Review of Outlaw King (2018) by Othrandur — 11 Nov 2018

While it isn't a bad movie, it's extremely derivative and barely has a passing acquaintance with historical accuracy. The real Robert de Brus mounted a ravaging campaign against England. This movie would have him a desperate underdog with a handful of men, but the real Robert led thousands of men on raids as deep into the England as Carlisle. The movie has him with only 500 men at the Battle of Bannockburn when he had around 6000. Robert is a kind and gentle man of the people in the movie, but the real Robert was a snobbish noble of many generations who preferred the company of the royal court in London to that of the plebs. And then, there's the usual Hollywood nonsense, like men in chain mail swimming in a lake, the inevitable Disney-like villainous son of the king, gutted men riding horses for comfort and rest.

So what's good? The movie keeps a good pace. The scenery is gorgeous. Ignoring the dissonance with reality, the story that was fabricated around the real events was interesting. The actors were good, though they're the same ones who appear in every movie about Scotland. Chris Pine made a valiant effort to keep his signature smirk in check.

Ultimately, regardless of any other factor, the movie is just forgettable, which is probably worse than being bad.