Review of King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017) by Grant S — 15 Aug 2018

Superficial, style-over-substance version of the King Arthur legend.

An alternative version of the King Arthur legend. As a boy, Arthur is left orphaned after his father, King Uther Pendragon, and mother are killed in a war waged against them by Vortigern, who then assumes the throne. Arthur flees and is raised in a brothel, knowing very little of his birthright. Vortigern wants Arthur dead, to ensure there is no claimant to the throne. The legends foretell that only the next king will be able to draw Excalibur, Uther's sword, from the rock where it is lodged. So, in an effort to identify Arthur, Vortigern forces all the young men of Arthur's age to attempt to draw out the sword. Now it is Arthur's turn.

A fairly weak, dumbed-down, style-over-substance of the King Arthur legend. From the opening scenes you know this is going to more about special effects and over-the-top supernatural nonsense than good old-fashioned plot and character depth.

The middle section isn't too bad, however, as this is where director Guy Ritchie plays to his strength. Here we see Arthur as a cocky, confident young entrepreneur / criminal. It was like an English gangster movie and reminded me of Ritchie's better works - 'Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' and 'Snatch', just set in medieval times. The movie flowed well at this point, driven by the lightness and humour.

Then it was back to CGI-saturated action scenes and more supernatural nonsense. Quite a disappointment after having some hope that this might be at least half-decent.

For a far better, and still the most definitive, version of King Arthur, watch Excalibur (1981) instead.