*Spoiler-Free*

I had been waiting two years for this release with such high hopes and expectations after Eggers run with The Witch and Lighthouse...only to be left sorely disappointed and let down. Not sure I can put my finger on it except that maybe he tried too hard? Some scenes were spot-on and visceral while others seemed too staged.

Casting Nicole Kidman as the Northman's mother seemed so out of place. Her accent and appearance never really hit home. No matter how much mud you roll her in, she comes out Nicole Kidman. Anya Taylor-Joy, on the other hand, was excellent. She nailed the role, as did Bjork and Defoe.

Beautiful cinematography. How can you go wrong filming on location in Iceland.

For me, I'm only giving it **

I really enjoyed it, a very different take on the usual Viking tales, visually stunning and with some very visceral moments to boot... Eggers never does anything by halves

Loved it, not much more to say.

Dope. Saw it two nights in a row just cuz I want Robert Eggers to get my money and keep doing his thing. Didn’t even wait to see it before I got the second ticket. Even if it sucked, I would’ve shrugged it off. He’s earned a dud after his last two.

Every actor was better than expected, including Nicole Kidman who I don’t enjoy and had pegged as the weak link (which she still was, frankly, but that’s okay). Eggers’ strength continues to be his atmosphere and historical accuracy. I don’t know too much about Norse mythology/paganism, but I’ve picked up some morsels along the way and was pleased with the breadth of detail I was able to pick up on from the tree to the use of wolves to a certain humiliation of a corpse, which made one audience laugh but does not seem to be Eggers’ touch alone.

I’ll concede that it was slow and not as out there as his previous films, but totally dug it. Hope he continues to follow his vision and make original films that are true to him.