I really wanted to love this movie, but it just didn't do it for me. There are a few great moments here, and the performances are undoubtedly very good. Lots of great shots, and I like the idea of what Eggers was going for. But in the end, it just felt... lacking. I liked the brutality and the often historically accurate feel of the movie at times, but even the best of the action sequences just didn't really do it for me. I feel as though the movie could easily have been 20 minutes shorter - I say this as someone who loves long movies, and I'm always more than happy to sit through even longer films than this one, but The Northman simply felt as though it was lacking in substance to justify the runtime. It certainly wasn't a bad movie, but no matter how much I tried to love it, I couldn't. If I had watched it on a small screen at home, I'd probably be giving it an even lower rating, but as it stands, I did think it was a decent cinema experience, and it certainly wasn't a bad way to spend an afternoon.
