Back in 2022, critically acclaimed director Robert Eggers released his historical action epic, The Northman.
The hugely underrated movie follows the story of 9th century Viking Prince Amleth, the inspiration for Shakespeare’s Hamlet and subsequently The Lion King’s Simba.
Alexander Skargard stars in the titular role supported by Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe.
Like The Witch, The Lighthouse, and Nosferatu, Eggers’ third film has a violent period setting and ambiguous connections to spiritual realms.
He even filmed The Northman in Ireland and Iceland, countries rich in fantastical folklore.
Yet despite a plethora of five star reviews and 90 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, Eggers’ Viking masterpiece underwhelmed at the box office (largely due to being original IP), only to recoup on its cinema losses via streaming.
Now The Northman, which feels like Gladiator meets Hamlet, is broadcasting on Channel 4 this Saturday at 10:10pm before heading to its streaming service.
