King Arthur: Legend of the Sword – Movie Review
Over the years there have been more cinematic retellings of King Arthur than I can keep track of and I would be lying if I said I have seen them all. However, I am pretty confident in saying that there has probably never been one as massive and fun as Guy Richie’s “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword”. This isn’t a great film, but it’s definitely not dull.
The film begins with a massive battle involving giant elephants and warriors. King Uther (Eric Bana) defeats the enemy with his army watching in awe. Not long after, Uther’s brother Vortigern (Jude Law) takes over the kingdom by not only sacrificing his own wife, but taking the life the King and Queen. Luckily their child, Prince Arthur is able to escape.
Arthur winds up being raised in a brothel by the women who work there and grows up to become a successful thief. Of course when he is taken to the kingdom and forced to remove the magical sword from the stone, everyone realizes that he is the long lost prince and the true King. Of course Vortigern is not pleased about this and wants to end Arthur’s life, but misses the chance when a group of rebels break him free. Once Arthur begins to remember his origins, thanks to the sword of Excalibur, he teams up with the rebels as well as his friends to defeat the evil King.
“Legend of the Sword” is filled with enough CGI to give “Transformers” a run for its money, but that’s not a bad thing. Much like Ritchie’s “Sherlock Holmes” films, he uses the CGI to create a very grand world. We also get a great Ritchie-trademark chase scene which would have felt a bit out of place if it wasn’t a Guy Ritchie movie.
“Legend of the Sword” is supposed to be the first chapter in a planned six-film series. However, this would have to be a massive box-office draw for that to happen. I would be pretty surprised if “King Arthur” did well at the domestic box office. Not only does it have to compete with last week’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” but it will only have a week to make any serious money before “Alien: Covenant” arrives in theaters. With “The Great Wall” not being able to draw a large audience earlier this year, I just don’t have the confidence in this one. Still, if you are looking for a fun action spectacle with a large dose of absurdity, I recommend giving this one a look.
By: Marc Ferman