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Dolo Flicks: The Northman - World-Building and Mythology At Its Finest

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By Hector Franco

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Published: May 10, 2022

Obsession, at times, is a detriment for most people. But, for an artist who makes films, it can be their greatest asset.

Former theatre designer and director Robert Eggers has had a short career, directing and writing two films. 2016s, The Witch was set in the 1600s, and 2019s, The Lighthouse was set in the 1890s. Both movies accentuate great attention to detail in the set design and dialect of English spoken. The tales told in the film aren't true stories, but they keep everything surrounding the story as close to historically accurate as possible.

2022s The Northman is no different in continuing Eggers' prowess of including high production values and direction in telling a story that is entirely in his vision. The film was written by Eggers and Icelandic poet Sjon. The Northman is based on the Viking legend of Amleth and filled with Norse mythology and Viking culture permeating throughout.

The film is a tale of fate and revenge following the character Amleth (Alexander Skarsgard) on his quest for revenge to avenge his slain father, King Aurvandill War-Raven (Ethan Hawke), and mother, Queen Gudrun (Nicole Kidman), after his father is betrayed and killed by his brother Fjolnir The Brotherless (Claes Bang).

The story starts in the year 895 and follows Amleth through his journey that ultimately leads him back to his goal of exacting revenge. After narrowly escaping death after his father is killed, we jump forward in time to Amleth as an adult and a member of a group of Viking Berserkers. One of the film's highlights is its ability to showcase extreme violence without being a bloodbath.

During an invasion of a village by the Berserkers, the film does a one take and follows each part of the pillage, including the taking of children to put them in a longhouse that is set on fire. The camera stays on the structure while it is put ablaze with the screams of those inside focused on for the audience to endure. The Northman doesn't feature gallons of blood, but it isn't for the faint of heart.

From the movie's start, the film calls attention to how spirit animals play a part in Viking culture. Animals, in general, have played a role in all of Eggers' movies. In The Witch, you have the satanic goat, Black Phillip, and the seagulls in The Lighthouse.

In the film's first act, there is a scene with Amleth, King Aurvandille, and Heimir the Fool (Willem Dafoe) where they perform a ritual taping into their animal spirits with psychedelics. Some of the animals referenced throughout the movie are wolves, bears, and birds. Although The Northman wouldn't be described as a horror film, there are horror elements with the inclusion of witches that also bring forth fantasy components.

Eggers tends to bring out the best in his actors as the cast, in general, puts forth stellar performances. Anya Taylor-Joy, who plays the sorceress slave Olga of The Birch Forest, stands out as Amleth's lover, delivering a strong portrayal of a character who is always sure of herself and never the damsel in distress.

The film immerses the audience into the world and slowly builds the story. Amleth doesn't go on an epic journey to finally reach Fjolnir, but instead poses as a slave in Iceland to Fjolnir. He begins to take his first steps of revenge day by day, biding his time.

The storytelling in the film is simple. But it allows each character to have their own complexity to the point that the film could have been developed as a television mini-series with episodes focusing on each character.

As with all of Eggers' films, the visuals are top-notch. The film was shot primarily in Northern Ireland and looks as good as one could imagine. The scenery of the environment surrounding the story only amplifies the tale being told. It further accentuates the historical attention to detail on display.

"We were acting, but the elements of nature were right there," stated Alexander Skarsgard in an interview with Backstage. "When we swim in the ocean, its the real ocean; when we're up on that mountain, it's not a wind machine or a rain machine. As an actor you just have to kind of relate and deal with what's going on around you."

The imagery for some of the film's fantasy elements, such as the Valkyrie charging into Valhalla or Amleth's family tree, are stunning at times. In a movie as visceral as The Northman, the visuals can be as integral to the story as the script. It will be hard to envision another film in 2022 matching the cinematography by Jarin Blaschke from beginning to end.

One of the more frightening and jarring scenes in the film is when Amleth (Alexander Skarsgard) confronts his mother; someone he has vowed to save from what he believes was a dire situation where she was forced to be with his uncle after his father's murder. Amleth's mother, Gudrun, played by Nicole Kidman, shatters his world by revealing that his father wasn't a revered king and that the plot to have him killed was something that she helped initiate. The way Kidman slowly delivers this news to Amleth is nerve-racking and communicates to the audience that, just like our protagonist Viking prince, there are no truly good people in this story.

The film's climax with a battle at the bottom of a volcano is epic and feels like the deserved final battle. Amleth being carried away by a Valkyrie as he enters the gate of Valhalla is a picture-perfect ending for a Viking story.

The Northman is Robert Eggers' most accessible film. It brings together his meticulous detail to every scene allowing the audience to enter the world he has built. With just three films on his resume, Eggers shows his mastery as one of the best filmmakers going today that can give audiences a unique, one-of-a-kind experience.

(Featured Photo: Aidan Monaghan / Courtesy Focus Features)

#HF #The Northman #Robert Eggers #Focus Features #Viking

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rankakiu · 6 years

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Thoughts of the Droid: How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)

Hello, people of Tumblr! How has life treated you? As always, I hope very well. On this occasion, I share with all of you my impressions and opinions of the movie "How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World".

Being honest with you, this movie was not on my list of the most anticipated of this year. However, I went to see the movie, together with a family member who wanted to see it. I'm certainly glad I gave it a try since the movie was a rewarding experience.

WARNING: NOT SPOILER-FREE. Read at you own risk

And it is not for less since the franchise of "How To Train Your Dragon" has been one of the most solid proposals, not only of the animation company DreamWorks but also within the art of cinematographic animation. It has managed to maintain its standard of quality in high, in addition to extracting juice to the franchise without over-exploiting it.

Entering already full to the review, what did I think the movie? Short answer: simply great. Now let's go into detail to analyze the movie properly.

Characters: Without a doubt, the strongest aspect of this film (and the franchise in general). Hiccup and his friends Astrid, Snotloud, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut, are still those very endearing characters that we met in the first film of the franchise. And although they are now young adults, their designs are still very identifiable. In addition, the chemistry that all the characters have is wonderful, being a relationship that goes beyond friendship, is a relationship in which everyone is part of a large family, which despite their personalities and attitudes so disparate, they can trust each other, work shoulder to shoulder and cover each other's backs, something often seen, but very rarely carried effectively as only this film knows how to do.

I especially emphasize the character of Hiccup, since he has matured to become a great leader for his village. He still has his characteristic awkwardness and innocence, but he has proved to be a man with all his letters. Without a doubt, I was fascinated by the balance that was given to the character, between being a great leader, but at the same time still young and therefore a bit inexperienced in such a huge responsibility. Fortunately for him, he will always have his great friends and his mother to encourage him to keep going. I also liked the message they give with Hiccup: He is a great leader, but even great leaders need support from their friends to face fate. That is to say, that not everything has to be solved alone. It is always good to listen to the opinions of those you direct in order to arrive at a satisfactory solution.

Something that I loved about this movie was the relationship of Hiccup with Astrid, Hiccup with his mother, Valka, and of course, Hiccup's relationship with his faithful dragon companion, Toothless. In the first relationship, you really feel romantic chemistry between the two, plus it has the plus that said romance does not feel cheesy or too pink. The two love each other and practically both of them play their part so that this relationship continues to work. And despite the fact that several times they can not agree with the other's decisions, they are there to support each other. Practically Astrid not only fulfills its romantic role, but it is also the right arm of Hiccup to help him rule as a true leader. Without a doubt, Astrid's brazenness is quite fun to watch, serving not only as comic relief (that effectively works) but also as a way to help Hiccup, in her very particular way.

For its part, the relationship of Hiccup with Valka feels like an authentic relationship of Mother - son. Valka is there for her son, to help him and advise him in his new role as village leader. However, Valka also understands that her son is now an adult, a man already trained and mature, which gives him his space and independence. You could say that Valka lets Hiccup open its wings and it flies away from its nest to find its own way in life. Here I will use to emphasize the flashbacks of Hiccup with his father Stoic the Great. These flashbacks are full of tenderness and emotion, showing a great and beautiful relationship between father and son. Stoic, being a warrior, he also had his sensitive side and never feared to show his love for his son in that open way. Of course, I could not leave out the friendship relationship between Hiccup and his dragon Toothless.

This relationship goes beyond an owner with his pet. It is a relationship of true friends, where despite being of such different species, both were treated as equals and had immense affection for each other. Despite being of such different species, having different customs, different needs and even coming from different worlds, even with all that, they were the best friends. Something to highlight, was the inclusion of the Light Fury, is a perfect complement to Toothless. The scenes of these two dragons are quite fun to watch, especially the courtship dance, whose comedy is pure gold.

To finish this point, I can not stop mentioning the villain of this installment: Grimmel. In truth, he is a very good villain. Maybe it is not at the level of other exceptional villains (such as Frollo from "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"), but it is a pretty successful villain for this third installment. Cold, calculating, ruthless and above all, charismatic. A villain who from the beginning is presented as the bad guy, without having to resort to a twist of unnecessary plot and nothing surprising, as Disney has done in recent years. Here I would like to highlight something that I found interesting: Grimmel tells you a part of his past, where he claims to have captured and killed a Night Fury. It is here where a conflict of very interesting ideas is created. Grimmel, killing a dragon and receiving the praises of his people, decides to dedicate his life to exterminate the dragons; while Hiccup, forgiving the life of his dragon Toothless, shows that the coexistence of these two species is possible, also forming an unbreakable bond of friendship. This is where a conflict of opposing ideas arises, being an intense and well-considered conflict. Undoubtedly an archetype of a cool villain and who was surprised to see on screen.

History: Well done and well structured. A solid and entertaining story that keeps you wanting to know what will happen and how the events of the event will unfold. We have a Hiccup more determined than ever to create a utopia where dragons and humans can coexist peacefully. However, although his intentions are praiseworthy, he did not contemplate the possibility of overcrowding of Berk. With these scenes, we are given a clear message that it is okay to have good intentions, but they must also respond to solve problems and not create them.

Another aspect of the story that caught my attention was the conflict of Hiccup’s intellects against Grimmel, where each one used his talents, wit, and intelligence to keep the victory. In truth, one as a spectator feels that Hiccup is facing a great challenge, an opposing force that will not stop until achieving its objectives. This confrontation reaches its peak in the final duel when both fall into the sea, where you can see a deranged Grimmel and willing to die if that also means the death of his enemy. A scene truly worthy of admiration, since it feels the tension and the struggle of good against evil.

On the other hand, the action does not disappoint, although it is not at all violent (is a film for children XD). That is to say, you can clearly see how the characters fight with each other with weapons, they strike blows and even walk of arsonists setting fire to the boats and houses (XD) and all without spilling a single drop of blood. In general, it is very fluid and fast and the combats feel with a genuine weight that gives more drama to the story, with its touches of comedy that takes a smile from the viewer.

But without a doubt, the most important detail of the story is to see the personal conflict that our protagonist has, who is debating if he should follow his dream of building a utopia of dragons and humans or if he should finally leave them free in the Hidden World. But the conflict is not only limited to Hiccup but can also be witnessed in the dragon Toothless. Particularly, in the scene where he saves Hiccup and returns with him to the new island of Berk, one can feel like the black dragon is sad and in a way, resentful of renouncing the new change he achieved.

In the end, Hiccup reaches the devastating conclusion that this utopia will not be possible, at least for the moment. Dragons face constant dangers because of greedy and destructive humans. So, in a sad farewell, Hiccup, supported by his people, decides that the best thing is for the dragons to go to their sacred sanctuary. The farewell scene is really very emotional, perhaps comparable when a father sees his son mature and walk his own way in life. The film could not close more effectively, leaving a glimmer of hope, which is a melancholy ending, but not tragic. A final where you still dream of reaching an ideal that, in fact, is possible. Not today, not tomorrow. But one day it will come true.

Animation: Simply beautiful. I highlight in particular the natural environments that have chosen of extreme beauty and exquisiteness. Set primarily in the nature of Europe, where you see forests, snow, seas with fog, inhospitable land, and even magnificent northern lights. Sure, who gets the prize is the Hidden World, where everything is sublime, a world full of minerals, water, and lighting that is very nice and warm to look at. On the other hand, the architecture of the places feels alive and unified by the Viking culture on which it is based. No doubt a remarkable aspect and a work neatly done by DreamWorks.

In conclusion, "How to train your Dragon: The Hidden World" is a magnificent and very well made film, which closes the franchise with a flourish. If you are a fan of this franchise you will not be disappointed. Practically a must-have movie. I give this movie 4 out of 5 Light Furies. A beautiful closing to the trilogy that made us believe that the friendship between dragons and humans is not only possible but also forms an unforgettable duo.

Greetings

Rankakiu

#how to train your dragon #how to train your dragon 3 #the hidden world #dreamworks #hiccup #toothless #astrid httyd #httyd #valka haddock #hiccup haddock #astrid hofferson #light fury #review #opinion #thoughts #thoughts of the droid #rankakiu

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