‘The Northman’ R-Rated Trailer: New Footage Showcases The Viking Epic’s Brutal Action

health of family moviegoing is especially good news for Hollywood as it heads into its lucrative summer season when films like Universal's own “Minions: Rise of Gru” and Walt Disney Co.'s “Lightyear” — the first Pixar film opening in theaters in two years — hope to approach pre-pandemic levels.“There's reason for being more than cautiously optimistic,” said Jim Orr, head of distribution for Universal. “I think audiences this summer are going to be flooding into theaters.”While studios have been hesitant to program many films against each other during the pandemic, the weekend saw a rarity: three new wide releases, all of them well-received, none of them sequels or remakes.“The Bad Guys,” based on Aaron Blabey's children's graphic novel series about a gang of crooked animals with a Quentin Tarantino-for-kids tone, fared well with critics (85% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences (an “A” CinemaScore).

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic“The Northman,” a violent epic of Viking revenge, is not a good movie. It’s like “Gladiator” without the Colosseum and with a stubbornly uninteresting hulk avenger hero. (It also drags on 45 minutes longer than it should have.) A lot of critics have overpraised the movie because they feel invested in the career of Robert Eggers, the maverick indie director who made the spectral Puritan horror film “The Witch” (2015) and the even more impressive two-men-in-a-lighthouse gaga period fever dream “The Lighthouse” (2019).

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. In Robert Eggers’ new epic “The Northman,” out this weekend, Alexander Skarsgård seeks revenge on a man who has killed both his parents and usurped the throne from his royal father.

Alexander Skarsgard is opening up about his brand new movie, The Northman, during a panel conversation held at 92Y on Thursday (April 21) in New York City.

Zack Sharf There’s a scene in Robert Eggers’ 10th century Viking epic “The Northman” where Alexander Skarsgård’s Amleth bludgeons one of his opponents off a horse and then proceeds to kill another enemy by ripping his throat out with his mouth. To say these killings are brutal would be an understatement.

Alexander Skarsgard might be the star of The Northman, but he didn’t receive quite as many gifts as the rest of the cast.

The Northman (★★★☆☆) unfolds like the sort of epic that Viking warriors might have passed down for generations, sharing over horns of ale around a roaring fire: the haunting Legend of Prince Amleth.The exiled prince’s trials and adventures appear to have been shot by firelight, too. Writer-director Robert Eggers and his Oscar-nominated Lighthouse cinematographer Jarin Blaschke opt for enveloping the action in shadows and mist, the natural darkness of a northern land where winter nights are long, and the days short.Even the film’s climactic showdown, a naked sword fight by a lake of lava and fire, is depicted as a brutal clash between silhouettes backlit by flames.Rivals dueling on an erupting volcano forms a gorgeous tableau, but audiences might, for various reasons, wish they could actually see more of the combatants swinging their swords — especially the ferocious Amleth, embodied heartily by Alexander Skarsgård.The erstwhile Tarzan delivers a gruelingly physical performance, fighting, running, lifting, swimming, hauling, speaking primarily and most clearly through Amleth’s vivid body language.

A.D. Amorosi Without a doubt, Robert Eggers’ “The Northman” traffics in his now-usual brand of haunted atmospherics and wonky mysticism, a signature whose intensity is upped by the savage bloodlust of its characters and the vastitudes of his first big-budget epic with a price tag reportedly hovering between $70 million and $90 million.The only thing more intensely stressed than the dilemma of a Viking prince in the year 895 (avenging the death of his father, the king, at the hands of his jealous uncle who stole the prince’s mother as the spoils of war — or did she go willingly?) played to brutal, muscular perfection by Alexander Skarsgård, is the all-consuming dedication of its tactile production design, its brooding, cinematographic ambiance and the craftsmanship of its furry, hierarchical costuming.

After “The Witch” and “The Lighthouse,” director Robert Eggers brings his passion for meticulous historical recreation and his interest in the (often tortured) psyches of past generations to the violent and epic world of Vikings in “The Northman” (read our review). Unlike actor Alexander Skarsgård, who plays the film’s eponymous hero (read our interview with the actor here), Eggers was never particularly inspired by these ruthless people before the idea for the movie was suggested to him — which only makes his achievement on “The Northman” more impressive.

Alexander Skarsgård is gearing up for the wide release of his latest project, the historical epic drama The Northman, opposite Anya Taylor-Joy, Willem Dafoe, and Nicole Kidman.MORE: Alexander Skarsgard unveils new bold look! See picturesFor Alexander and Nicole, the film serves as a happy reunion, having worked together previously on the HBO drama Big Little Lies.VIDEO: Nicole Kidman wows with incredible transformation for new roleWhile the two play mother and son in the epic, they garnered acclaim for their performances as an abusive married couple in the TV series, having even won Golden Globes and Emmys for their portrayals.Speaking to Vanity Fair at the premiere event for The Northman, Alexander opened up about his relationship with the Oscar winning actress.MORE: Nicole Kidman and Alexander Skarsgard share kiss at Emmys"Nicole and I have another dark, twisted, dysfunctional relationship," he quipped about their roles in the movie."There really is no one I'd rather go into those dark territories than with Nicole. We did build a very strong bond from Big Little Lies," he explained.  The two played husband and wife in Big Little Lies"It demanded so much trust, and now she's a dear friend.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterNicolas Cage is back… not that he went anywhere.The actor’s latest movie “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” a meta comedy in which he plays a fictionalized version of himself, is one of several films opening nationwide over the weekend. It’ll compete against director Robert Eggers’ Viking epic “The Northman” and Universal and DreamWorks’ animated family film “The Bad Guys,” as well as last weekend’s champion “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.”Unless ticket sales crash in week two, “The Secrets of Dumbledore,” the third chapter in the “Harry Potter” spinoff series, should retain the domestic box office crown.

Is it truly a marketplace for branded tentpoles and uber low budget fare at the box office as the pandemic eases?

Alexander Skarsgård does not simply play the eponymous man of the North in Robert Eggers’ Viking epic “The Northman” — the Swedish actor essentially knocked the first domino down in the process of turning the project into a reality, convincing Eggers to delve into a history the director previously had no interest in. The result, in ways not completely dissimilar to Eggers’ 2019, somehow pre-lockdown cabin fever freakout “The Lighthouse” is a rousing and maniacal portrait of raging masculinity and hot-blooded violence: in his most physically demanding and biggest film role since 2016’s “The Legend of Tarzan,” Skarsgård tears through villages as a berserker and pursues vengeful retribution on the uncle who tore his family apart.

prince at the dawn of the 10th century. It opens in theaters nationwide Friday.The Viking dream laid dormant for some time, though.

Robert Eggers‘ viking epic “The Northman” in Northern Ireland may not have been the most pleasant experience for the cast and crew due to the brutal weather and dangerous landscape, but the stars of the film wouldn’t have it any other way.“I do not complain ever really,” Anya Taylor-Joy told Variety at the Los Angeles premiere at TCL Chinese Theatre on Monday night. “There was one day when the mud came up to about my knees and it had frozen,” Taylor-Joy said. “I essentially squeaked out a ‘Please can we roll?’ and Robert was like, ‘Oh, Anya is asking if we can roll, we should roll.’ But we did it, it’s in the movie and it looks great.”Taylor-Joy looks back at the shoot fondly despite the hardships.

“The Northman” that offers a no-holds-barred look at the R-rated revenge shenanigans that await moviegoers.The film hails from “The Lighthouse” and “The Witch” writer/director Robert Eggers, and is a $90 million R-rated Viking movie. As if that wasn’t a selling point enough, this short red-band trailer offers a closer look at some of the film’s gorier scenes, with a blood-soaked Alexander Skarsgaard using all manner of ways to slice and dice his way through a small village.The story is a simple one: Skarsgard is a young Viking prince seeking to avenge the murder of his father (played by Ethan Hawke).This is the biggest film Eggers has ever made, and he maintained recently that while the larger budget came with more notes from the studio, the finished version of the film is very much his director’s cut.

The stars of The Northman are looking incredible in these new red carpet photos!

The domestic release of Robert Eggers‘ big studio revenge flick “The Northman” is days away (April 22) and most critics are deeply impressed by how well the filmmaker has done in the realm of action (read our review here). The plot —a relatively simple story of a son avenging his father—takes direct cues from the original Scandinavian tale that inspired “Hamlet,” and attempts to be historically accurate compared to other Viking projects.

Björk has shared that she would like to see more female directors taking on the Viking Age in film and TV.The musician and actor stars in Robert Eggers’ new viking epic The Northman as a whispering Seeress predicting the future of Alexander Skarsgård’s Amleth.The film follows Amleth as he seeks revenge for the murder of his father, played by Ethan Hawke, and aims to save his mother Queen Gudrún, played by Nicole Kidman. Other stars include Anya Taylor-Joy, Claes Bang and Willem Dafoe.Posting to Facebook after attended the Icelandic premier of the film, Björk shared a statement about her role and to thank those involved.“so proud to be part of this,” she wrote.

“The Northman” has revenge on his mind in the new trailer from renowned filmmaker Robert Eggers.