KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD ■ Usurping the legend
The legendary fable of King Arthur is no stranger to cinematic reimagining, with the latest most noteworthy attempt being the Antoine Fuqua-helmed Clive Owen-led KING ARTHUR in 2004. Fast-forward 13 years, and director/cowriter Guy Ritchie, of cult-classic SNATCH fame, has had a crack at a much less grounded and much more fantastical take on the Arthurian legend with KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD.
Charlie Hunnam (PACIFIC RIM) dons the mantle of Arthur Pendragon, which this time sees a Moses-like childhood (albeit with a Ritchie spin) lead to a brawling upbringing… for no particular reason at all. It might be to make this more of a Guy Ritchie movie. Actually, the parts where Ritchie leans heavily into the wise-cracking nonlinear storytelling techniques of his legendary gangster movies are where LEGEND OF THE SWORD is at its most fun.
But the rest of it is a whole lot of nonsense. The fantasy elements feel more tacked-on than necessary, and Ritchie is guilty, more often than not, of embracing style over substance. There’s nothing wrong with recooking a familiar legend, but if the new ingredients don’t bring a whole lot to the table, it makes for a hollow experience.
There are some decent laughs, a few solid action sequences, and a surprisingly effective minimalist-yet-experimental soundtrack, but for a movie that leans heavily into its magical themes, it sure is lacking in the most important magic of them all: audience engagement. You can see why Jude Law signed up to play the villainous Vortigern, with some humanising moments that are pretty damn effective. But then those hints of the potential of three-dimensional villainy are thrown to the wind for the bulk of the movie when he descends into moustache-twirling territory.
Still, despite its shortcomings, Vortigern’s character arc has a more obvious trajectory than a mostly cardboard-cut-out Arthur. This is particularly problematic given he’s the namesake of the movie. If you go into KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD with no expectations, there is fun to be had. Go in as a Guy Ritchie fan and you’ll be impressed in parts, and bored in others. If you’re after the next big action-fantasy epic, though, you’re better off watching THE LORD OF THE RINGS.