THE NORTHMAN

Cert 15

131 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong bloody violence, gore, sexual violence, sex, nudity

I like Robert Eggers' thinking when he asks cinema-goers to wave a flag for The Northman even if they don't like it.

His film stands out as a rarity nowadays - a big-budget big screen movie with no superhero in sight.

Sadly, however, it did not become the box office hit that was needed to sway the major studios into moving from their strategy of franchises, sequels and remakes.

If The Northman was really a flag-waver for creative movie-makers it needed to give its audiences more.

Sure, it isn't as if it is bad - it just has too many flaws. And that's a shame.

Eggers' film stars Alexander Skarsgård as a Scandinavian prince who is bent on revenge after hiding in exile for many years after the murder of his father (Ethan Hawke).

His uncle (Claes Bang) grabbed the throne and made the young prince's mother (Nicole Kidman) his wife.

Years have passed, he has built up his strength in violent battles elsewhere and now seeks to return to kill the uncle and free his mother.

Vengeance is his only life goal but rare loving emotion is prompted by the attentions of a slave girl (Anya Taylor-Joy).

But make no mistake, The Northman is a gore fest. People die in all sorts of very macabre ways.

And it is very dark - literally. It gives the viewer the impression of peering through mist to see the action.

Disappointingly, its storyline is thin, is dialogue is stilted and I wasn't particularly taken with the attempts at Scandinavian-esque accents. Indeed, I couldn't work out whether Kidman was leaning towards Scottish.

But those folk who enjoy Game Of Thrones and the like may well get a kick out of medieval intrigue and shenanigans.

It is certainly different to most big-bucks cinema releases but it is a disappointment that it has flopped.