Director: Guy Ritchie
Distributor: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Duration: 126 minutes
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (Blu-ray) – Movie Review
The story about King Arthur and the legendary blade Excalibur is probably nearly as old as time itself, or just since when many legends were invented, and while this specific tale has received many different renditions over the years, its popularity remains rather uncontested. This time we get to see how Arthur rose up from the slums to the legendary figure we know today. All of this is combined with a healthy dose of magic, fantasy and magnificent battles.
During the Middles Ages, mages and the common man lived together in harmony, each helping one another, creating a beautiful realm. That is, until Mordred (Rob Knighton) went drunk with power, summoning the darker aspects of magic, and starting un unrivaled war, which could only be stopped by the man wielding the legendary blade Excalibur. This sword was crafted by Merlin himself and granted to the Pendragon family, Uther (Eric Bana) in this scenario. Uther successfully repels the evil by beheading the ‘snake’, but it seems his kingdom isn’t safe just yet. This hunch soon becomes reality when Uther is betrayed by his own brother, Vortigern (Jude Law), who simply wanted the throne, and the sword for himself. Uther tries to escape with his wife and son, but sadly both parents pay the ultimate price to save their son from the same fate.
Arthur (Charlie Hunnam) grows up in a brothel, being taken care of by the girls who work there. He grows up into a rather fit young man, who runs some different lucrative businesses on the side, making him quite known in his region, and he is even left alone by the evil king’s forces. Again, this only remains the case until he attacks Vikings, who hurt one of the girls, not knowing these fierce warriors were guests of the king. During his escape Arthur is discovered by guards, who lead him, and others of his age, to the stone that now bears Excalibur. All young men must line up, try to unsheathe the sword from its stony prison, get branded and be sent off on their merry ways once again. Little did Arthur know he would be the one who pulls the sword free, and start a rapid chain of events where the rebels want him to ascend to his rightful throne. From here on out it’s a race against time, magic and an evil king that will stop at nothing to get Arthur killed and the sword in his possession.
While the movie is a bit over two hours, the pace is quite pleasant, as you’ll never find a dull moment. The flick has a proper introduction, suspenseful buildup and enough action to keep you entertained until the credits start rolling. You’ll properly get to know the many different characters of the movie and get to feel for them, which shows that the character development was handled with care. The story itself unfolds properly, even for those who know little of the original tale, and even those who have already seen said story over a dozen times in different movies or series, will still have a lot of unique influences to battle through, making this a very interesting experience.
Acting performances are great, especially when taking a closer look at the top cast this movie received, with actors like Jude Law, Djimon Hounso, Tom Wu, Eric Bana and several others. Of course it’s the somewhat modernized character of Arthur, played by Charlie Hunnam that actually steals the show. Also the supporting mage, who sadly received no name for her character, does a great job. In many ways we feel that the actress, Astrid Bèrges-Frisbey, deserved even more screen time, as she did a formidable job driving this movie, and more specifically the main character of the movie.
The special features on this Blu-ray edition are quite plentiful, and they handle a range of different topics ranging from how they envisioned how Arthur should be for this movie to more technical aspects such as the fighting scenes and other ‘making of’ segments. Overall you’ll get to see how this newest rendition of the story of King Arthur came to life, and it shows that the creators truly invested a lot of time in this piece of cinema. If you loved the movie, you’ll certainly want to dig in these special features, as they certainly add a proper amount of value to this physical release.
Conclusion
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is one of those movies that slowly passed by without getting the attention it deserved. While the story still somewhat resembles the old ‘legendary’ tale, it’s also its very own story, with a lot of original twists and turns and it are those unique influences that make this movie a great and entertaining film for young and old. If you love the original tale, and you also like a good dose of fantasy and battles of legendary proportions, this movie deserves a spot in your collection.
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