| Home | Movies A-M | Movies N-Z | News |
Poster (c) Touchstone Pictures
Knowing that this is a Jerry Bruckheimer film, it kind of put me in the right mindset. I'm just biding time until Anchorman comes out, so I see this. I try to keep an open mind going into it, but I find that it's hard to do. Bruckheimer's films are known to be showy and big-budget, but lacking in cinematic elements, such as script and plot. And when you have a movie that's based off of something well known, such as the legend of King Arthur, you need those elements. Unless, of course, you change what you say "actually happened". Then you can get away with it, and Bruckheimer continues his streak of mediocre films with large budgets.
Instead of focusing on anything that people know about Arthur, Arthur (Clive Owen, from the wonderful Croupier) and his Knights of the Round Table have to go out to Britain and get a boy who will become bishop (or Pope). There are supposed to be many dangers. Guinevere (Keira Knightley) is rescued about halfway through, and becomes a fearsome warrior a few times before going to the background. There's also some stupid animal symbolism and morals thrown in, along with neo-feminism and Stellan Skarsgård with a braided beard.
The battle scenes were quite good. Unlike so many other movies out there, they never got old or repetitive. They were pretty exciting and involving. It seems like the whole movie was leading up to the final battle scene, with good reason. But that leaves no room for any real relationship to develop with Guinevere and Arthur (and Lancelot, as the story goes), and it basically makes the first half useless, since it's resolved so early. It's almost like two separate movies there. Also, there's almost no character development. Merlin comes in once, and Skarsgård, as a random Saxon warrior appears randomly. WHO is he? The Knights' names are barely mentioned. I wish I knew who played the large, ax-throwing guy, because kudos to him. He's the comic relief.
Although not as much as Eric Bana did in Troy, Owen puts a good performance in his widest film yet. He's not amazing, but he doesn't let the movie down. Knightley, besides being in the film for about 20 minutes, puts in a one-note role and now seems to be a teen idol. I liked her better when she was in things like Bend It Like Beckham. She's just here to draw in audiences. And Skarsgård, who I'm looking forward to seeing in Exorcist: The Beginning later this summer, has fun with his role. King Arthur is an unmemorable but entertaining movie that plays faster and looser with facts than Michael Moore. But it's worth a visit if you're bored.
Rated PG-13 for intense battle sequences, a scene of sensuality and some language.
Review Date: July 7, 2004