SCREEN BREAK: Review of King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

king-arthur-movie

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
Rated: 12A
Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Jude Law, Djimon Hounsou, Aidan Gillen

A fantasy epic with Game of Thrones style stories, and Snatch dialogue, what could be better King Arthur: Legend of the Sword tells the story of a young Arthur whose kingdom is taken over by his evil uncle, and now he must come back and pull sword from stone in order to claim his rightful role as king.

This film is written and directed by Guy Ritchie, who directed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, and the new Sherlock Holmes movies. He brings his usual Ritchie-isms to this tale through stylish action and smart, witty dialogue, one scene in particular when Arthur is explaining a story it jumps back and forth between past and present in a very funny, fluid way.

The action in this movie is very good in parts, accompanied by a brilliant score, the loud beat of the drums playing in a particular moment got me pumped and made for extremely exciting and entertaining scenes. However, in the third act it becomes very CG heavy, which can sometimes take you out of the movie because you can’t really tell what is going on in some parts. That isn’t always a bad thing, as the opening scene can back that up, with what were probably the biggest elephants I’ve ever seen in a movie.

Charlie Hunnam is a great pick for Arthur, he looks the part and very confidently delivered some emotional moments, his acting has been criticised a lot but I think he played the role extremely well, alongside a great villain in Jude Law. Both performances were a very strong part of this film, accompanied by a very talented supporting cast. Even David Beckham’s cameo wasn’t terrible.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable movie, many critics have panned this movie but I walked out wanting more from this world and I hope it gets a sequel. I was thoroughly entertained throughout and I will give King Arthur: Legend of the Sword a

3.5/5

Josh Burford

About the Author

Josh Burford
Trainee journalist at Highbury College with a passion for film and TV.