Watch: ‘The Northman’ Red Band trailer teases bloody revenge saga

A new trailer is here teasing the bloody revenge saga that is The Northman, days ahead of the film’s release to theaters.

The trailer starts off by showing parts from the visceral scene that sets Alexander Skarsgård’s Viking prince on his journey. As a child, he witnessed the slaying of his father, played by Ethan Hawke, at the hands of his uncle in a tale based on the legend that helped inspire Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

The trailer also shows more scenes following a clip that was earlier released of berserkers storming a fortified fortress. Once Skarsgård’s Amleth scales the wall using a hatchet, he wreaks havoc on the people inside using that same tool and a sword.

The scene once again showcases the kind of brutality, set against a harsh environment, that co-star Hawke could only compare to Francis Ford Coppola’s psychological Vietnam war epic, Apocolypse Now.

The trailer also features plenty of sweeping shots, silhouetted confrontations atop a lava-frosted volcano, and Amleth bloodying up his own forehead with a series of headbutts.

Despite some reports of studio interference, director Robert Eggers said such alterations were made to mostly make the movie more entertaining and accessible to audiences. Though, he also admitted the movie incorporated more computer-generated imagery than he would’ve liked.

Regardless of such rumblings about Eggers’ creative control, or perceived lack thereof, The Northman has proved a hit with critics. In our own review of the film, we praised the movie for the blistering brilliance it paints on every inch of its blood-soaked canvas.

Check out The Northman in theaters Friday.