
Movies & TV

Share
28th August 2025
04:21pm BST

Netflix has just added The Northman, the 2022 Viking movie, which we think is one of the very best action movies of the decade so far.
Co-written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse, Nosferatu), the epic is based on Norse and Scandinavian legend and is set at the turn of the 10th century in Iceland.
An absolutely ripped Alexander Skarsgård (Murderbot) stars as the lead character Amleth, a figure in a medieval Scandi folklore who served as the direct inspiration for Shakespeare's Hamlet.
In The Northman, Amleth - as a boy - watches his king father (Ethan Hawke, Training Day) be murdered by another family member (Claes Bang, Bad Sisters).
Narrowly escaping assassins, the young prince flees from home and grows up to become a vicious Viking warrior.
Following an encounter with a mysterious prophet (Björk, Dancer in the Dark), the now adult Amleth sets out to fulfil his oath to avenge his father. This is with the help of a female slave (Anya-Taylor Joy, The Gorge).
Released in 2022, The Northman's stellar cast also includes Nicole Kidman (Babygirl), Ralph Ineson (The Fantastic Four: First Steps), Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man) and Irish actress Olwen Fouéré (The Watched).
That's not the movie's only connection to the Emerald Isle, as it was mostly shot in Northern Ireland.
The Northman was beloved by critics and holds an impressive 90% Rotten Tomatoes score.
In particular, the film earned praise for its hard-hitting action set-pieces, its ferocious lead turn from Skarsgård, as well as the immersive and primal ways Eggers captured the tone of Norse mythology for the big screen.
Here's a sample of some of those glowing reviews for the movie.
Austin Chronicle: "Robert Eggers' The Northman is an extraordinary feat of cinema – but it's also a bloody, mournful, violent tale of vengeance that is never simply academic, but visceral, sensual, emotional, and epic."
AV Club: "Eggers’ immersive approach and stylistic flair create one wild, applause-worthy combat scene after another, reminding viewers why he’s one of the most unique visual artists working today."
Entertainment Weekly: "Beneath the runes and visions, it's a tale as old as Game of Thrones, and as simple as a story told around a campfire: a ride of the Valkyries spelt out in gore and popcorn."
Film of the Week: "Blood runs, mud flies and bones crack — in crisp, percussive ways you’ve hopefully never heard in real life — throughout The Northman, a grand, gut-spilling Norse epic that feels at once earthily ancient and thrillingly modern."
San Jose Mercury News: "The mood, the detail and the look of this production is extraordinary. And the fiery showdown at the end is incomparable."
The Northman has just been added to Netflix in Ireland and the UK.
The film is also currently streaming on Channel 4's website.
Explore more on these topics: