The Northman's Trick Means It Beats Both Gladiator And Braveheart
Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Northman
Robert Eggers' The Northman is a period-piece revenge epic with one trick in its story that elevates it above the likes of Gladiator and Braveheart, at least in terms of its character motivation. While Gladiator and Braveheart are both critically successful and are arguably more epic films than The Northman, Robert Eggers' tale includes elements that allow its story more focus. These elements come from the period The Northman is set in, around 900AD.
The Northman is set in the days of the Vikings and tells the story of a young Viking prince named Amleth. When Amleth's father is killed by his uncle Fjolnir, and his mother taken as the latter's wife, Amleth vows revenge against Fjolnir. This sets Amleth, portrayed by Alexander Skarsgard, off on a quest to exact his vengeance against the man who wronged him and his family, leading Amleth to encounter many different mythological and legendary elements of Old Norse culture.
Related: The Northman Cast & Character Guide
It is these Old Norse elements in which The Northman's revenge tale truly comes to life, elevating it above the aforementioned revenge tales of earlier Hollywood. The Northman is extremely accurate to the period in which it is set, as is par for the course with Eggers films. Because of this, the film steeps itself very accurately in ancient Nordic lore to elevate its revenge tale above the cliches of the genre. Again, while films like Gladiator and Braveheart certainly work in their own right, being two of the most well-received epic revenge tales, both of those films contain conventional revenge tropes. They feature main characters, who have lost people close to them, who then rise as an underdog to confront those who
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