My wife is fan of Jude Law (I’ve liked him too since first seeing him in 1997’s Gattaca) and we have enjoyed seeing the last few Guy Ritchie directed movies (both Sherlock Holmes– also starring Law, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.), so we decided to watch King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Besides Ritchie’s involvement (he also co-writes), I looked forward to this film because I enjoy the myth and movies of King Arthur (see also 2004’s King Arthur, 1995’s First Knight, and 1981’s Excalibur). Filmed in the UK (I would hope so), this King Arthur tried to blend a medieval era myth with a modern touch (such as the video game looking action scenes) and stars Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy). He looked good playing the title role, getting in great shape and was easy to cheer for but I don’t think he was given enough lines to work with opposite some actors such as Law or Djimon Hounsou. Too bad the film did not perform as well in theatres as the studio was hoping, otherwise there was (is?) a chance 5 more films would’ve been made. I really liked the quick cuts as it helped punch lines get a bigger laugh and helped the passing of time in the film, bringing the potential epic down to just over 2 hours in run time. The biggest surprise for me was the amount of fantasy/magic depicted, pulling this film into almost sci-fi territory, and while that may stray from the usual Arthur tales- it was a welcome change. If you want to make a new version of a tale already told (or a movie already made) then the filmmakers should put their own spin on it. Speaking of, Ritchie is currently working on the live action remake of Disney’s Aladdin.

King Arthur

IMDB

2017, 2h 6m