The Northman

Move over Batman. Step aside, Spider-Man. There's a new action epic around and it's not steeped in superhero mythos or quantum tunnels. Instead, it takes place in a very real place, long ago when Vikings ruled the lands - The Northman. Robert Eggers sits in the director's chair for the third time, making his passion piece of cinema that has his previous outings of The VVitch and The Lighthouse looking like Pixar family movies. Through blood-soaked battles and a hint of the supernatural, this tale of vengeance is the adult action thriller everyone has been clamoring for.

The Northman is a far cry from Eggers' The VVitch and The Lighthouse. While those two slow burn modestly budgeted films dealt with the psychological horrors of the supernatural and going mad in one's own psyche this new Viking action vehicle is a $90 million straight-forward revenge story is something entirely different. Despite the gore, The Northmanwill appeal to a wider audience than Eggers' previous films, because of how well he's tailored the characters. And to finally see Alexander Skarsgård play the role he was born to play as a vicious Viking warrior is something genuinely special.

For Bryan Kluger's Full Theatrical Review...CLICK HERE...

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray
The Northman seeks its revenge on Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Code via Universal Pictures. The discs are housed inside a hard, blue plastic case with a cardboard sleeve. The artwork on both the case and sleeve features the main cast of the film looking outward. There is an insert for a digital code.

The Northman comes with an excellent 1080p HD transfer that checks all of the detail and color palette boxes. This film has a somber visual style with loads of steely blues and greys, which this 1080p HD transfer details nicely. Of course, the 4K Disc has better black levels and is able to showcase those nuanced primary and cooler earthy tones, but this Blu-ray presentation looks great. The green grass and orange flames look wonderful under the grey skies and foggy mountain sides. Darker sequences have deep black levels, but there is some mild murkiness, especially when the fire is present.

The skin tones are natural and the red blood looks amazing in every gooey sequence. The detail is vivid and sharp which gives way to amazing close-ups that reveal astonishing facial features, practical effects, and individual hairs. Wider shots showcase detailed pastures and wooden spears nicely. There are no major problems with aliasing, video noise, or banding.

This release comes with an exquisite Dolby Atmos track that is not only robust and loud during the action scenes and more detailed in the quieter sequences with amazing ambient sounds. Sound effects are full and brutal with every punch and beating. The bone crunches and implements pack a punch with a great amount of bass on the low-end side. Atmospheric sounds of footsteps people screaming and crying, fire embers crackling, and wild animals all sound wonderful.

The ocean waves are fantastic and the supernatural elements sound realistic. The height speakers bring down rain, thunder, and other supernatural elements, along with spears flying through the air and other guttural screams from above. The musical score keeps each scene full of suspense and the dialogue is always clean, clear, and easy to follow. There are no audio problems with this amazing Dolby Atmos track.

• Audio Commentary - Director Robert Eggers delivers a fun and engaging commentary track that explores some of the makings of the movie which includes how they shot certain sequences and some of the camera magic that was used. This is a MUST-LISTEN.
• Deleted Scenes (HD, 13 Mins.) - There are nine total deleted or extended scenes included here, none of which are too important to the story, but are nonetheless fun to watch. Each sequence is about a minute or so in length.
• An Ageless Epic (HD, 12 Mins.) - The entire cast and crew talk about the overall story of the film and how historically accurate the movie was, and all those details and work that went into creating this period piece. Some quick clips of behind-the-scenes footage and set building are included.
• The Faces Of Vikings (HD, 11 Mins.) - The cast and crew talk about the cast and their characters here and how they trained for their respective roles. This was a lot of fun.
• Amleth's Journey To Manhood (HD, 4 Mins.) - The ritual of the manhood scene is discussed by the cast and crew with some on-set footage.
• Shooting The Raid (HD, 4 Mins.) - This extra focuses on the big action raid sequence with some quick shots of on-set stunts, fight choreography, and more. The cast and crew also discuss how the scene was filmed. It should have been longer though because there are so many cool elements to this sequence.
• Knattleikr Game (HD, 3 Mins.) - The brutal and violent game that is played in the movie is talked about by the cast and crew.
• A Norse Landscape (HD, 5 Mins.) - A look at the locations and set design. 

The Northman is one of the best movies about Vikings and revenge ever made and is another top-notch film from Eggers. There's nothing quite like it and is a ton of fun to watch while giving some accurate accounts of the Viking folklore and culture. The 1080p HD video presentation along with the Dolby Atmos mix is very good, while the extras are worth the time and a lot of fun. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!