When the director of such remarkable and atmospheric period pieces as The Witch and The Lighthouse, Robert Eggers, sets out to make a Viking revenge thriller, one can expect a historical, emotionally-intense drama of epic proportions. And that is precisely what The Northman's released trailer promised to deliver. Scoring an 89% aggregate score on RottenTomatoes, the movie certainly lived up to the hype, establishing itself as one of the best Viking movies ever.
Based on an ancient Norse saga that famously inspired Shakespeare's Hamlet, The Northman follows the Viking prince Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) on a blood-soaked mission to avenge his family and re-claim what's his by killing his treacherous uncle, Fjolnir. "I will avenge you, father. I will save you, mother. I will kill you, Fjolnir" — the message echoes as a mantra through the trailer and the protagonist's life, setting the scene for this long-awaited Viking epic.
Featuring a stellar cast that also includes Anya Taylor-Joy, Willem Dafoe, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Nicole Kidman, The Northman delivers a gruesome, emotional, mystical, and visually stunning experience with the distinct flavor of Eggers' unorthodox style. Now that the film is out, fans who want more can check out these other excellent Viking films.
Updated May 6, 2022 by Mark Sammut: The Northman has garnered a positive reception from critics, receiving praise for its visceral story, strong acting, and visuals. The film industry rarely turns to Vikings for inspiration, especially depictions that lean into realism rather than fantasy; however, as TV series like Vikings and Vinland Saga have proven, there is a public interest in this time period. While The Northman is one of the best examples of this era's potential for cinematic adaptation, it is hardly the first movie to deliver a stellar Viking experience. This article has been expanded to include a few more great Viking movies.
Valhalla Rising (2009)
Director | Nicolas Winding Refn |
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Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, this dark English-language Danish Viking drama stars magnetic Mads Mikkelsen as One-Eye, a Norse warrior, enslaved by a Norwegian chieftain. After One-Eye finally breaks free and takes his revenge, with blood-soaked interest, he encounters a Viking boy. They travel together and run into a group of Crusaders, who invite them on the voyage to the Holy Land. The journey proves to be perilous, filled with starvation, infighting, unseen threats, and dark visions. When they finally reach the land, things only get darker, and nothing is as they expected it to be.
Valhalla Rising might come closest to The Northman in its moodiness, explicit violence, stunning imagery, historically-accurate setting, and mystical ties. This slow-burn epic is dark, atmospheric, and shouldn't be missed by any Viking movie fan.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Director | Taika Waititi |
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Arguably the most epic and beloved (still holding an impressive 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes) part of the Thor trilogy, Ragnarok manages to combine a twisted story of betrayal and loyalty with massive-scale battles and hilarious The Avengers-style scenes. The final installment, directed by Taika Waititi and featuring Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, and Anthony Hopkins, dives deep into the Norse mythology and brings forward the mythical foretold end of times, Ragnarok.
While Thor movies never claim to be entirely faithful to the Norse myths — after all, they are part of the MCU — Ragnarok features classic characters like Valkyrie, the Goddess of Death Hela, the watchman of the gods Heimdall, and a fire giant Surtur, adding the undeniable mythological flair. Thor: Ragnarok is epic, action-packed, and delves into the topics of family and protecting one's home and legacy. It's a must-watch for Marvel fans in anticipation of Thor: Love and Thunder and any lover of Viking-flavored movies.
Beowulf (2007)
Director | Robert Zemeckis |
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Robert Zemeckis' take on the eponymous Old English epic poem might not have been everyone's cup of tea on its release — with the audience mainly divided about its visual style that applied CGI to the live actors, creating a peculiar half-animated look similar to The Polar Express — but it certainly deserves the attention of anyone fascinated with Vikings and Norse lore. Co-written by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary and featuring a superb cast that includes Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn, John Malkovich, and Angelina Jolie, the movie centers on the story of a courageous warrior, Beowulf, who arrives at the court of the Viking King Hrothgar and offers to slay Grendel, the monster that has been terrorizing the kingdom. While Beowulf succeeds in his task, he awakens the wrath of Grendel's mother, who proves to be as beguiling as she is powerful.
Beowulf is impressively epic, action-packed, and thought-provoking at the same time. It goes beyond the poem's black-and-white take on morality and monsters and depicts the hero's darker side, showing his flaws and humanity. Like in The Northman, there are themes of revenge, family, and personal journey, all on the backdrop of the mystical Viking Scandinavia.
The Vikings (1958)
Director | Richard Fleischer |
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Where to Stream | N/A |
Richard Fleisher's historical epic is as 'Viking' as it gets — it's all in the name, really. The movie is credited with starting the era of 'Norse operas,' popularizing the topic of Vikings, and shaping the modern perception of Viking culture, life, and religion as the cinematic world knows it today. The story, loosely based on the Norse sagas of Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons, follows the Viking prince Einar (Kirk Douglas), the slave Eric, who is revealed to be Einar's half-brother, and the ruthless King Aella as they each try to make the beautiful Morgana their bride.
The plot is as twisted as any self-respecting Norse saga should be. The characters are vivid, the performances are strong, and the battle scenes are remarkably impressive and stand up to many modern CGI-infused competitors. The movie has everything one would expect from a classic Viking feature — excessive bloodshed, revenge plots, pillaging, browny, bearded warriors in sleek dragon longships, blood feuds, and epic deaths deserving of Valhalla. It hits all the right Viking notes and is a perfect follow-up to The Northman.
How To Train Your Dragon (2010)
Directors | Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois |
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Let's be honest. This Dreamworks animated film is as far from a bloody historical drama as it can get. But where it lacks in gore, violence, stories of revenge, and bloody pillaging, it makes up in Viking-styled charm, tales of friendship and family, and surprisingly nail-biting action. And it has dragons. The story follows a young son of a Viking chieftain, Hiccup, who goes against his people's tradition to enslave or kill dragons and learns how to cooperate and train them instead, ultimately saving his village from the arising threats.
While nowhere as dark as The Northman, How to Train Your Dragon gets surprisingly emotional and touches on the topics of identity, morality, and tradition but is still filled with light-hearted humor. Perhaps, in offering relief from bloodshed and intense drama, this animation might be just what one needs to counterweight and prep for the somber ride ahead.
The Long Ships (1964)
Director | Jack Cardiff |
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Where to Stream | N/A |
This adventure film finds two groups, Vikings and Moors, on the hunt for a golden bell holding most of the world's riches. While the Moors are led by Sidney Poitier's Aly Mansuh, the central Viking is Richard Widmark's Rolfe, a figure who has more in common with the swashbuckling heroes of old than the grizzled Norsemen of The Northman.
The Lost Ships is first and foremost a spectacle, a movie that tries to constantly keep the plot moving to ensure there is never a dull moment. While this comes with the consequence of an underwhelming story filled with one-dimensional characters, the movie is at least entertaining on a purely visual level. The action is also quite intense and gory for the 1960s, and while the acting is inconsistent, there are a couple of standouts such as Poitier's Mansuh.
The 13th Warrior (1999)
From the director of Predator, Die Hard, and The Hunt for Red October, The 13th Warrior is not one of John McTiernan's most decorated projects, but the film does highlight the director's talent for staging action sequences. The eponymous warrior refers to Antonio Banderas' Ahmad ibn Fadlan, an Arab Muslim who somewhat reluctantly agrees to accompany a group of spirited Norseman on a quest to free a village under siege from cannibals.
Although The 13th Warrior suffers from thin characterization and a rushed plot, the film does provide some interesting glimpses into Viking culture, even if historical accuracy is not always prioritized. The movie is also based on a Michael Chrichton book inspired by Beowulf, and it is arguably one of the better adaptations of the author's work.