Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

The Northman 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 21, 2022

The Northman is a story of bloodlust. It is the story of a young warrior who witnesses great atrocity and vows revenge on the man who forever changed his life's focus and direction, who metaphorically ripped his heart out when he destroyed that belonging to another. This story is not new, and this is not noteworthy. However, this is that story told in all of its morbid, bleak, and unrelenting authenticity, exploring a broken man who has built a body and a skillset well suited to the combat of his day while grooming a heart for vengeance and a soul bent on destruction. The movie is visceral and raw and very well done within these gruesome and grisly parameters. Prepare for an intense journey into the past set on the converging bloody battlefields of the mind, soul, and body.

The story follows young Amleth (Oscar Novak) who is celebrating his father King Aurvandill's (Ethan Hawke) return from a mlitary campaign by participating in a right-of-passage ritual with him. The next day, the king is slain by his own brother, Fjölnir (Claes Bang). Amleth escapes and vows revenge. Years pass. Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) has grown into a ferocious warrior, still hellbent on tracking down his father's killer and exacting revenge. As he draws closer to his prey, he learns more about his past and also finds himself in a burgeoning relationship with a slave woman sorceress named Olga (Anya Taylor-Joy).

The plot is ridiculously simple, but the film nevertheless manages to build a very complex character out of its hero, Amleth, as the film follows his journey of revenge which explores his vicious and violent tendencies that will serve him well as the assassin who would exact his personal revenge. The movie is unabashed in its presentation of gruesome violence but also focused on the inner man, the beast who would do anything and dismember anyone standing in his way. The film takes time to build a relationship for him with Olga, which is not a needless side plot but rather plays with enough character-building depth to not alter his pursuit but put an extra spin on it, allowing for a little more depth where little actually exists. Make no mistake, this is mostly a grisly hack-and-slash movie which is absolutely and unforgivingly brutal and raw, visually and emotionally alike, but it does effort to find balance and depth where little might otherwise exist with a lesser script, under lesser direction, and starring lesser actors.

Despite the film being populated with name actors, there's not a name "face" amongst the cast, with the exception of Kidman who is the only actor who stands out in the film, mostly because she's not covered in facial hair, blood, and muck. Everyone else absolutely disappears into the story, the wardrobe, and the landscape. The actors do well to bring depth where there's simply not much to be found within the confines of the film's straightforward plotting. The cast fills the dramatic needs and physical demands with equal parts believability; Skarsgård, for example, not only looks the part, but he feels like a ferocious warrior who has been training for brutal hand-to-hand combat for most of his life. The film is set against a beautiful Irish backdrop standing in for Iceland; the photography is a dream, and the locations are to die for.

The Northman 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

The Northman sees a fairly sizeable upgrade from the Blu-ray for this 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD release. While the companion Blu-ray looks marvelous and holds up very well in an A-B comparison battle with this UHD image, there is certainly no denying that the UHD absolutely trounces the Blu-ray for color depth and accuracy as well as for textural sophistication and overall clarity and sharpness. The Dolby Vision grading is a delight, even as the film holds fast and tight to its intensely gray and bleak color scheme. Splashes of brighter colors, beginning with a red sweater garment seen on young Amleth as he watches his father approach home, do make an impact for expressive sophistication, even under these coloring conditions. Blood splashes and natural greens enjoy more fruitful depth and accuracy here as well, and the UHD is careful not to overindulge in these colors, rather managing to bolster depth and accuracy without pushing them overly bright so as to ruin the film's intended appearance. Even the grayscale is boosted for nuanced clarity and detail, and of course black levels are handsome while whites are brilliant, notably snow.

The 2160p resolution reveals superior clarity, generally, and added sharpness and stability, broadly, resulting in a wonderful, razor-sharp, and perfectly filmic image that is going to look beautiful both on basic TV sizes and projected as large as possible. The period attire enjoys agreeable boosts to definition and visibility, especially considering fabric density and individual threads and frays as they are seen in close-up. Skin details are pushed to another level beyond the Blu-ray, enjoying exceptional intricacy and fine-point intimacy to individual pores, strands of facial hair, and the like. Caked- on mud and blood enjoy superior tactile exactness. Natural locations thrive with the ability to precisely reveal every blade of grass, the texture on a pile of mud, and the like. There are absolutely no print issues and no encode artifacts. This one is a bonafide winner.

The Northman 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The featured Dolby Atmos soundtrack is an absolute treat. The presentation is rich with detail and commanding in its spacing and accuracy. Listeners will feel in the center of combat, evading devastating blows, dodging swooping arrows, and feeling totally submersed in the maelstrom of epically violent hand to hand combat. Musical score is powerful and commanding, offering full stage engagement defined by crystal clear detail, impactful but not overburdening bass, and full stage immersion, including the top end. Discrete effects are not commonplace overhead, but the added fullness the Atmos channels provides only adds to the sense of authenticity the track offers. Light ambient effects within the world are incredibly realistic and engaging as well. Dialogue is clear and center positioned for the duration.

The Northman 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of The Northman includes deleted and extended scenes, a handful of featurettes, and an audio commentary track. A Blu-ray copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• Deleted and Extended Scenes (2160p/Dolby Vision, 12:28 total runtime): Included are Fjölnir and Hallgrimir at the Slave Shed, Yule Mummer Dance and Aurvandil's Speech, Vikings Hide Langskips, Fjölnir's Dream, Bosa Saga Extended, Aurvandil's Ghost, Fjölnir and Gudrun, Gudrun Tucks Gunnar In, and Hel's Gate Open.
• An Ageless Epic (2160p/Dolby Vision, 11:17): A catchall supplement that explores the straightforward plot and characters, Viking mythology, Robert Eggers' direction and immersion into Norwegian mythology and Viking history, production design authenticity, costumes, and more.
• The Faces of Vikings (2160p/Dolby Vision, 10:27): Exploring the cast and the characters they play.
• Amleth's Journey to Manhood (2160p/Dolby Vision, 3:56): A look at the "rite of passage" sequence as seen early in the film.
• Shooting the Raid (2160p/Dolby Vision, 4:10): Making one of the film's most invigorating and brutal action sequences.
• Knattleikr Game (2160p/Dolby Vision, 2:42): This piece quickly looks at the violent "ball game" seen midway through the film.
• A Norse Landscape (2160p/Dolby Vision, 4:43): Exploring the real life and cinematic majesty of the Northern Ireland shooting locations.
• Audio Commentary: Co-Writer/Director Robert Eggers explores his film.

The Northman 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Northman disguises its plot simplicity with authentic grit, copious amounts of raw violence and bloodshed, and just enough character depth beyond the march for revenge to play as a very good example of its kind. The locations, costumes, and weapons look as authentic as one would expect and beyond Nicole Kidman the cast disappears into the roles. The Blu-ray looks and sounds terrific and is supported by a solid amount of bonus content. Highly recommended.