King Arthur: Legend of the Sword Review

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is a new take on the classic tale of the man who pulls sword from the rock. If you haven't heard the tale of King Arthur, that would be surprising as it's certainly well known. Guy Ritchie's take on the lore aims to provide a precise and more action packed adventure. If you've seen Ritchie's previous films of Snatch or Sherlock Holmes then you'll have an idea of his distinct cinematography and way of presenting a story which is all present here. The film is able to provide a full narrative, but does so in quick and intense montage moments.

It basically trims all the boring parts while still making sure you understand them and so that we get an adult version of Arthur. This does however remove certain key points from tale which I would have liked to see here, but they weren't entirely necessary. The general narrative is about the current king and his thirst for power in opposition to a man just trying to run a brothel. It sounds funny and it is with that British humor that works well. This is carried forth in what I can only describe as heist type setups as they work to undermine the king with some very creative projects.

Arthur (Charlie Hunnam) was alright in the film coming across decent with some stiff acting points. I liked his arrogant style of doing things and that could work towards a very interesting take on the character if future movies do come about as planned. He's surrounded by a fairly great cast which all work well together, but I want to highlight a couple. Astrid Bergès-Frisbey plays the group's very creepy mage and was on point there. Jude Law also brings strong emotion to his evil side as the king ruling over the land. Going back to cinematography, it was beautiful.

There were so many gorgeous shots of the landscape, locations and this carried through with the action. The ending has some CGI that was a bit iffy (shaking my hand 50/50) though that was alright to a degree as it fit into the style of the fight. It's basically this extra realm of sorts that the sword can take its wielder and it makes sense when you watch the film. There are also some massive monsters of myth, but these aren't really the whole focus of what's happening and just there to build the wow factor. The 3D helped to enhance many moments with pop out action that fit into the regular film and a good use of smoke particles for extra depth.

The Conclusion

I really enjoyed King Arthur: Legend of the Sword as it was an intense, action filled ride that still presented the story in a proper way. It builds towards what could really be an exciting series if it's continued and I hope that happens. The characters were fun to watch, especially in their heist setups and there were many surprises to be had in the film.

The combination of myth and regular human based combat worked well with the former getting lightly touched upon. Definitely enjoyable if you like the story, want a solid action flick or enjoy British humor.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword Review at Theater with 3D Viewing
Screening was Provided by Warner Brothers

Rating Overall: 8.0