelmed and a bit cold by the Northman. It is indeed brilliantly acted, Visiually stunning, and it's score as Mark says, evocative. Yet It gets bogged down two thrids of the way through by it's overbearing, ponderous tone. It did improve in the last thrid and the pacing picked up,, but ultimately it didn't keep me as engrossed as it should have.
I don't think so. He's established as a well respected auteur filmmaker now. He may never see this kind of budget again (and he's pretty much said he doesn't really want to since it means giving up full control), but he's gon a keep making movies and stars are gonna continue to want to work with him
@@masterofallgoons of course talent will want to work with him, and his audience will always be there. Eggers is one of my favorite filmmakers and I’ll never miss anything he releases. But studios are investment banks, not art patrons. They have a different lens through which they judge directors than we do. He will still have opportunities, but they will attempt to curb any losses. $40-50 million in the hole matters a lot to them.
@@Evanderj - Sure, but he's not seeking to make this sort of budgeted film again, at least not immediately, according to what he's said. So he'll get to making something a little bit smaller, with more control, and as long as known actors sign on to do them, and since the reviews are good, he's gonna keep being able to make stuff as long as the budget is in check. This kind of hiccup doesn't end the career of a well liked and highly respected filmmaker. It's not like he's Michael Cimino and he's out of control and a problem on set. Plus, the fate of The Northman has not yet been full decided. Films have all sorts of after lives these days. It may not make a profit in the box office, but it may have a great run in the home viewing market for all we know. He's definitely not gonna be make a film for nearly 100 million dollars immediately now, but he's gonna go on being a filmmaker. Paul Thomas Anderson has essentiall never made a box office hit in his career, and yet he gets to make exactly what he wants to.
It's a shame but Scorsese had it right....cinema has changed. All of Eggers films are visually stunning on the big screen with the language and text holding you captive. But this isn't cinema anymore....it belongs to Batman 7 "Gothams Revenge" or whatever.....Robert Eggers is a breath of fresh air....I just hope we can get back to it one day
@@jamiewatts8244 agreed. Theme park rides are what studios want to sell in theaters nowadays. People buy tickets for them disproportionately as well :-/
Thanks. Excellent film. Not as brutal as people keep saying, and more cerebral than I expected. A good film that's cinematic and entertaining for the ages. Remember them? They still come up, sometimes. Why isn't this on Kermode & Mayo's channel?
Just watched it last night and honestly haven't loved a movie like that in quite a while. Everything about Eggers' filmmaking style just connects with me, and this felt like his attempt to make something more mainstream which was awesome. It's prob been mentioned elsewhere too but the overall story really resembles The Lion King lol, right down to the final battle. Felt to me like Eggers wanted a very clear and simple throughline to make The Northman more accessible than his previous films, and for me it's a success across the board. I also think we desperately need more original films like this in the medium to high budget range. Let's hope the underperformance at the box office doesn't scare studios too much.
I'm glad I'm not the only one. I've watched it three times in two week's. In my opinion it's a masterpiece. Like The Lighthouse. Robert Eggers is a extremely talented director.
I wasn't sure how I felt about The Witch until I saw the Northman and then I got it. I did find the switching between english and subtitles strange. Fully subtitled or english with no dodgy accents please. Subtitles is my preference. I did however love this movie. I watched it with my daughter and we were taking the micky out of it initially, because of the dodgy accents. However we kept watching and we kept watching and we were invested in it after it's first hour. It is a great piece of cinema and I would pay to watch it at the cinema A+
The 'twist' at the end was incredible. That alone is enough to stay with the story. But nothing about the telling of the story is boring in any way. It feels like one story but expressed through two very different mediums. The first act is very violent and visceral. The second half is very ethereal and contemplative. The last act subverts the idea of family and throws the protagonists motivation out the window.
I don’t quite understand economics of streaming, but it’s at ~55/90 mil worldwide vs budget for box office as of day 25. It’s found little international success. How much can streaming make up for losses? It won’t make money but maybe break even?
He's right though, it worries me when a high budget film flops because it scares studios off doing anything other than superhero pap that will succeed irrespective of quality. It's heartening that Villeneuve got to proceed with Dune following the box office failure of his other high stakes film- Blade Runner 2049. It could have put the kibosh on it, and the MCU mouth breathers would have won.
@@ISimulacraaa I understand that. This review especially feels needlessly preoccupied with box office success because it seems like Mark Kermode does not really review the film so much as assess its long-term financial success but that's not what I expect from a film review.
I found The Northman somewhat disappointing. I didn’t feel empathy for any of the characters apart from the young Amleth. The film seemed to sit on the fence,neither mystical enough nor the action not explicit enough. Obviously chasing the cert 15 and teenage pocket money. Loved the Witch and the Lighthouse. I truly wished I liked the Northman more.
That’s fine, it’s just not your cup of tea. Personally I loved The Witch and The Northman but wasn’t a huge fan of the lighthouse. I still respect Eggers’ art regardless
Feel like the film would have benefited with him not going back for the Revenge Of The Sith fight. While it was more faithful to original material and quite a 'Viking' thing to do, a bit of subversion would have helped us move beyond the tired revenge plot, which doesn't feel that earned by the end and frankly it would have felt more interesting to see how such a macho monster would have adapted as somebody looking towards the future rather than the past.
Kermode citing revenge of the sith.. that's surprising, maybe his heart warm up to it a little bit.. even tho he's citing it next to zardoz so... Who knows🤣 But for all their fault, those films have in commun mad ambition, operatic storytelling and visuals that is so rare and precious nowadays, brutal emotions and a desire to really leave an impact on the viewer, not just entertaining them for a few hours like so many other big budget films nowadays.. Like them both, and i hope Eggerts bet will prove succesfull at the box office..
I want to see Eggers make a supernatural sci fi movie. I am thinking maybe a remake of Quatermass and the pit and call it Hobbs Lane. I don't know why I thought that. It just came into my head.
Used to love Mark Kermode's reviews but less so in recent years. I feel he brings too much of his own prejudice into the movies he watches. In fact, there's no actual review here just some number crunching. He's free to like or loath The Northman of course but I feel he's missed its faithfulness to the period it explores and wasn't willing to invest in the world presented. Also, it's hard to continue to respect a critic who gave an all over the place Wonder Woman 1984 a 4-star review while giving this carefully crafted tale of revenge only 3 stars.
@@paulwolfe325 That's fair enough. It's a simple story at heart, with the subtext mostly coming from the overlapping/blending of the physical and spiritual world. Can fully understand why many people didn't enjoy it. My point was more about Mark's review than the quality of the movie tbh.
@@paulwolfe325 I think that’s because it’s a very old story. Old stories tended to be more straightforward and not as “character-dramaish” which is just a different approach to storytelling
I loved The Northman. This movie cares about its characters. Mark Kermode is only arguing for how economically feasable a movie should be. Thats nuts. Thats not how good movies are made.
He's not arguing that, but warning of the economic facts. The money men don't care about artistic integrity, they would happily churn out nothing but mindless kids films, because idiots will flock to them no matter what.
Yes, but he is implying that movies like this are going to become rarer and rarer. So, in these times we live in a good movie is irrelevant if it is only good to critics and a small minority of people. Movies like the Northman will become fewer and fewer. Big budget movies will have to guarantee big profits and anything even just a little risky will be limited to modest budgets only.
i loved this movie, it was great BUT at the same time i want Robert eggers to focus on expanding the minds of the viewers, to make them use their imagination more . for one the setting... it was beautiful but not great... this would have been my go to viking movie if there was more detail more things to imagine about as the movie played along to kill time because the movie was so long but he just needed to work on the story, setting (although the filming was great this movie looks astonishing) and just a better way to attach the viewers to the characters. Otherwise, this filmmaker is great and has so much potential.
I just watched it with some friends. It was a fun watch but something felt a little off, and the more we discussed it afterwards, the less we liked it. It didn't seem to know whether it was art-house cinema or a mindless hack n' slash action flick. Poor, predictable dialogue didn't help sell the extremely one dimensional characters. It relied on a meaningless mash of recycled over-used viking tropes, and the mythological vignettes often felt needless and awkwardly wedged into the structure. The references to norse mythology and history were really interesting, though, and the sets were great.
@@Jamesp1972 Are you saying the letter R is a vowel in the UK? I also hear a lot of British people say 'idear' instead of idea. To me it seems like a mass speech impediment similar to the Catalan 'th' sound for the S and soft C.
Agreed lads …a mixture off many films a bit over the place …Cant figure out still if I enjoy it or annoyed me ..Miss Kidman not great ..saying that other actors were fine …
OK Mark, but we are actually back in terms of cinema therefore why does a majority of your review look on the audience and not the product? Because the product itself (to me at least) echoed epics like Excaliber. It sadens me epics have to be compared to the today audience (covid) and not just the fact that they have cult status! Anyway I really enjoyed the workmanship here and truly believe your 3 star rating is... to say the least.. pretty shit mate!
I'm a fan of alternative filming techniques but this was self-aggrandising art house garbage. It just made no sense. One example (of many). He eventually arrives in this village, with about 8 soldiers. One night he can carve up 3 of them like butter. Next night they're all off their heads on shrooms, yet none die. None. The next night he rides off on horses that appear by magic (with a slave who decided to leave the village, by just, you know. Leaving) . Next night he comes back, effortlessly kills all the soldiers, only to be stabbed by his mum and a boy. Absolutely trash. Frontal labotomy stuff.
If its a film of epic importance, why is the second half in a village with about 20 people. If its not epic, why is every line written like a cheap Hamlet knock off? Unbelievable stuff.
I thought the movie was fine. Great visuals and sound design/ music and all that but an extremely generic story I've seen a million times. All the elements of the story I liked the most were very few and far between. Definitely smells of studio interference especially based on some things I've read about it.
@@helvete_ingres4717 "Eggers wanted a more artsy and slow-paced film, while the studio demanded a more entertaining and accessible story. After some test screenings, Eggers and his editor, Louise Ford, managed to find the balance, and the latest cut was approved on November 3, 2021." This is what I read that I'm basing that on. I think that in achieving that "balance" they took out the most interesting aspects of the story for me.
Of course, I streamed it at home. Too dangerous, too many guns in the states to sit in a vulnerable public space for 2 hours like a movie theater. I've seen it twice. So I must have liked it. I suppose these $100 million movies like The Last Duel will make $$money somehow? Streaming?
Strange review, almost like they didn't want to say what they thought of the film overall. Regardless, I thought it was a great film that treated the audience like adults. Very violent, so if you don't like violence give it a miss.
@@stephenglasse9756 Thank you. I’ll try and look up that review. I have now read the Kermode review and Peter Bradshaw’s review which is also in The Guardian. I think Bradshaw’s review understands the film better than Kermode’s. However, each to their own.
I was really unimpressed with the Northman. I don't understand why people liked it. After watching the Witch and The Lighthouse I felt the intriguing thing about Robert Eggers is that his films would be guaranteed to be kind of mysterious and symbolic and almost psychoanalytic, but there was absolutely nothing mysterious or symbolic about the Northman, it was just a derivative, macho revenge story with swords and gore and muscles. Very dissappointing.
I kind of was on the fence about it. But I watched it again in a local bar theater (that had killer sound) and I really enjoyed it. The middle does lag, but that ending hits so fucking hard. I love the heavy metal cathartic raaaaaaaggggeeee shouting quality of it. I’ve been watching a lot of crappy art house films where everybody whispers (Spencer, crimes of the future, etc) so this really was refreshing.
The Northman was awful. Sad to me because The Witch was an amazing film. The Northmans story was boring and the acting was awful. I actually could not believe how bad it was. One of many terrible instances was when he hid the sword on the roof with a stray of hay. I was like “the wind is literally going to remove that hay immediately and the sword will be found.” Such lazy storytelling from someone who I expected a lot more from. Visuals were great, but so what that doesn’t make a movie.
Liked it but didn't love it, given the 5 star reviews I was reading it left me slightly flat. The 'Shakespearian' language also kind of bored me at times.
It isn’t woke, no politics are pushed into the movie and there’s no token diversity casting. The cast are there because he be been selected to be perfect for the role 👌
After huge anticipation I was massively disappointed by this horrendous mess of a movie. First and foremost it just didn't feel like a Viking movie. Not once did I get any sense of royal Viking blood, more like a group of random peasants having beef at the side of a grassy hill. The father assassination scene was taken almost verbatim from Thulsa Doom's entrance in Conan the Barbarian. Overall, a painfully boring and arduous watch.
I absolutely loved the Lighthouse but hated the Northman. It was slow, boring, predictable, had zero humour and full of cliches. I love long epics but this could’ve been cut to around 90 mins.
The Lighthouse wasn't very low on laughs for me. I found it blackly comedic.
Exactly, very funny, very intense especially with the ratio it was filmed in. Amazing movie.
Stole my comment! Exactly
And I have to imagine her K&M would be forced to agree if they thought about it for a moment. The whole time they were talking about how much they loved the film and how painful it was to sit through, they couldn't stop laughing. I bet they left plenty in the cinema.
The "look at ye - posting cringe" meme it generated alone secures its comedy credentials.
Totally agree, darkly hilarious and therefore full of life which is why I preferred it to The Witch
The Northman is a great film. Time will give it justice. General audience may ignore it, but those who watched it and loved it will love it for ever, and new people will discover it in the future. I don´t have blue ray, neither a good 4k screen, and now I want to start a Blue Ray collection (I have a nice DVD one 😅) because of this movie.
Blu-ray is only 1080. If you are watching on a 4K screen, try and get a 4K digital version for ultimate quality.
@@dw300 Thanks, I wasn´t aware of that.
@@tentsio Nah get a 4K blu ray if you can afford them. Digital stream versions go through a lot of compression and look worse. Or torrent them, tho a lot of people aren't comfortable doing that and it has some of it's own draw backs. Key being inability to store Dolby Vision or HDR10+ metadata and i don't think Atmos surround tracks can be stored either. HDR10 can be stored though so if you are fine with that or the film only has HDR10 (which is a lot) then torrenting is a great option.
It just turned a profit!
The Lighthouse is low on laughs? I find it an hilarious film
Hark!
Yep, two men argue about where they can have a wank in a lighthouse.
I agree....
Why is Kermode talking like Hollywood accountant here? As a film fan you should be talking about the film!
One of my biggest problems with his reviews, he often exhibits his knowledge of film instead of actually saying anything about the film he’s supposed to be reviewing
I've never truly gotten a sense that Kermode had a knowledge of film. All these years it's like he's still trying to fake it 'til he makes it but he's made it and he's still faking it. He must watch films like health inspectors inspect toilets. "Wow, what a nice clean looking bathroom!" "This bathroom is not where I want my life to be right now!" "A lot clearly went into this turd which is why it's such a shame that it doesn't quite reach the bowl!"
because it's a very important point. movie studios aren't charities.
@@johnpoo1662 It shouldn't be for Kermode because in the past he's admired those studios that have been brave with risky projects by pumping out the cash. And he's also grateful for those films that weren't successful at the box office like Howard the Duck. Here he is talking like an accountant which is weird. We should be grateful that in a world where it's becoming rarer than ever to finance independent films, that The Northman has been made. And if some of these movies aren't making their money back, that's all the more reason to tell everyone you know to watch films like the Northman.
@@Phil_Mitchell
Yeah he seems to talk like this whenever the film doesn’t win him over completely. You just have to watch his Nightmare Alley review where he only mentioned the budget to say how great the Film looks.
Also agree with you that it’s odd how it frames this as well.
I enjoyed the northman, however I preferred Winding Refn’s “Valhalla Rising” which was in my opinion far more existential and brutal. They’d make a great double bill at the Prince Charles
Absolutely!
Yes, 'Valhalla Rising' is excellent.
I was disappointed. While the sound and visuals were quite breath taking, i thought the plot was a little dull, so was some of the dialogue.
Prefer both the Lighthouse and the witch by miles, those were great.
Couldnt agree more, The Northman is a narrative mess.
Agreed. An utterly beautiful mess
Just watched it and im not sure how i feel about it. could have been 30 minutes shorter. Looks good, sounds good but not sure about the story
After seeing any movie, I only ask myself one question. Was I entertained? I can say yes for The Witch, The Lighthouse and The Northman. I really hope he gets to do the Nosferatu remake.
I hope you say it in a shouty, Russel Crowe Gladiator voice: "Was I not entertained? WAS I NOT ENTERTAINED?" 😊
Same. I actively shot off any other thoughts that might be provoked, and if I'm incapable of being unthoughtful, I hit myself in the head with a hammer.
They really don't say ANYTHING about the film itself in this "review."
Thanks for inadvertently informing me that this is what they've moved to now (and that the first episode is live) and I'll be enjoying their full podcast over on Spotify, but I let this video play out anyways as a meagre thank you of sorts.
same!
The northman will become a cult classic. Just saw it yesterday. My whole body was quite literally vibrating during the valkyrie scene. I can count on one hand how many movies have had this effect on me.
Yes it will be remembered. Unfortunately the studio made him use kidman who has obvious had plastic surgery (wasnt aware of it availability then) and i also thought the first ten minutes took me out thanks to another big star with an awful accent but a memorable performance. Just imagine the wonderfully massive money losing masterpiece we would have got if it was just eggers and money…..might aswell enjoy this one. He wont get another chance
Forgotten. Is it's deserving title.
The Valkyrie scene had the same effect on me. I nearly started crying it was so perfect.
There is a heck of a lot of Conan in there too.
But i found it depressing due to it being quite slow, and also quite accurately pointing out how compulsion to vengeance and ideas of fate are incredibly limiting and, in the end, stupid.
Need a more in depth review on The Northman!
The Lighthouse is low on laughs? I think it's slyly hilarious
I agree there were elements that were great but it just didn't live up to my expectations after the initial buzz about it.
Althoughit was by no means a bad movie,I was left underwhelmed and a bit cold by the Northman. It is indeed brilliantly acted, Visiually stunning, and it's score as Mark says, evocative. Yet It gets bogged down two thrids of the way through by it's overbearing, ponderous tone. It did improve in the last thrid and the pacing picked up,, but ultimately it didn't keep me as engrossed as it should have.
I agree, fantastic film but it’s inability to recoup its massive budget will turn studios sour against Eggers.
I don't think so. He's established as a well respected auteur filmmaker now. He may never see this kind of budget again (and he's pretty much said he doesn't really want to since it means giving up full control), but he's gon a keep making movies and stars are gonna continue to want to work with him
@@masterofallgoons of course talent will want to work with him, and his audience will always be there. Eggers is one of my favorite filmmakers and I’ll never miss anything he releases.
But studios are investment banks, not art patrons. They have a different lens through which they judge directors than we do. He will still have opportunities, but they will attempt to curb any losses. $40-50 million in the hole matters a lot to them.
@@Evanderj - Sure, but he's not seeking to make this sort of budgeted film again, at least not immediately, according to what he's said. So he'll get to making something a little bit smaller, with more control, and as long as known actors sign on to do them, and since the reviews are good, he's gonna keep being able to make stuff as long as the budget is in check. This kind of hiccup doesn't end the career of a well liked and highly respected filmmaker. It's not like he's Michael Cimino and he's out of control and a problem on set.
Plus, the fate of The Northman has not yet been full decided. Films have all sorts of after lives these days. It may not make a profit in the box office, but it may have a great run in the home viewing market for all we know.
He's definitely not gonna be make a film for nearly 100 million dollars immediately now, but he's gonna go on being a filmmaker.
Paul Thomas Anderson has essentiall never made a box office hit in his career, and yet he gets to make exactly what he wants to.
It's a shame but Scorsese had it right....cinema has changed. All of Eggers films are visually stunning on the big screen with the language and text holding you captive. But this isn't cinema anymore....it belongs to Batman 7 "Gothams Revenge" or whatever.....Robert Eggers is a breath of fresh air....I just hope we can get back to it one day
@@jamiewatts8244 agreed. Theme park rides are what studios want to sell in theaters nowadays. People buy tickets for them disproportionately as well :-/
Thanks. Excellent film. Not as brutal as people keep saying, and more cerebral than I expected. A good film that's cinematic and entertaining for the ages. Remember them? They still come up, sometimes. Why isn't this on Kermode & Mayo's channel?
He didn't review the actual film at all
Just watched it last night and honestly haven't loved a movie like that in quite a while. Everything about Eggers' filmmaking style just connects with me, and this felt like his attempt to make something more mainstream which was awesome. It's prob been mentioned elsewhere too but the overall story really resembles The Lion King lol, right down to the final battle. Felt to me like Eggers wanted a very clear and simple throughline to make The Northman more accessible than his previous films, and for me it's a success across the board. I also think we desperately need more original films like this in the medium to high budget range. Let's hope the underperformance at the box office doesn't scare studios too much.
I'm glad I'm not the only one. I've watched it three times in two week's. In my opinion it's a masterpiece. Like The Lighthouse. Robert Eggers is a extremely talented director.
Kermode gets movies wrong so often. He found Baby Driver to be better than Silence. lol
I thought some of the cast were speaking with a Scottish accent.
This is supposed to be a review of The Northman, not Robert Eggers or his previous films. This *is not* a review.
“The Lighthouse” low on laughs? There are more laughs in the fond of me lobster scene alone, than in most so-called comedies.
You guys wouldn't believe what is being spent on single episodes of streaming TV shows. Basically The Northman was made for two episodes.
I wasn't sure how I felt about The Witch until I saw the Northman and then I got it. I did find the switching between english and subtitles strange. Fully subtitled or english with no dodgy accents please. Subtitles is my preference. I did however love this movie. I watched it with my daughter and we were taking the micky out of it initially, because of the dodgy accents. However we kept watching and we kept watching and we were invested in it after it's first hour. It is a great piece of cinema and I would pay to watch it at the cinema A+
Hamlet was based on the story
The 'twist' at the end was incredible. That alone is enough to stay with the story. But nothing about the telling of the story is boring in any way. It feels like one story but expressed through two very different mediums. The first act is very violent and visceral. The second half is very ethereal and contemplative. The last act subverts the idea of family and throws the protagonists motivation out the window.
I don’t quite understand economics of streaming, but it’s at ~55/90 mil worldwide vs budget for box office as of day 25. It’s found little international success. How much can streaming make up for losses? It won’t make money but maybe break even?
Loved the other 2, this one was well off the mark.
Why even question box-office receipts? Is Kermode reviewing films as works of art or commodities?
Go watch James Gray’s statement about this very conundrum.
The scene at the start where they massacre the village is a bit of a homage to Klimov's Com and See.
The Northman is a great film. Go and see it.
i wonder if Mark is aware that Amleth is a play on Hamlet (one letter moved around)
The historical Scandinavian legend of Amleth was Shakespeare's inspiration for Hamlet. Look it up.
I don't care that it makes its money back as long as it is a good film.
He's right though, it worries me when a high budget film flops because it scares studios off doing anything other than superhero pap that will succeed irrespective of quality.
It's heartening that Villeneuve got to proceed with Dune following the box office failure of his other high stakes film- Blade Runner 2049. It could have put the kibosh on it, and the MCU mouth breathers would have won.
@@ISimulacraaa I understand that. This review especially feels needlessly preoccupied with box office success because it seems like Mark Kermode does not really review the film so much as assess its long-term financial success but that's not what I expect from a film review.
Where’s the video
The Northman was incredible.
it was awesome... really a toss between this and Valhalla Rising as my fav vikings movie
Valhalla rising. Now there’s a movie. Worth a re-watch my friend. 👍
I feel like I didnt learn anything about the movie after hearing this
I found The Northman somewhat disappointing. I didn’t feel empathy for any of the characters apart from the young Amleth. The film seemed to sit on the fence,neither mystical enough nor the action not explicit enough. Obviously chasing the cert 15 and teenage pocket money. Loved the Witch and the Lighthouse. I truly wished I liked the Northman more.
That’s fine, it’s just not your cup of tea. Personally I loved The Witch and The Northman but wasn’t a huge fan of the lighthouse. I still respect Eggers’ art regardless
The Northman is the best film I've ever seen. No question it's a stunning masterpiece.
it means you have seen few movies
Feel like the film would have benefited with him not going back for the Revenge Of The Sith fight. While it was more faithful to original material and quite a 'Viking' thing to do, a bit of subversion would have helped us move beyond the tired revenge plot, which doesn't feel that earned by the end and frankly it would have felt more interesting to see how such a macho monster would have adapted as somebody looking towards the future rather than the past.
Kermode citing revenge of the sith.. that's surprising, maybe his heart warm up to it a little bit.. even tho he's citing it next to zardoz so... Who knows🤣
But for all their fault, those films have in commun mad ambition, operatic storytelling and visuals that is so rare and precious nowadays, brutal emotions and a desire to really leave an impact on the viewer, not just entertaining them for a few hours like so many other big budget films nowadays..
Like them both, and i hope Eggerts bet will prove succesfull at the box office..
The review was cut short.
I want to see Eggers make a supernatural sci fi movie. I am thinking maybe a remake of Quatermass and the pit and call it Hobbs Lane. I don't know why I thought that. It just came into my head.
That would be great!
I saw it. It was tough to understand what was being said. Kidman seemed out of place. Authentic period costumes and setting.
Made for $60 million . Worldwide takings so far $64 million. So it did make it's money back.
Lighthouse is low on laughs? There’s pretty much a fart subplot…
Used to love Mark Kermode's reviews but less so in recent years. I feel he brings too much of his own prejudice into the movies he watches. In fact, there's no actual review here just some number crunching. He's free to like or loath The Northman of course but I feel he's missed its faithfulness to the period it explores and wasn't willing to invest in the world presented. Also, it's hard to continue to respect a critic who gave an all over the place Wonder Woman 1984 a 4-star review while giving this carefully crafted tale of revenge only 3 stars.
Being faithful does not make it exciting or tell a thorough story. This plot and characters are rather shallow.
@@paulwolfe325 That's fair enough. It's a simple story at heart, with the subtext mostly coming from the overlapping/blending of the physical and spiritual world. Can fully understand why many people didn't enjoy it. My point was more about Mark's review than the quality of the movie tbh.
Wonder Woman 1984 is the worst of the worst films I’ve watched in the last 10 yrs. Sure it wasn’t a minus 4 score he gave it?
I totally agree. Or is it; I agree totally?
@@paulwolfe325 I think that’s because it’s a very old story. Old stories tended to be more straightforward and not as “character-dramaish” which is just a different approach to storytelling
has made 60mil already
Fucking loved it
I loved The Northman. This movie cares about its characters. Mark Kermode is only arguing for how economically feasable a movie should be. Thats nuts. Thats not how good movies are made.
He's not arguing that, but warning of the economic facts. The money men don't care about artistic integrity, they would happily churn out nothing but mindless kids films, because idiots will flock to them no matter what.
Yes, but he is implying that movies like this are going to become rarer and rarer. So, in these times we live in a good movie is irrelevant if it is only good to critics and a small minority of people. Movies like the Northman will become fewer and fewer. Big budget movies will have to guarantee big profits and anything even just a little risky will be limited to modest budgets only.
It ain’t woke, no diversity casting , feels real 🙏
@@PoldarkGodzilla what a sad pathetic thing to care about
movie was absolutely great 9 put of 10
Lmao. So did he like it. That’s all we needed to know and 4 minutes later I’m still unsure
Yep, it won't make it's ROI. People just want Marvel rubbish and it'll be the death of cinema. Thanks zombies.
Y'all like ma lobster!? Y'all like ma lobster!!?
It’s a fantastic film
Why does Mark care so much about box office?? He's a film a film critic, not an economic analyst
well that ended abruptly
Not a great review. I have been waiting for Mark’s take on this film, and feel as though I still am :(
A review by jaded reviewers who have seen one too many films. I loved it!
Er, was this edited badly, or was that really the whole review???
i loved this movie, it was great BUT at the same time i want Robert eggers to focus on expanding the minds of the viewers, to make them use their imagination more . for one the setting... it was beautiful but not great... this would have been my go to viking movie if there was more detail more things to imagine about as the movie played along to kill time because the movie was so long but he just needed to work on the story, setting (although the filming was great this movie looks astonishing) and just a better way to attach the viewers to the characters. Otherwise, this filmmaker is great and has so much potential.
I just watched it with some friends. It was a fun watch but something felt a little off, and the more we discussed it afterwards, the less we liked it. It didn't seem to know whether it was art-house cinema or a mindless hack n' slash action flick. Poor, predictable dialogue didn't help sell the extremely one dimensional characters. It relied on a meaningless mash of recycled over-used viking tropes, and the mythological vignettes often felt needless and awkwardly wedged into the structure. The references to norse mythology and history were really interesting, though, and the sets were great.
British people say they "sawr" something, how about when they use an actual saw? Did they saw something or 'sawr' it? Why is the 'r' added?
english accent is acc characterised by omission of r-sounds, in linguistics that's called 'non-rhotic'
@@helvete_ingres4717 what is acc? My question was about adding an 'r' though
I saw the saw as it sawed my paw and now it's sore.
Different vowel approach my dear
@@Jamesp1972 Are you saying the letter R is a vowel in the UK? I also hear a lot of British people say 'idear' instead of idea. To me it seems like a mass speech impediment similar to the Catalan 'th' sound for the S and soft C.
Agreed lads …a mixture off many films a bit over the place …Cant figure out still if I enjoy it or annoyed me ..Miss Kidman not great ..saying that other actors were fine …
OK Mark, but we are actually back in terms of cinema therefore why does a majority of your review look on the audience and not the product? Because the product itself (to me at least) echoed epics like Excaliber. It sadens me epics have to be compared to the today audience (covid) and not just the fact that they have cult status! Anyway I really enjoyed the workmanship here and truly believe your 3 star rating is... to say the least.. pretty shit mate!
Fuckin brilliant
It felt like it was trying too hard
Northman wasn't really for me. I can appreciate how well it was made but i didn't find the storyline to be that interesting. 7/10.
I'm a fan of alternative filming techniques but this was self-aggrandising art house garbage. It just made no sense. One example (of many). He eventually arrives in this village, with about 8 soldiers. One night he can carve up 3 of them like butter. Next night they're all off their heads on shrooms, yet none die. None. The next night he rides off on horses that appear by magic (with a slave who decided to leave the village, by just, you know. Leaving) . Next night he comes back, effortlessly kills all the soldiers, only to be stabbed by his mum and a boy.
Absolutely trash.
Frontal labotomy stuff.
If its a film of epic importance, why is the second half in a village with about 20 people.
If its not epic, why is every line written like a cheap Hamlet knock off?
Unbelievable stuff.
I thought the movie was fine. Great visuals and sound design/ music and all that but an extremely generic story I've seen a million times. All the elements of the story I liked the most were very few and far between. Definitely smells of studio interference especially based on some things I've read about it.
you really think 'studio interference' dictated a sexually intense scene between mother and son?
@@helvete_ingres4717 "Eggers wanted a more artsy and slow-paced film, while the studio demanded a more entertaining and accessible story. After some test screenings, Eggers and his editor, Louise Ford, managed to find the balance, and the latest cut was approved on November 3, 2021."
This is what I read that I'm basing that on.
I think that in achieving that "balance" they took out the most interesting aspects of the story for me.
4 minute video, 30 seconds actually kind of a bit reviewing the film… thanks
I only watched it because of eggers, but just found this one completely dull
Of course, I streamed it at home. Too dangerous, too many guns in the states to sit in a vulnerable public space for 2 hours like a movie theater. I've seen it twice. So I must have liked it. I suppose these $100 million movies like The Last Duel will make $$money somehow? Streaming?
“too many guns” “the states” touch grass my guest, you’ll be fine.
you think you'll get shot on your way to the theater?
It was ok.
I thought The Northman was excellent. A hundred times better than The Batman. Studio's take note.
I found it try hard and cringey in some parts. I found it funny in some of the serious parts.
Strange review, almost like they didn't want to say what they thought of the film overall. Regardless, I thought it was a great film that treated the audience like adults. Very violent, so if you don't like violence give it a miss.
Didn't Kermode review it in print for The Guardian? He didn't like it. I think the review is online
@@stephenglasse9756 Thank you. I’ll try and look up that review. I have now read the Kermode review and Peter Bradshaw’s review which is also in The Guardian. I think Bradshaw’s review understands the film better than Kermode’s. However, each to their own.
I was really unimpressed with the Northman. I don't understand why people liked it. After watching the Witch and The Lighthouse I felt the intriguing thing about Robert Eggers is that his films would be guaranteed to be kind of mysterious and symbolic and almost psychoanalytic, but there was absolutely nothing mysterious or symbolic about the Northman, it was just a derivative, macho revenge story with swords and gore and muscles. Very dissappointing.
I kind of was on the fence about it. But I watched it again in a local bar theater (that had killer sound) and I really enjoyed it. The middle does lag, but that ending hits so fucking hard. I love the heavy metal cathartic raaaaaaaggggeeee shouting quality of it. I’ve been watching a lot of crappy art house films where everybody whispers (Spencer, crimes of the future, etc) so this really was refreshing.
Semed like you cut your review off half way through mak8ng a point
The problem is that we've been spoiled by The Vikings and The Last Kingdom and this film came nowhere near.
this is the most pleb-tier comment I've seen today
@@helvete_ingres4717 Agree man
The Northman was awful. Sad to me because The Witch was an amazing film. The Northmans story was boring and the acting was awful. I actually could not believe how bad it was. One of many terrible instances was when he hid the sword on the roof with a stray of hay. I was like “the wind is literally going to remove that hay immediately and the sword will be found.” Such lazy storytelling from someone who I expected a lot more from. Visuals were great, but so what that doesn’t make a movie.
Talk about the film! 2 minutes in and you've said absolutely nothing about it!
I thought the Northman was very boring
Liked it but didn't love it, given the 5 star reviews I was reading it left me slightly flat. The 'Shakespearian' language also kind of bored me at times.
Surprised it cost so much - hardly epic from a cinematography perspective and extremely pretentious
Ludicrous?
Mark is a reviewer from a bygone era, sadly.
If lots of people loved it, good for them. My wife and I walked out after about half an hour.
Ok, bye.
This movie is CRAP. And The Lighthouse is one of my favourite films
watched last night,very over hyped,found it boring
It isn’t woke, no politics are pushed into the movie and there’s no token diversity casting. The cast are there because he be been selected to be perfect for the role 👌
I thought the film was total crap.
This film is so boring
What a poor review
After huge anticipation I was massively disappointed by this horrendous mess of a movie. First and foremost it just didn't feel like a Viking movie. Not once did I get any sense of royal Viking blood, more like a group of random peasants having beef at the side of a grassy hill. The father assassination scene was taken almost verbatim from Thulsa Doom's entrance in Conan the Barbarian. Overall, a painfully boring and arduous watch.
Northman sucked
Film was awful. It's like a bad live version of The Lion King.
Also i'd review this "review" a 1/2 out of 10.
I absolutely loved the Lighthouse but hated the Northman. It was slow, boring, predictable, had zero humour and full of cliches. I love long epics but this could’ve been cut to around 90 mins.