Guy Ritchie has brought us some solid movies like Sherlock Holmes (2009), Snatch (2000), and, the slightly underrated, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015). So, there is hope for his take on the King Arthur mythos. While King Arthur: Legend of the Sword isn’t perfect, it manages to be entertaining and make Charlie Hunnam a bad ass.
King Arthur works…for the most part
Arthur (Hunnam) is orphaned after his uncle Vortigern (Jude Law) kills King Uther (Eric Bana) in order to take the throne. Arthur finds himself rising to power in a different way with no knowledge of his birthright until fate brings him into confrontation with it.
This movie is the perfect fit for Hunnam. He was lackluster in Pacific Rim and Crimson Peak. Yet, in this film, Hunnam owns the screen with few misses and is believable as this crime boss turned king. His charm messes with his power and makes him a believable leader. In all, his performance was probably the biggest positive surprise.
Jude Laws performance is quiet and fairly intriguing. There is a bit of empathy his character is supposed to pull, as he seems so show remorse at a few things he does. That element seems out of place as he mainly seems to have no issue in doing whatever it takes to get what he wants. Whether or not it should be, Law plays the character in an intriguing way and the early scenes with Hunnam are intriguing.
The weakest part of the film was the reliance on CG for the fight sequences. It’s not all bad and it does offer some cool visuals, but it feels a bit over-the-top. Magic is a major element of the film so the odd visuals are explained, but it’s just too much sometimes. Especially when it starts to look like you’re watching a video game. There are also some extremely erratic camera shots during some of the non-CG action that makes it a bit too disorienting. Ritchie’s style does still hold up despite that making the film still engaging.
Final thoughts…
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is probably the best version of the Arthur story put to film. However, it still leaves room to improve. If a sequel is in its future, I’ll definitely go to see the next chapter. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword earns the Decent Watch rating.
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