100% agree with the above review on all accounts.
Had The Northman included some "diversity" elements or god forbid, modern sensibilities (Kidman bemoaning that she needs to be attached to a man to get anything done in society, perhaps), I don't think it would have made it a bad film but it would have diluted the purity of the experience and confused the message. As a man, a father, and someone tied to this culture (if that is even a thing) there is a resonance in the movie for me that I'm glad was allowed to be FOR ME, not spread so thin on a dozen pieces of toast to give anyone and everyone a taste. But my wife liked it as well (though much of it she lacks the literature exposure to understand until I explained it) so clearly the impact can carry to a woman, a mother, as well.
These types of films are becoming increasingly rare. Not just films that have a targeted appeal to me, but films that have a targeted appeal TO ANYONE. They all seem to be swinging for the fences of a global grand slam and end up in a strike instead of a modest swing for consistent second bases and a portfolio of movies that each hit specific groups hard and have some cross-over appeal.
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