The first trailer had me very excited to see this film. The genre is right up my alley. But negative reviews made me think twice and I was just going to wait for it to go to redbox or watch it online (just being honest LOL). But then I started seeing positive reviews and I knew I had to form my opinion. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised and glad I went because I really enjoyed this film from beginning to end. IT's not without it's flaws but will get into that in a minute.
Of course the tale of King Arthur, Excalibur, Camelot, etc. has been told so many times in Hollywood. However, Guy Ritchie's unique storytelling ability made it a fun ride to watch. I will admit that his signature exposition cut-aways got a bit repetitive and lost it's spice around the third time -- meaning, let's devise a plan, while showing the plan happening in order to save time, but explain to the audience what's going on without long monologues, etc -- it's a really cool way to tell a story but he used it a bit too much.
Other than that, the rest of the movie was fairly enjoyable. It went a good pace and had the right amount of fantasy elements while showing Arthur go from a petty scammer to a King. I will say that the castings of Jude Law and Astrid Berges-Frisbey were the more questionable ones for me. They both were pretty monotone and did nothing for their characters. Charlie Hunnam is a decent actor as well. He didn't do anything Oscar worthy but I definitely believed him as Arthur.
The moments when he actually used the sword in battle were my favorites. I think this is the first time in years where someone actually had a clear vision of how to showcase what exactly made Excalibur special. The final battle was a bit underwhelming with all the quick cuts and camera tricks. It was cool to watch from an aesthetic perspective but being just a regular person in the audience, I just wanted to watch them fight.
Overall the movie is an 8 out of 10, but I gave it a 9 because it does NOT deserve a low score at all. It's a really good film that is actually re-watchable. Don't believe the negative viewers, it's a well made film!
Of course the tale of King Arthur, Excalibur, Camelot, etc. has been told so many times in Hollywood. However, Guy Ritchie's unique storytelling ability made it a fun ride to watch. I will admit that his signature exposition cut-aways got a bit repetitive and lost it's spice around the third time -- meaning, let's devise a plan, while showing the plan happening in order to save time, but explain to the audience what's going on without long monologues, etc -- it's a really cool way to tell a story but he used it a bit too much.
Other than that, the rest of the movie was fairly enjoyable. It went a good pace and had the right amount of fantasy elements while showing Arthur go from a petty scammer to a King. I will say that the castings of Jude Law and Astrid Berges-Frisbey were the more questionable ones for me. They both were pretty monotone and did nothing for their characters. Charlie Hunnam is a decent actor as well. He didn't do anything Oscar worthy but I definitely believed him as Arthur.
The moments when he actually used the sword in battle were my favorites. I think this is the first time in years where someone actually had a clear vision of how to showcase what exactly made Excalibur special. The final battle was a bit underwhelming with all the quick cuts and camera tricks. It was cool to watch from an aesthetic perspective but being just a regular person in the audience, I just wanted to watch them fight.
Overall the movie is an 8 out of 10, but I gave it a 9 because it does NOT deserve a low score at all. It's a really good film that is actually re-watchable. Don't believe the negative viewers, it's a well made film!