The Northman

The Northman is currently streaming in Australia on Stan, and in the US on Netflix, and it earns its premise rather than just borrowing genre trappings. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Alexander Skarsgård's performance is the anchor the more ambitious scenes need. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Stan.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, The Northman earns its spot. The Northman uses its genre premise as cover for asking bigger questions. Prince Amleth is on the verge of becoming a man when his father is brutally murdered by his uncle, who kidnaps the boy's mother. Two decades later, Amleth is now a Viking who's on a mission to save his mother, kill his uncle and avenge his father. Alexander Skarsgård and Nicole Kidman lead a cast that keeps the bigger ideas grounded in something human. It hit screens in 2022. The rules of The Northman's world are consistent enough that the big swings never feel like cheating. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Viewers burned by ambitious sci-fi that could not sustain its premise should give The Northman a chance. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Alexander Skarsgård anchors it with a performance that makes the more abstract moments feel personal. If you have been burned by ambitious sci-fi before, this is the exception.