Review of Last Knights (2015) by Canisrah — 06 Jun 2015

I approached this film with low expectations given the dismal critic score it received. What I saw was an exciting and at times inspiring story which had me hooked and eager to see how things played out.

You can tell this is a Westernised version of a story set in feudal Japan - the context would make perfect sense where it in the Samurai genre. Transplanting it to a fantasy setting takes some getting used too but it does work. One thing I did think the film failed on was an attempt to bow to modern notions of multiculturalism - it doesn't quite work and comes off jarring.

But beyond that - there's a lot about this movie that inner city trendy, social justice warrior, feminist film critics will hate; it is unashamedly masculine in the traditional sense of the term, in all the ways that third wave feminism is trying so desperately to kill. The film extols male virtues of strength, honor and loyalty. There's no sign of a female warrior character implausibly mincing it with the men - the female characters adopt more traditional roles - as damsels to be rescued or wives awaiting the coming of their husbands. If they had done the film in a feudal Japanese setting it would be OK because it's historically accurate, but in a fantasy setting the film makers are expected to adhere to the new religious dogma of feminist revisionism and they didn't - so the wimpy career critics have savaged it accordingly.

It's not a perfect film - but it's a good one with a strong cast and a great story. A trifle predictable, but in the most satisfying way.