With yet another film set in historic England coming to cinemas today, we should expect a great historical drama with characters we know. We're expecting King Arthur, Merlin the wizard, and historical stuff. Kind of like Robin Hood."
The new Arthur movie – King Arthur: Legend of the Sword – is different. It certainly doesn't live up to the aspirations of a historical era when it was the 5th century and everyone was dying of common ailments or battle injuries.
Those who know the films director, Maddona's husband Guy Ritchie, will know what he can make. He became properly famous with the Sherlock Holmes films, starring Robert Downey Jr, where he absolutely nailed his style in two films.
In the new Arthur, in his filmmaking style, he just moved it 14 centuries earlier, it's still in London (Londinium), but the main characters are Arthur and his other famous friends.
It's a film about how, after the death of Arthur's father, the son of a king manages to return to his royal seat to become a great ruler again, despite the opposition of his uncle. On his way to victory, he meets many wizards and magicians, much darkness, much magic, and wins.
Those who know the director already know not to expect a classic film. Guy Ritchie does everything we should expect from him. Quick and fairly clear edits, slow motion and fast-motion shots, quick recaps that take the director only minutes and we learn from them the most important moments that other directors might have filmed in half an hour. It's also full of flashforwards that replace some scenes that could have been boring. Some other directors could learn from Guy Ritchie on how to cut the boring parts.
The two main characters, King Arthur and his uncle Vortigern, are the most important ones. Charlie Hunnam revels in his role, but the one on whom the film stands most is Jude Law, who plays his evil King Vortigern to the best of his ability. Let's not forget a few actors from Game of Thrones, like Aidan Gillen, who round out the cast. The Hobbit's Mikael Persbrandt also appears, and footballer David Beckham has a big and important bark.
Let's not forget the music, you're all probably expecting the classic music that appeared in, say, Robin Hood, but for you the film is a disappointment. It's more of a Viking chant, composed by Daniel Pemberton, the composer of the music for, for example, Codename U.N.C.L.E. It fits right in with how the director directs, and I came out of the cinema not disappointed.
It's just a different film, and one will have to brace oneself for that, because it's just not an ordinary film that meets the criteria for normal fans who just need normal enthusiasm.
For me, it's more fun than Guardians of the Galaxy 2, I had more fun, and I'm happy to buy the film on digital media to revisit the modern version of English history without being disturbed while watching it. Just a proper LCD, a proper box set and a proper cinematic experience.
Original release of this article May 11, 2017 – Kritiky.cz
