The first reviews for ‘The Northman’ are in

Robert Eggers returns with his third feature film The Northman, a 10th century viking revenge thriller based on the classic Scandinavian legend Amleth. Reviews are starting to pour in ahead of its April 22nd release date.

David Ehrlich of Indiewire tweeted, “The Nothman completely rips, even by the standards of a movie that starts with a Viking bar mitzvah and ends with two half-naked men fighting to the death on an erupting volcano.”

The Northman stars Alexander Skarsgård as Prince Amleth, who seeks revenge after his father is killed by his uncle.

While Ehrlich’s review praises the film for its exciting violence and unflinching commitment to detail, he also notes it’s the same reason it’s not his best film, saying “its terse savagery doesn’t leave room for the emotional layering that allowed The Witch to burn so dark.”

Rogerevert.com’s Robert Daniels said, “While I loved THE LIGHTHOUSE and THE VVITCH, I liked THE NORTHMAN a tad less. A wildly entertaining film that feels stronger in its parts than its whole.”

Daniels’ review hints at a trend with The Northman, saying it “repeats the best instincts of those films, though to lesser effect.” It seems from the early reviews that The Northman promises a great time at the theater, but may fall short on the emotional level that made his previous films so great. Variety‘s Peter Debruge felt the story was too simple, and felt Skarsgård’s performance “lacked the charisma” to carry a film on this scale. Yet, Brandon Davis of ComicBook.com disagrees saying, “[Skarsgård] turns into an animal.”

The film’s large cast includes Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Bjork, Claes Bang, and Willem Dafoe. The Northman is expected to hit theaters on April 22nd.