We all have some sort of idea of how the story of King Arthur goes, whether its when he pulls out the sword 'Excalibur' from the sword, or of him and his knights of the round table, we have heard, read or have seen one of his many adventures. My mom's favorite is of course "First Knight" (just because she has a huge crush on Richard Gere).
Director Guy Ritchie's "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" is more of an origin story of sorts of the legendary king. In it, we see how Arthur (Charlie Hunnam) struggles to find his identity and destiny as the true 'born king'. This, after his evil uncle, Vortigern, played by the talented Jude Law (honestly, it was such a guilty pleasure watching him) steals the throne from his brother Uther Pendragon (Eric Bana) years ago through a coup (with the help of some sea witches, creepy and effective design). During this time, Arthur is still a boy who manages to escape and does a 'moses' and drifts to Londinium, where he is cared for and raised by prostitutes in a brothel.
Was a little disappointed with the prologue as I felt it was a bit underwhelming but it does serve a purpose as 'all is revealed in the end'.
We see Arthur grow up in the streets, learning of ways and means to survive with the use of your fists. Things take an interesting turn when Arthur is able to remove the fabled sword from the stone, being the direct descendant of Uther Pendragon. Arthur collapses from the power of Excalibur and wakes up to be confronted by his Uncle Vortigern.
Vortigen plans on executing Arthur in front of his subjects to kill rumors of "the born king" and to restore the love and loyalty of the people to him. What everyone does not know is that a rag tag of supporters are working to free him. With the help of a mage (from Merlin! played by Astrid Berges-Frisbey) and this is where things gets exciting she summons animals at her command, Arthur is freed and meets his supporters.
What follows is Arthur's struggles to accept his destiny and to be able to wield the power of Excalibur and stop Vortigern.
Signature Ritchie zooms and camera movement, along with lightning fast dialogue, mixed with a bit of dubsmash make for a fast paced story but the type where you need your whole in the game to understand the little details that unravel in the story. It is an interesting visual treat for sure, where magic and good old muscle power come together and combined with those unconventional camera angles and movement make for an enjoyable movie experience.
The movie was a tad bit too long and I did feel that they took a simple story and made it a bit complicated but a little modern flare on an age old tale is always fun to watch. I enjoyed the music, which is like a contemporary take on medieval instruments and melodies. Jude Law as the evil and cunning antagonist is a guilty pleasure to watch. I loved the scene where he makes the crowd bow down to him.
6.5 out of 10. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is Now Showing!
