The Northman 4K 2022

For a pseudo-historical film, everything is very weak: a weak plot, poor casting, and stupid fighting scenes. I expected more from Eggers, the director of the excellent "The Witch" (2015). Although... after the arthouse Beacon (2019), you could already tell that the director's creative path took a wrong turn somewhere.

The Slavs in "Varyag" are shown as idiots who can't hold a sword. A group of 8-10 half-naked screaming men, "Vikings" without armor, captures the Russian city fortified with palisades, climbing up the steep walls of logs with an axe - is this even what? Ostokol in the Russian settlements were always built on a high embankment, and here is just - like a fence in the middle of the field. Next, these men are chopping up warriors in armor, helmets and chain mail.

The casting is a separate conversation. The alien Taylor-Joy is out of place in a movie like this, and when she introduced herself as "I am Olga Birch Grove", I laughed out loud. Is it Indians or Slavs? And Skarsgaard himself - a sort of Viking, of the "B" category. The entire movie went around sticking out his trapezius muscles - to appear (apparently) strong and fierce - looks awfully stupid, especially in combination with the waxed torso and neat haircut. It's easier to stick out a trapeze than to get pumped up for the role, that much is clear. And the final "Luke, I'm your phaser" fight against a backdrop of fire and smoke is secondary and silly. Nicole Kidman is perhaps only in her place - with her changed face after plastic surgery she is frightening without even saying a word.

Who was there laughing at Russia's 2018 Skiff? Yes, the Skiff is not worse, and in some ways it is better - at least it does not try to play Hamlet and superdrama...