Robert Eggers is one of my favorite directors currently working. This is only his third film, but he has already established a distinct style and tone that can be found in all three of them. They all also touch on similar ideas and themes that help develop their own worlds as something more mature and complex. And while actors from his past two films show up in this one, this one is more epic in scale than the previous films. And it is more violent, intense, and arguably more engaging than the past films. That’s not meant to criticize his past films, but is supposed to show just how hard the director has perfected his skills.

This movie focuses on Prince Amleth. It starts off with him as a young boy who witnesses his father killed by his uncle who takes the kingdom and the Prince’s mother. Amleth flees, promising to avenge his father, save his mother, and kill his uncle. The majority of the movie then focuses on him as a brutal warrior who puts a plan in place to destroy the life his uncle has created before finally claiming revenge. If any part of this plot sounds familiar, that isn’t a surprise. This movie is based on an old Norse poem that would later inspire the Shakespeare play “Hamlet”. But this movie makes sure to make the right changes to avoid obvious similarities and establish itself as it’s unique thing that’s authentic to the era it takes place in.

And that’s one of the strengths of this film. Robert Eggers spent a lot of time making sure this movie is authentic to the time period it is set in. Not surprising considering he has wanted to make a Viking themed movie for years. This authenticity also brings in a lot of bloodshed, which is wonderfully violent. When we see some of the things the older Amleth does, we see him commit acts that are as bad – if not worse – than anything his father or uncle have probably done. For example, for years he spends his time honing his warrior skills by joining the Berserkers. They are a group of Viking warriors that attack villages and sell prisoners as slaves. Not only do we see Amleth kill many villagers, including biting into the throat of an enemy, he watches as his fellow berserkers set one of the shelters on fire that is housing screaming children.

And I think that serves as an example as to why this movie is so interesting and more complex than it might seem. As time marches on and society progresses, what we determine to be honorable, courageous and morally right changes. I have no doubt there are people that can’t find anyone to root for in this movie. That they can’t find anyone they would call a good person. This movie’s protagonist hangs mutilated corpses on the side of a shelter as a scare tactic to psychologically get into his enemy’s head. But the time period this movie takes place in is not out time. Back then, it was seen as honorable to seek revenge on someone for killing your family, regardless of how much carnage it creates. Also, we are dealing with the same culture and mythology that has vikings. These aren’t the knights of the round table we’re dealing with.

Speaking of mythology, I do like the use of mysticism in this film. While a lot of effort was put into the film in terms of getting the look and feel down – as well as the culture and their practices – the mysticism does elevate it to that epic level. It kind of reminds me of some old Greek mythological stories I read back when I was younger. About how a hero would go on this epic adventure, overcome challenges, and claim victory with the aid of the Gods. And that’s how I view this movie. As a more brutal, realistic, complex, and intense hero’s journey.

Needless to say, everything about it is great. The acting is great. The characters feel real and they all keep my attention. Visually, it looks beautiful. And as mentioned, the violence is enjoyably brutal. It helps that the action is well done. This isn’t an action movie, but the way it is shot is intense and makes it stand out from how a lot of other movies film their action scenes. I honestly don’t know what else to say about this movie that hasn’t already been covered. If you are looking for an epic size film that is intense and dark, this is the one to go see.