Prompted by a five-star review by Peter Bradshaw and a strong cast; Björk's first role in a feature film since Drawing Restraint 9 (2005) and Lars von Trier's traumatising Dancer in the Dark (2000). Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse (2019)) directed and co-wrote with Sjón. The script is an overly literal, fussy and witless adaptation of the Scandinavian legend of Amleth. Elements are familiar from Shakespeare's Hamlet (~ 1600), Braveheart (1995), Gladiator (2000) and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005). Much of the plot is disjointed (the plan to instil terror in the uncle's household over many nights does not seem to occur) and/or nonsensical (why drag out the killings?). It's all fates and bloodlines and determinism. Never give a sucker an even break.
Alexander Skarsgård (The Little Drummer Girl (2018), etc.) led in the humourless-Arnie Conan the Barbarian (1982) role. Obviously he took the opportunity to extend his line with Anya Taylor-Joy's earth-witch. Nicole Kidman did OK as anybody's queen. (The matriarchal aspect was underexplored.) I was hoping for more from King Ethan Hawke; so much early gravitas simply evaporated with his expiry. Willem Dafoe as a fool. Graphically violent but did not linger on anything in particular for long.
Dana Stevens wanted more equal-opportunity/less tasteful nudity. A. O. Scott: no camp, no irony. IMDB trivia. And so on.
