As far as Arthurian legend retellings go, this is not too bad, especially if you g o in knowing that it is loosely based on the stories you know. Guy Ritchie takes the larger parts of the mythology and crafts something that is almost entirely new.
However, it does not seem that the critics could look past the retelling aspect. The negative reviews seemed to stem from the fact that it was not like the stories we have seen before in either television or film. Of course, it is not going to be historically accurate or even mythologically accurate. What part of Jude Law’s character wielding a fireball clued you into that fact?
I can agree that this film is a major departure from the traditional story of the “boy who would be king”. However, this film creates its own unique world that is not bogged down by tradition. If sequels were to happen, then they could craft entirely new stories instead of following the story of betrayal. There is no Lancelot or Guinevere. The character of Mordred is even out of the way.
An issue I have with watching other retellings is that they are predictable. That is not what we get here. The story is entirely new; therefore, the only predictability within the film comes from the tropes that it falls victim too.
Even better is that there is no romance, despite the two leads being opposite genders. It was surprising given the genre.
This film is meant to be fun. Guy Ritchie is not trying to tell a deeper story. There is no hidden agenda within the film that I could see. Did this film meet my standards? Unfortunately, no. “Man From U.N.C.L.E.” set an unnecessarily high standard for me and this film does not come close, but that still does not mean that it bad.
Charlie Hunnam is the perfect actor for a Guy Ritchie King Arthur. The film has a gritty, street level feel to it that would probably not have worked with any other actor. It tends to almost operate as a heist film and less as an epic tale. It stays grounded in that the fight is not necessarily about doing the right thing for the good of all, but more of a tale of revenge. The Mage is an interesting character. As the only central female character in the film, she could have easily become just a pretty face, but she is a very important character, taking on the role that Merlin had.
The CGI was lackluster because it took me out of the moment when there were fight scenes. I’m not saying that all the CGI was terrible. There are moments where the CGI was excellent and well used. There is magic performed on screen and so the CGI was necessary for that. However, if there is one thing that Guy Ritchie films do well it is action sequences, so some of the CGI was a bit needless.
I highly recommend this film if you are looking for something gritty and fun.
