King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, directed by Guy Ritchie, is yet another lackluster fantasyΒ filmΒ that, like 2004’s ‘King Arthur,’ will be forgotten almost overnight.
What? You mean you don’t remember ‘King Arthur,’ staring Clive Owen, Keira Knightley, and Mads Mikkelsen? Exactly.
There are traces of an enjoyable movie buried in βLegend of the Sword.β TheΒ multicultural, anachronisticΒ aestheticβwhile probably off-putting to #BoycottStarWarsVII typesβbrought something new, something genuinely fun and inventive to a timeless story. Costume design was a big plus. Were the Jason Voorhees’ hockey mask-inspired henchmen helmets a little over the top? Sure, but thatβs the amusing kind of schlock you want out of your big budget action flicks. And man does Charlie Hunnam rock that leather jacket from the poster. Heβs a good King Arthur too. Also notable is Djimon Hounsouβs performance as Bedivere, though we donβt get enough of him. Jude Law, short of growing a beard, tries his best.
The film also introduces some fantastical elements that, even if they were poached from better works, make for some interesting scenes. The problem is that theyβre all glossed over. At one point in the movie, King Hunnam travels to an underworldish type realm to fight giant creatures, which make for far more interesting adversaries than nameless goons. The movie, however, doesnβt think so, and the scene lasts about the time it takes for you to buy your ticket and regret your life choices. And the βGame of Thronesβ cameosβthey donβt invite comparison nearly as well as intended.
But letβs get to the real problems. As βLegend of the Swordβ progresses, you become increasing aware that the action looks like a videogame cutscene. This culminates in a quote-on-quote climactic action sequence thatβs essentially a disappointing final boss battle, andΒ the final boss looks comically bad.
Now the plotβit’s just needlessly mangled, and while the supporting cast is entertaining enough, there is one exception. Astrid BergΓ¨s-Frisbeyβs The Mage, a character so boring they literally didnβt bother to give her a real name, exists only to deliver exposition and provide the deus ex machina. I would, however, watch a whole expanded cinematic universe of Mage films before I listen to the ‘Legend of the Sword’ soundtrack again.
‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword’ employs a number ofΒ interesting fantasy and storytelling elements that it can’t seem to string Β into cohesion despite a talented cast and crew.Β The film, for me, ultimately falls flat.
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