鈥楰ing Arthur: Legend of the Sword鈥� lands with a thud
The movie is compulsively watchable, but it鈥檚 watchable in the same way as a massive train wreck or the slow-motion demolition of a high-rise.
The movie is compulsively watchable, but it鈥檚 watchable in the same way as a massive train wreck or the slow-motion demolition of a high-rise.
Guy Ritchie鈥檚 monumentally thudding 鈥淜ing Arthur: Legend of the Sword鈥� comes across like an Arthurian mashup of 鈥淕ame of Thrones鈥� and 鈥淟ord of the Rings.鈥� Ritchie is so adept that the film is compulsively watchable, but it鈥檚 watchable in the same way as a massive train wreck or the slow-motion demolition of a high-rise.
Charlie Hunnam plays Arthur as a brawling tough guy whose posse includes such other thuggish stalwarts as Djimon Hounsou鈥檚 Bedivere and the archer Bill, played by Aidan Gillen from 鈥淕ame of Thrones.鈥� Chief bad guy is Jude Law鈥檚 Vortigern, who steals the crown from his older brother Uther (Eric Bana) and has a penchant for morphing into a fire-breathing CGI monster.
Ritchie brings the same skill set to this film as he did to his 鈥淪herlock Holmes鈥� movies 鈥� and I don鈥檛 mean that as a compliment, except that at least in this film the upsetting of romantic genre expectations is so complete that it carries a certain morbid fascination. This is not your father鈥檚 King Arthur legend. It may not be yours, either. Grade: C+ (Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, some suggestive content, and brief strong language.)