Mr. Movie review: ‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword’
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is director and co-writer Guy Ritchie’s interpretation of the legend.
According to Ritchie, the sword is not only stuck in a stone but it has magical powers — so do most of the main characters, including Arthur.
It’s just a few of the left turns Ritchie takes from the original story.
Like his recent reworks of Sherlock Holmes and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Ritchie’s vision of the tale of Camelot’s famous king is packed with slow and fast-motion action sequences and stylish quick-cut and fast-edited comic dialogue.
As a boy, Arthur sees his uncle kill his father, the king, and take over the kingdom.
Saved at the last minute by his dad, Arthur is raised in a brothel and remembers none of the horrible day. Years later the mad uncle knows Arthur is out there and is looking for him. One thing leads to another and pretty soon Arthur is a rebel with a cause.
Charlie Hunnam (The Lost City of Z) is Arthur. Jude Law is Arthur’s power hungry and murderous uncle.
Astrid Berges-Frisbey (I, Origin) plays Guinevere, and she’s a lovely sorceress. Djimon Hounsou is the leader of the rebellion.
The acting — especially by Hunnam — is bland. Not that it matters. As with most Ritchie projects, the acting is more of an excuse for Ritchie’s practically patented directorial style.
Hollywood always has been fascinated by King Arthur and his roundtable and has produced over 30 movies on the subject.
They range from the dull musical Camelot to the heavy on romance — and equally dull — love triangle of Richard Gere, Sean Connery and Julia Ormond in First Knight.
While not the best of the bunch, it’s certainly not the worst. If you’re a Ritchie fan you’ll be entertained.
▪ Rated PG-13 for mature themes, violence. It’s playing at the Fairchild Cinemas, Pasco, and Queensgate 12, Richland, AMC Kennewick 12 and at Grand Cinemas, Walla Walla.
Movie name King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Charlie Hunnam, Jude Law, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Djimon Hounsou, Eric Bana
Mr. Movie rating: 3 1/2 stars
Rated PG-13 for mature themes, violence. It’s playing at the Fairchild Cinemas Pasco and Queensgate 12s, AMC Kennewick 12 and at Walla Walla Grand Cinemas.
5 stars to 4 1/2 stars: Must see on the big screen.
4 stars to 3 1/2 stars: Good film, see it if it’s your type of movie.
3 stars to 2 1/2 stars: Wait until it comes out on DVD.
2 stars to 1 star: Don’t bother.
0 stars: Speaks for itself.
This story was originally published May 11, 2017 at 7:37 PM with the headline "Mr. Movie review: ‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword’."