King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017) [Movie Review]



Dir: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Jude Law
Dur: 2 hrs 6 mins
Genre: Drama
Rating:  3/10

I had great expectations of this film. The trailer promises a visual treat of action and adventure. I had even planned to go to the theatres with my cousins for this but somehow we couldn’t make it. After watching it recently, I thank God we couldn’t go. It is totally unworthy of the ticket fare.

King Arthur is a great legend and an iconic figure in British folklore. Sadly, here is given shabby treatment. I am unsure of his origins but the film depicts him as being born a prince but raised in a brothel due to his uncle’s lust for power which resulted in his parents murder. He grows up as a bastard among prostitutes and the other scum of society. Accidentally, he finds himself in the presence of Excalibur, the sword of immense power embedded in a rock. How that came to be is shown later. He draws out the sword and the power knocks him unconscious. From then on the story builds up to an obvious climax and conclusion. You may wonder why I called the story “shabby”, it is only after all a mythical tale, right? Wrong! I am not denying its mythical nature nor am I upset about how the story built up, what incenses me is the callous story-telling. I mean, can’t a legend be told simply and yet dramatically? Does it have to be cloaked by magic and unnecessary visual effects? This really put me off. An honourable tale was turned into a commercial parody. The grit and glory of the man were shrouded by excessive CGI and pathetic slow-mo’s. From the trailer one can gather that the film will be a bit brutal but nevertheless, inspiring. That is something to be expected. The bygone legends were rooted in war, bloodshed and heroic responses. The actual film has absolutely no inspirational value. The punchline in the ads: “From nothing comes a king” tells
of the Arthur of legend, and not this charlatan on the screen.

From my review you can perceive that I am profoundly disappointed. I feel guilty for wasting over 2 hours of my time on this pathetic excuse of a movie. I sincerely hope that Hollywood doesn’t try something like this again because it is rude and disgusting. Perhaps I’m being old-fashioned and idealistic but I would like a hero to act like one and not to run away only to be forced into accepting his role. Heroes ought to be people who inspire others to achieve greater things and to be better individuals. This hero seemed preoccupied with saving his own ugly backside. I give a thumbs down for this film and request everyone to not waste their time watching it, unless you like CGI fiction and meaningless storytelling.   

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