The Green Knight (2021) User Reviews

Based on a 14th century poem about Sir Gawain.

[TxMike · 2 December 2021]

Before I viewed this movie I was aware of the polarized reviews and ratings, some think it is great while others consider it a complete miss. So I was curious.

It is a lesser-known story on the fringes of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Sir Gawain (they pronounce it 'GAW-in') is the King's nephew, it is Christmas, and a mysterious Green Knight shows up, inviting a challenge. None of the Knights step up but Gawain does.

Then a year later, on Christmas, he must travel 'six days north' to meet up with the Green Knight again, to settle the score.

My wife and I viewed it at home on BluRay from our public library. At just over two hours it was a fantastical, mystical movie. It has very accomplished actors who play their roles well. The locations (shot in Ireland) and cinematography are excellent all the way through. The sound track is really great. That's all the good stuff.

The not-so-good is that the story is very obscure much of the time. Things happened (like, what was up with the blindfolded woman who never spoke?) that cannot easily be interpreted as part of the story. So what we end up with is a pretty good viewing experience that leaves you figuratively scratching your head and wondering, "What was that all about?"

I am glad I watched it, I doubt that I will ever want to watch it again. The "making of" extra on the disc contains lots of discussion for those wanting to dig deeper into it. I viewed some of it. The cast and filmmakers clearly had a good time making it.

Not easy to rate

[TheLittleSongbird · 5/10 · 12 February 2023]

Despite one of the biggest divides in critical reception (critical acclaim) and audience reactions (much more polarising, with a large amount of strong dislike) of any film seen by me, 'The Green Knight' was still seen anyway on high recommendation from my sister. Also like Dev Patel, with him coming on a long way as an actor, and have liked David Lowery's other work. Especially 'The Old Man and the Gun'. The subject did fascinate me a good deal and have no problem with symbolism or slow pacing, have even in the past defended films with heavy symbolism and/or slow pacing.

Somehow though, 'The Green Knight' was one of those difficult to rate and review films. Really wanted to like it, with how much it had going for it and how highly recommended it was, but it was wildly uneven. There are good things, and those good things are actually quite outstanding. There are also bad things, and a few of the bad things are worse than bad. Actually saw 'The Green Knight' last year, but it has taken a while for me to think over and adequately sum up what my thoughts were.

'The Green Knight' does have good things. Cannot fault the acting, with Patel giving perhaps his best performance to date in full command of a strongly written role. Alicia Vikander is suitably enigmatic and 'The Borgias' Sean Harris makes the most of his short screen time. Did think that it started off great, very thought provoking and with a very haunting, creepy mood. The Green Knight is pretty frightening.

Also cannot fault the production values, which are quite wonderful. Very handsome and atmospheric scenery enhanced by the vibrant yet also moody photography. The effects work shows a lot of professionalism and care. The music has a haunting ominous vibe and had no problem with how it was placed, also felt that it suited the tone of the story and didn't come over as too heavy.

On the other hand, the story felt dully paced and over-extended, starting off with great promise but meanders about a lot in the second half. If you read any synopsis that indicates that a lot goes on, it didn't feel like it to me with a lot of scenes going on for too long, everything that happens post the battlefield sequence (which was well done) to the arrival at the Green Chapel feels like forever. Lowery directs with ambition but sometimes it was very more style than substance and show offy.

Furthermore, the symbolism is very heavy handed and not easy to get the head round. Especially in the final act. Some interesting themes here, not dug into deeply or insightfully enough. The whole ending also felt confusing and it feels rather abrupt as well. Too much of the script is too rambling and there is not much fresh or insightful about it.

In conclusion, very difficult to rate and review. 5/10.

Great start, but goes off the rails

[gbill-74877 · 6/10 · 10 October 2022]

Liked the first half, disliked the second half. The alterations to the original story were in some ways intriguing, like including the story of St. Winifred whose fate echoes Gawain's, but in other cases, went too far off the rails. Some of the wild ideas that got included to pad the film out to 130 long minutes should have been excised.

What is the green knight? Death, the green of the earth that will cover us all, the moss that will grow over our edifices when we're gone - I loved this interpretation. Facing the prospect of death with honor, resisting temptation - the basis for the original story may sound rather old-fashioned, but it's from the 14th century after all. Too many of the embellishments David Lowery made to the story - subplots, characters, hallucinations, etc - detracted from it, feeling at best inelegant and at worst pretentious. You certainly don't get the impression from the film that the story is about virtue or honor, and that's a shame. It started feeling like ambiguity for ambiguity's sake, which was irritating by the time the film ended.

The cinematography certainly had its moments, but I prefer less CGI, less darkness, and a more realistic look even to fantasy stories, at least as much as possible. Aesthetically I had a very mixed reaction, and in any event, the lighthearted tone of the poem was completely lost here. Dev Patel is wonderful though.

Rise, sir Giveup!

[siderite · 6/10 · 23 January 2022]

I really wanted to like this film, but other than the obvious care towards its execution, everything else is basically slow, pretentious, referencing stuff important to the writer/director and metaphorical. This is one of those movies that you have to research after watching it, trying to understand what it wanted to say. In short: a boy's rite of passage to becoming a man by facing his own death... stretched to more than two hours.

It certainly helps to know the 14th century poem the film is based on, its various interpretations and associated folklore, including the French versions. Not ready to do that? Well, you're out of luck! Because the film is purposely vague, explaining nothing, making no sense and adding stuff from poems from the same era as filler. In short: Gawain was this noble and kind knight, unless you read the French versions where he was a total dick or the later rewrites which feature Lancelot as the top good guy.

The film is slow, methodical, making you want to watch it at 1.5x speed, only you can't because you need to see every detail and divine its meaning. For example: King Arthur's coat has these little metal badges on it, which are references to previous projects of the writer/director and of other people in the team. What? You didn't get that while Arthur is walking around in a dark room and scenes are interspersed with scenes of Morgana Le Fay doing pagan magic? Well, I can't understand how, because the writer/director spent more than a year perfecting the scene until it was just right! And yes, I am sarcastic.

The only reason why I rated this so high is because the sets were nice and the actors did great work. However, this is one of those obscure works that carry meaning only to the creator and can't possibly bring any joy at the first viewing. Do I care about old British folk lore and how the writer/director wanted to tell the story so I would research all of this and then rewatch the film so I can revel in the details? Hell, no!

If you don't get it, it's not your fault

[FeastMode · 2/10 · 21 February 2022]

I'm writing this seconds after finishing the movie so forgive my frustration. While this is generally a well-made movie from every technical perspective, it is completely destroyed for me by two things. One, it's one of the most boring movies ever. And two, it's made up almost entirely of metaphors and symbolism with nothing concrete to hold onto.

I may not be the best with abstract movies but I normally have at least some sense of what they're going for. In this movie, I didn't have the slightest clue about the meaning behind anything and everything. It's all straight nonsense. So many weird random parts seem to have nothing to do with the rest of the story. It's all style, no substance and fully pretentious.

There is a lot I liked, even loved. The visuals are stunning. So many beautiful shots. Great cinematography combined with intense music create such an affecting atmosphere. Some really cool camera movements and overall fine directing.

Even with all those likes, this movie completely drained my patience. And when it ended, I wanted to yell at the screen in exasperation that I watched the entire thing and still have no idea what it's about. I hate this movie. (1 viewing, 2/20/2022)

Enthralling and Beautiful

[jmbovan-47-160173 · 9/10 · 7 November 2022]

The Green Knight follows the general plot of the poem, embellishing along the way. The film stands out in the sumptuous details of scenery, costuming, writing, and acting. This is not a sword action film. This is a lyrical presentation of seeking honor and one's center of life. Dev Patel as Gawain strikes a meek figure as he strives to achieve his quest, assumed to be a knight, but he continually denies this. He embodies the meaning of what a knight is, but he doesn't have the confidence to act in accordance with this chivalrous code when challenged with his own urges and emotions. Allegorical, the film won't answer most questions of plotting dtraihht forwardly or easily in its details, but at the end, one may recognize the importance of how one answers, not whether it is correct. While linear in structure, the mystical aspect of the film may be difficult for many to sustain their attention, but if you enjoy absorbing the feeling that a film can project, The Green Knight offers a lush display to be had.

Good cinematography and actors don't mean good movie.

[deloudelouvain · 5/10 · 12 December 2021]

I don't know what kind of drugs David Lowery took but it seems like that stuff was doing its job. The Green Knight is well filmed, I'll give them that, but the story itself is slow, making no sense for the majority of the time. It's just a weird movie, and normally that doesn't mean it's bad but in this case it was. The acting wasn't bad either so it wasn't their fault this whole movie was a mess. Apart of the good cinematography and the decent acting it's just not good. I wouldn't waste your time with this one if I were you.

Exactly what audience is this aimed at?

[MOscarbradley · 3/10 · 5 October 2021]

You would have to go back to "Excalibur" to find an Arthurian movie that looked or sounded remotely like David Lowery's "The Green Knight". This is the Middle-Ages as gritty and downright dirty as they come, (think Richard Lester or "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"), while still aiming to deliver the fantastical, magical goods a genre picture like this requires.

The hero of our tale is Gawain, (Dev Patel, excellent given the material he has to work with), who, in the film's opening scene, becomes something of a hero after defeating the Green Knight who has challenged him to a Christmas duel in what appears to be the court of King Arthur but there's a catch; there's an addendum to the duel and Gawain's life isn't quite the same afterwards as he rides off to meet the Green Knight for round two the following Christmas.

Lowery's film is certainly no "Ivanhoe" but an adult fairytale that deliberately sets out to alienate a mass audience. This is an art-house movie that might please the critics but is unlikely to prove popular at the box-office. Indeed it's hard to figure out exactly what audience it's aimed at.

Visually, it's often remarkable, again mixing fantasy and realism to good effect. The cast are also well chosen but, Patel aside, are given very little to do though that most brilliant of young Irish actors, Barry Keoghan, has no trouble stealing the movie in his couple of scenes. The real problem lies both in the film's length and almost total lack of action. Gawain's adventures are singularly unadventurous and ultimately the film comes across as both boring and pretentious, unforgiveable sins in a film of this kind. Still I can see Razzie glory come the awards season.

Graphically beautiful, nonsensical

[Calicodreamin · 3/10 · 5 August 2021]

As most artisanal movies go, the visually were breathtaking, with this aura hanging over ever scene. However, the storyline plot and dialogue were downright nonsensical, what the hell were even half those scenes about? I have no idea. Made no sense, I got lost and bored ten minutes in.

After 125 minutes you're left with a whole lot of "why did I watch this" feelings

[kevin_robbins · 4/10 · 4 August 2021]

The Green Knight (2021) is a movie we saw in theatres the weekend it was released. The storyline follows the queen's nephew on a mission to prove his valor and partake in an adventure as a newly anointed knight. When a strange mythical tree-like creature arrives at the kingdom and offers a mission he jumps at the opportunity to prove himself without fully understanding the perils that go with it. Can the young knight overcome the mission and become a hero within the kingdom or will his first adventure be his last? This movie is directed by David Lowery (Pete's Dragon) and stars Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire), Anaïs Rizzo (Rain), Sarita Choudhury (Lady in the Water), Erin Kellyman (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) and Sean Harris (Mission Impossible). The storyline for this picture had a lot of potential with a great build-up, settings, back drops and special effects. The acting was solid and the cast fit the characters well. Unfortunately, the storyline and characters never evolve. There's no real point to the story. You hope the main character learns from his mistakes and circumstances...he never does. You hope the storyline has a good point and conclusion, it doesn't. After 125 minutes you're left with a whole lot of "why did I watch this" feelings and faces within the audience. This was a huge disappointment and nowhere near better films in this genre like Pan's Labyrinth, The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings. I'd skip this and score it a 4/10.

Didn't understand it

[Gordon-11 · 22 August 2021]

I thought the story was slow and confusing. I didn't understand what happened in the film at all.

A Below Average Slow Film

[alindsayal · 4/10 · 23 December 2021]

This film had plenty of buzz about it when it just disappeared off of the UK release calendar. But The Green Knight has finally come to Amazon Prime and I watched it today and here is my review for it. The premise of the film sees one of King Arthur's Knights sent on a quest to prove himself.

Main Character Dev Patel plays the main character Gawain and he does an alright job. Patel is a really good actor and he does manage to show that here with a decent performance, but the issue is I never cared about the character and despite Patel clearly trying I just found him quite unlikeable. You spend the majority of the film with this man and I guess I never felt a real connection with him and it just bought down my entire enjoyment of the film.

Supporting Characters There are some big names in this film, Alicia Vikander and Joel Edgerton are the best of the bunch. It's not there best work but they deliver some good moments and the film became more interesting once they were given more to do in it. The rest of the cast offer little whether it be Sean Harris as the king or some of the B list MCU actors such as Barry Keoghan and Erin Kellyman who get little to work with.

Story The story actually does some interesting things at the end, it isn't an easy watch for sure. You have to work out what is going on, but the last 15 mins or so are fascinating and it feels like with a better film it would be a perfect ending. But the rest of the film is just a bit strange and unfocused, as he meets people on his journey it is just too broken up and confusing. It really tries to make this a really deep film, but I think it just went too far and gave pretty much nothing definitive on screen and made it all open to interpretation which makes it a very hollow experience.

Script The script is just nothing, as I said above, the majority is made to be open to interpretation which just leads to a lot of big words that mean nothing. The drama fails to deliver and this is a very humourless affair.

Style Easily the best part of this film is the visuals and score, they are literally incredible. If I was just rating these two factors this film would be a 10/10 but there are way too many other issues. A big one being the pacing of the film, it just drags a lot. This isn't an action or fantasy action film and it never really picks up the pace with it feeling like a slog.

Overall Overall, The Green Knight is a below average really disappointing film. With all the build up I was excited to finally watch The Green Knight but it just over-reached and tried all these wacky ideas with a weak execution.

Rating - 4/10.

Extraordinarily Dull

[cagebox111 · 2/10 · 17 August 2021]

The Green Knight is the first movie I have ever left the theater during in my life. That's not to say it was the worst movie I have ever seen in theater but it was among the most pointless. Lowery's film was egregiously slow-paced and dull with a tone that is utterly devoid of joy. Please do not watch this movie unless you are only into dry arthouse style cinematography devoid of a cogent plot. Even Arthurian romance fans should avoid as it does a disservice to the classic genre. One of the most pointless and unpleasant films in recent memory.

A Plodding, Visual Splendor

[SpaaceMonkee · 6/10 · 4 October 2022]

The Green Knight came highly recommended. I went in wanting to love it, but left disappointed. The cinematography and visual execution in the film are outstanding (with the exception of the weakly CGI'd fox). The movie drops the viewer into a fully realized medieval fantasy, complete with talking creatures, witchcraft, a ghost, and even a traveling crew of giants in a segment that made little sense. It's fortunate that the scenes are so dazzling, because you'll be staring at them a while. The movie trudges along for over two hours.

For plot, the Green Knight tells the story of Sir Gawain, King Arthur's unaccomplished nephew who appears to spend much of his time drinking or fraternizing with a prostitute he fancies but is unwilling to progress the relationship any further beyond transactional. On Christmas, at the King's feast, the eponymous Green Knight appears, a creature with a human shape but made of trees and plants. He proposes a game: anyone who strikes him will receive his powerful ax, but in one year, that individual must go to the Green Knight's home, an earthen chapel, and receive the same strike in return. Gawain beheads the Green Knight, achieving instant fame throughout the kingdom. As the following year slips away, Gawain then faces his obligations and sets off on the journey to meet the Green Knight.

It's a film that asks Big Questions, about the meaning of being human and facing one's death, about honor, duty, and chivalry, and even about love. After raising these issues early on, once Gawain begins his travels, the film then instead forefronts the slog of the journey. Maybe the unpleasantness of duty is part of the point, but it's not enjoyable viewing either. Several of the stops along the way seem nothing more than pretty, pretentious asides - dreamlike aspects of the film's world that they just couldn't cut during editing - rather than necessary portions of plot. The movie was stuffed with these aspects and overlong as a result, resulting in a viewing experience that felt tedious by the time the credits rolled.

Not for simple minds

[gekkepoppetje · 10/10 · 11 February 2023]

Really sad all this bad reviews complaining 'nothing is happening' People are getting used to all this cheap ass crap movies Hollywood serves us. Films that only have action and form but not an ounce of substance. In the end you raise a nation of spectators who are completely unable to recognise content at all and call it boring because people aren't killing each other all the time.

When people can no longer tell the difference between a sampler and a piano, why continue to make pianos? Fortunately, even in superficial America there are still directors who like to listen to classical music. I would call this a relief. A little haute cuisine in an ocean of hamburger.

Moves along at a snail's pace.

[Anurag-Shetty · 5/10 · 1 September 2021]

The Green Knight is an adaptation of the story, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Gawain(Dev Patel) goes on an adventure, to fulfill his destiny with the Green Knight(Ralph Ineson).

The Green Knight is a mediocre film. Director David Lowery has given us an extremely dull & dragging movie, that is just filled with ambiguity. Maybe viewers have to read the source material to truly enjoy this film. The cinematography by Andrew Droz Palermo is breathtaking & is the only strong point of the movie. Dev Patel is good as Gawain. Alicia Vikander is awesome as Essel/The Lady. Ralph Ineson is effective as the Green Knight. The supporting cast is impressive. The Green Knight is not worth a watch. Watch it, only if you want to get bored out of your mind.

stylish medieval mind-bender

[ferguson-6 · 8/10 · 29 July 2021]

Greetings again from the darkness. If you are at all inclined to see this movie, then I would encourage you to do so ... and brace yourself for a surreal and mystical treat unlike any other medieval tale previously adapted for the big screen. Writer-director David Lowery re-teams with A24, the studio that also distributed his critically-acclaimed 2017 film, A GHOST STORY, to deliver a trip for your senses based on the tale of Sir Gawain - a tale that's been told in various and often contradictory ways over many years.

Dev Patel (LION, 2016) stars as Gawain, the nephew of an ailing King Arthur (Sean Harris, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT, 2018) and Guinevere (Kate Dickie, THE WITCH, 2015). When not imbibing with his friends, shaggy Gawain spends his time in the throes of intimacy with his paramour, Essel (Oscar winner Alicia Vikander sporting a pixie do). Young Gawain feels unworthy when he's amongst the knights and dreams of becoming an important man, so that he too may regale the King with his tales of adventure.

Gawain's mother (Sarita Choudhury), in an attempt to facilitate her son's dreams, uses her witchcraft to conjure up his first opportunity for greatness ... and the film's first visually stunning moment. We are mesmerized as The Green Knight (Ralph Ineson, THE WITCH, 2015) makes his entrance riding a great steed into the room where the Knights are gathered at their Round Table. The Green Knight, best described as a giant Groot (from GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY), puts forth a challenge that only Gawain is willing to take up. The scene is stunning and memorable, and allows Gawain one year of celebrity before the second part of the challenge must be faced.

It's at this point where Gawain sets off on his journey ... one that can be likened to Homer's "The Odyssey", in that it's filled with surprises and obstacles that defy logic and explanation. The surprises include: Barry Keoghan (DUNKIRK, 2017) as a garrulous, yet deceitful forest scavenger; the ghost of St Winifred (Erin Kellyman) requesting help locating her skull in the swamp; scantily-clad (CGI) bald-headed giants slowly roaming the forest; and a Lord (Joel Edgerton) and his mistress who offer shelter and advice that may or may not be helpful. Also on his journey to meet back up with The Green Knight, Gawain is accompanied by a red fox that holds his own surprises.

Director Lowery's film is a surreal, hypnotic medieval becoming-a-man tale that is both epic and intimate. There is much to unwrap here, including the witches who clearly establish women's control of men, and the idea that some may view themselves as destined for greatness, but blink when the moment of truth arrives. We do get a glimpse of Excalibur, and Lowery's frequent collaborator Daniel Hart's excellent score expertly blends with the infusion of metal music. The film requires the heightened use of your senses, and the fascinating work of cinematographer Andrew Droz Palermo keeps us zoned in on each character and every scene.

In theaters Friday, July 30, 2021.

So, how much do you hate yourself?

[hamjag · 1/10 · 4 September 2021]

Well, after enduring what seemed to be a 14 hour movie, I have to consider my life choices.

This movie starts very slowly, and if possible, gets slower. Camera angles panning slowly, stairs being climbed seemingly in slow motion - and where you'd think it would build to a crescendo... it doesn't.

I just do not understand why such a cast could be duped in to making a movie where NOTHING happens.

Unfortunately for me, I have to finish all the movies I watch... but after this, I may need to have a rethink.

a game

[Kirpianuscus · 31 March 2023]

I hesitated to see this film. The basic motif - it was difficult to imagine Gawain under the physical traits of Dev Patel. But, at the end of film, this is not just a problem, the work of Patel being just fair and well crafted.

The problem is the feeling than. David Lowery makes this obvious beautiful film for himself first, like teacher loving to teach , ignoring their students for present entire erudition accumulated in time. Being one of small admirers of poem, I accepted this provocative game proposed by director, I appreciated the Medieval references , the poetry of image but I was confused for the eccentric option for use the poem , from the place of Morgana to the use of fox, reminding more Little Prince in bizarre version and the reference for Last Temptation by Martin Scorsese . And sure, the not pleasant and so dry final.

But , sure , it is a game. Maybe too personal , easy to see. David Lowery reflected by Green Knight.

style over substance

[djurrepower · 5/10 · 22 August 2021]

While I have to give credit for the amazing cinematography and set disigns. Overall this movie was kinda a letdown. I already knew the 14th centrury story, and I kinda expected they would do more with it. What we're left with is a film much like 'Macbeth' (2015). Well made but not that interesting of a story.

5/10: yes, but no.

The Green Knight

[JoBloTheMovieCritic · 4/10 · 30 July 2021]

4/10 - the occasional pretty shot cannot save this uneventful, anticlimactic, and loose adaptation of a great Arthurian legend that isn't the masterclass in cinema that fellow viewers and critics claim it is.

A Quest For Many Moral Reflections, This Green Experience Is A Tad Boring

[rgkarim · 8/10 · 31 July 2021]

LIKES:

A Deeper Reflection: The Green Knight does not disappoint in the pursuit of making you think, as the epic fantasy world is a canvas to once more reflect on the concepts we take for granted. Gawain's legend involves lots of inner reflection in his journey to face the Green Knight, set up with choices that would make any mere mortal potentially hesitate in what their morals will lead them next. Time is certainly one of the deadliest components we face in this world, and in this film, that device is used brilliantly to show you how unnerving and mentally taxing the gift of time can be no matter how long you have. These mental challenges are geared towards the artistic minded certainly, no more so than the ending where the reflection will really hit you in the face should you stay that long.

The Fox: I love seeing cute animal sidekicks tag along and the fox that Gawain travels with is certainly up that alley. Beautifully animated and designed, he obtains the level of detail that I always look for in films, only bleeding into the artificial look a handful of times when they anthropomorphize him in the film. Yes, they handled the animal companion super well in this film and never compromised the integrity of the mature film they wanted to present in this film, which is a nice piece of work indeed.

The Dialogue: Fantasy films are indeed filled with the archaic language of Medieval times that sometimes get lost to either common language to make it easy, or so lost in the old ways it's like Shakespeare that you are stumped more than certain. Fortunately, the Green Knight accomplishes the balance to utilize both in a manner that brings you into the world of Arthurian legend, without drowning you in a deluge of poetic language that is complicated to be distracting. I liked hearing them speak as if lost in the fantasy world, talking as if they were naturally placed in the world from long ago, adding that extra edge that I appreciate when it comes to world building in the movies.

The Visuals: Truly the biggest thing of the movie is the visual spectacular that A24 accomplished in this film. Gawain's world is once again focused on the darker, ashy aspects that prepared the viewer for the atmosphere of the movie and how dark the legend of Gawain is, or at least this interpretation. That filter really helps set the tone in almost every aspect of the film, and helps establish each frontier as both beautiful and deadly depending on how you look. Scene wise itself, again one is welcomed to the visuals of beautiful shots of the countryside that he walks through and finding the right shots that not only show the natural beauty of the world, but also the foreboding weight on our knight's shoulders during this quest. Even the more emotional moments have that look to them that sometimes properly censors things, but also gives you the full impact of the choices they made and the impact that they may have on the journey. Finally, the costumes and graphics themselves have brought their own splendor in themselves and how they help you get immersed further in the legend at hand. Certainly the costume designers have done their homework, designing armor that is influenced by its origins instead of generic tunics and dresses that sometimes plague these films. The green knight himself was the most engaging piece for me if only he had more screen time to see what else they could have done with the spectacle that was him. Still the visuals are gorgeous and the thing worthy of seeing in the movie theater if I'm being honest.

The Acting: I do have to give a nod to the acting in this film and how well-executed they were given the complexity that this movie was. Patel himself is the central pillar and hits his marks well in both verbal and nonverbal cues as you get the suffering this man is going through on this quest/game. It's layered, it's realistic, and it shows just how great he is at these roles that require more than delivering a joke. Alicia Vikander is stunning in her role as a mystic to say the least. Her words are smooth and velvety offering so much reward and yet punishment as she helps peel back the layers of our character to further challenge the knighthood that this movie is about. Though short time on the screen, Vikander proves she can do a lot with a little. As for Edgerton, he was great in his role as a hunter, and though not the center stage of the show, his character again offers another venue of personality that is sort of stark contrasting to the rest of the film. I liked his introduction and what it offered, but again wanted more time with his character to really get more of the performance aspect with him.

DISLIKES:

More time with some characters The movie I know is about one man's journey and I respect that in this artistic chronicle of life, but creating characters only to limit their use never makes sense to me. So many great characters offered the potential to really engage in the character, their backstories certainly offering some glimmers into the depths of these challenges, but las most were lost. Though Patel is a strong actor, and it is the legend of his character, I myself prefer more engagement than what we got. This was especially true for his mother, the mysterious character who got events started and had very little involvement outside of some quick shots. I would have loved to see more into this character as well, given the atmosphere of this character.

The Sound Fluctuations: Again, in this day and age you would think the vocal editing could be a little tighter, but once more I found certain characters harder to hear over the others. For a film where dialogue is important, kind of making sure I can hear all characters is s little important for me and I would have made sure that all characters could be understood.

More Explanation: I know, A24 is all about making sure to make you think and reflect, and I can appreciate that to a wide level given more exposure to the movie genre like this. However, where the movie fails for me is the fact that it is so ambiguous, with many details left to go research on your own that the ambiguity became more frustrating and endearing for me. Again, the mom who started this mess held so many mysteries, and yet we got very little of her involvement in a direct focus, forced to use these fleeting shots to draw our own story. Other agent have the same sort of wide interpretation, and for viewers like me, a little more information and drive behind them would have made a big difference for my engagement in this film and perhaps opened it up to more audience members liking this approach. This is especially true for the ending, which once again is another drop off that A24 seems to thrive on in hopes of making you interpret your own ending.

The Pace/Boredom: My biggest complaint with the movie was the pacing of the film. Again, A24 pictures is all about taking extraordinary time and risks to tell a story, which is great in many regards. However, I'm also someone who likes for some things to liven the film up more and help break up the arduous amount of time from becoming boring to the point of inducing sleep. The Green Knight did not accomplish what Uncut Gems and Hereditary did for me, leaving me hoping for something to happen in this fantasy world. I did not need him to face a hundred orcs, I did not need some mystical dragon to challenge him in gallant fight of fire and steel, and I did not need him fighting serpents. However, a couple of other fun challenges or riddles, or something that was a little more traditional and energetic could have helped cut the boring fat up a bit and at least give Gawain a more entertaining challenge. The Fox alone could have provided so many of these challenges alone that would have helped evolve the relationship of the two.

The VERDICT: The Green Knight is certainly a display of cinematic quality that breaks the mold of the traditional film. With a plot centered around challenging the human character in a traditional role of the knight, and leaving you thinking of the conscious choices we make in life. With fantastic dialogue that is poetic and fitting of the visual style, The Green Knight's world will immerse you into this moral quest, feeling the weight of every decision in Gawain's search for the completion of his game. However, much like other productions of this company, the ambiguous artistic style is not going to be for everyone. I myself found that there were wasted character potential in this quest, lost opportunities to help expand a little more of the guides of Gawain to give some meaning and info to their inclusion. In addition, unlike several other works by their studio, this movie lacks the intrigue and excitement to break up the monotony of what this quest felt like so that I was not so bored by the ambiguity that they had. Overall, I appreciate a lot of the risks this movie takes, but it did not quite deliver the same punch that the other films have accomplished in their tenure. Based on this information, my scores for the film are:

Adventure/Drama/Fantasy: 8.0 Movie Overall: 6.5.

Just Another Dazzler

[Tweetienator · 4/10 · 3 August 2021]

There should be a law that forbids Hollywood to maim European history, tales and legends. I am not talking about the main actor - The Green Knight has nothing to do (story-wise) with the great epics of medieval Europe but is one of those mass produced movies with some nice cinematography and effects but no real or good story. Like the last Arthur movie by Guy Ritchie (same procedure - take a well known character of literature or history but change everything else to your gusto), The Green Knight shows hard, that good story-writing is an craft and art that is not known and managed by many these days. Mediocrity hidden behind a veil of pseudo-intellectualism.

Pretentious rubbish

[chunkylefunga · 3/10 · 22 August 2021]

For anyone who is well versed in Gawain Poet's Sir Gawain and the Green Knight this movie will infuriate you.

If absolutely butchers the beauty and deep moral quandary of said poem and turns it into a pile of pretentious Hollywood nonsense.

There is absolutely no way that anyone who is learned in Arthurian lore or 14th-century Middle English poetry will find this anything but utter tosh.

How anyone can read the source material and materialise such nonsense is beyond me.

Step into a world of allegory and myth, and don't expect everything to make sense

[gcsman · 8/10 · 7 August 2021]

The Green Knight is not your run-of-the-mill Arthurian swords-and-battles adventure. It belongs to an entirely different and much rarer genre -- something like Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal and other philosophical films filled with allegory and myth. (Another one I like very much for its humanity and warm heart is Joe Versus the Volcano, believe it or not.) But the Arthurian world is so diverse and has so much historical legend and literature behind it, that it can support a film like this just fine. This one is very much worth seeing -- just expect that when it's over, you'll be scratching your head over a whole slew of things. But that's what powerful allegory is like. It's under no compulsion to explain itself all that directly, and it takes a different, non-rational route directly into your brain.

The plot, such as it is, derives mainly from the medieval fantasy tale Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a story written at a time when the central spine of the Arthurian story was already established -- Camelot, the knights of the round table, the Grail, the connections to Christian mythology, and so on. Young Gawain (Dev Patel), Arthur's nephew, has ambition and bravado but he makes a foolish choice to accept the sudden challenge from the mysterious Green Knight, who appears out of nowhere. But he feels honor-bound to follow up on it. Off he goes to find his fate on Christmas Day at the Green Chapel, not even knowing exactly where it is. Of course, it's really a journey of self-discovery. Gawain is not a bad sort, but he's got a lot to learn about the nature of kindness, discretion, intelligent choices, and courage. Just as in the poem, he doesn't entirely succeed, but that too is part of real life. Incidentally, the old poem has a very readable translation done by none other than JRR Tolkien -- which I went and read after seeing the movie. It helped.

However, director David Lowery and the production team use the source poem only as a springboard. If you find Lowery's interview with Vanity Fair, you can read about all the additions they did to the story, along with some serious changes in tone. But they have obviously put a lot of thought and design behind this whole thing. It's meticulously set in an ancient medieval world of hardscrabble farms and small, drafty castles, and yet in its own context it already has its own ancient history, marked by the many small ruins of previous centuries long past. Arthur himself (Sean Harris) and his knights are old and fading, their glory years past. They look to Gawain to provide a new spark.

But as soon as Gawain leaves this very ordinary world on his mission, he encounters events that in a sensible world can't happen. On his long journey on horseback and foot, he wanders across blasted landscapes under foreboding skies, to meet an increasingly strange succession of characters who all seem to be there to tempt him off the right path: a young noblewoman who may or may not be a ghost seeking her head (don't ask --), a guide who is a fox, primeval giants looming in the mist, finally a castle in which the lord and lady, and an enigmatic old crone in a blindfold, play a final round of mind games with him. Significantly (though I'm still not completely sure just what it means), the lady of the castle is a version of his beloved peasant girlfriend Essel (Alicia Vikander, playing dual roles). This last section is the major part of the original story.

I'd like to particularly mention the lighting of almost every scene, which seems just as carefully thought out as every other part of the production. Much of it is dark or grey, but changes surprisingly into vivid reds and greens at critical stages. It's not that fast-moving -- we often have plenty of time to let a scene soak in without the interruption of dialog -- and I take it that that's part of the point.

What does it all mean? I guess David Lowery knows, but he seems happy not to lay out everything for us on a platter, and his worldview isn't all that happy a one. Some messages that I *think* are in the story: (1) Temptation and misfortune are opportunities, (2) Think very carefully before beheading someone (!), (3) Maybe the thing you were seeking is already at home, (4) We humans are all damaged. Be forgiving.

Watching this, I couldn't help being reminded of the deathless line from Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) that "Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords are not a sound basis of government". I liked The Green Knight, but my favorite Arthurian movie is still Excalibur (1981), a terrific speed-through of the mainstream story told with total conviction and a great cast.