My quick rating - 6,9/10. Another flick I have been looking forward to. With all the hype, you would hope it would be worth it. Instead, I feel like I just watched this year's "Green Knight." OK, a better version of it. Another flick that has all the right aesthetics but flounders in a different spot. Still, let's talk about how this looks. It has every making of a quality epic flick. The scenery is perfect with sprawling shots of a foreign land. The acting is excellent from top to bottom with a well-picked cast. I think you can read the poster below and see that it is stacked with A-list talent. The story itself has a Viking feel to its slightly folk horror undertone. And it starts off with an opening that really drags you in with the prelude to what could have been, well, EPIC. Nice brutal touches when it is time to bring the violence keep that Norse vibe to it. But after that initial spot, and a vicious battle scene, you meander along for like 90 minutes with a bunch of pointless scenes. I literally all of a sudden went, "Oh, that is why there is any story to this" since it had seemed to give up on that and just keep plodding along. Luckily they did decide to bring the reins back in on the plot though since when it got back on track, it actually had something good to wrap up with. Unlike the previously mentioned movie, this one didn't end in some monotonous nothingness. This is the type of movie that you just don't expect to see to often and the budget on it is surely up there. I revel in seeing studios taking some chances since I was a bit worried that it was going to be a couple of years before those wallets were open again. I have seen "masterpiece" thrown around but I cannot say the same. I will say it is an entertaining flick for 2 of the 3 acts. And is very unique from start to finish. Then again, Robert Eggers has already brought us 2 very original ideas before in The Lighthouse and The Witch and if you have seen those not only do you know what you are in for, but you will thoroughly enjoy it. Click below to check it out on Amazon.
