The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
at Camelot has been enduring. Dozens of books and films have been created
from a story continually capturing people’s imaginations. It’s a tale
that can be everything from romance, action to high drama. Director Guy
Ritchie goes for the middle option with his take on the King Arthur
mythology. Unfortunately it’s not especially thrilling with the elements
making the tale so enduring apparently missing in the halls of Camelot.
Running the back streets of Londinium with his crew, Arthur
(Charlie Hunnam) thinks life can’t throw him anymore surprises.
Discovering a stone with a sword called Excalibur stuck inside, his existence
is changed forever. Drawing it from its stony confines, Arthur becomes
embodied with great powers. Helped by the enigmatic Guinevere (Astrid
Berges-Frisbey), Arthur learns to master his abilities and discovers his royal
lineage. Forced to go up against evil tyrant Vortigern (Jude Law), Arthur
deals with past tragedies while reclaiming the crown enabling him to become
King.
‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword’ fails due to its casting.
That doesn’t mean the actors but its director. Fitting the right director for
the material is crucial in allowing a movie to achieve success. Sadly Guy
Ritchie is completely mis-cast as its helmer. Utilising his usual
fast-editing tricks and filming the story like one of his typical English
gangster movies, Richie fails to delve into the tale’s majesty and
splendour. For such a rich background as the King Arthur story, Richie
uses little of it with minuscule flair gone into crafting anything wondrous.
Whilst the ‘grim and gritty’ version of the King Arthur
legend has been done before, ‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword’ is the worst of
them. Lifeless with bored-looking performances, watching becomes a
chore. Although the infrequent action scenes are technically well
handled, they are done with zero passion or grasp of the character’s
motivations. The CGI is spectacular as expected but that means nothing in
a movie failing to capture the imagination or add anything new.
‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword’ is dull, uninspired and
ultimately pointless. Supposedly the first film of a franchise, this
mis-step ensures that won’t happen. It proves the point that not respecting the
source material can backfire and hopefully a better take on the wonderful
Arthurian legend is made soon to erase memories of this poorly realised
adaptation.
Movie Review Rating out of 10: 3
Movie Review by Patrick Moore
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