We watched 2004’s King Arthur for the first time, and it wasn’t that bad. While there were a few, ok more than a few, leaps in historical happenings, it really was a decent retelling of the legend of the Once and Future King. I liked how the movie ties the legend in with the end of Rome’s rule in the British Isles. Clive Owen is a great leading man, and Ioan Gruffudd (don’t ask me to say his name out loud) is always a treat to watch, along with Keira Knightley being a very strong leading woman made this movie very enjoyable.
Like I was saying the film is an reinterpretation of Arthur as a Roman officer rather than a medieval son of Uther Pendragon. This was a major departure from the source material, and the producers of the film made the attempt to market it as a more accurate version of the Arthurian legends. For more on the historical inaccuracies of the film head here: aelarsen.wordpress.com/category/king-arthur
If you’ve been here before, then you know that I prefer to just sit back and enjoy a movie. Sure I make comments about bad tactics or something being woefully out of place from time to time, but I still would rather have fun than poke too much fun. This film didn’t let me down, I was entertained, had a bit of fun whilst being so.
Perhaps if the marketing department hadn’t placed such reliance on this being more historically accurate than any version that came before, which how accurate can any film about folklore actually be, then maybe it would have done better? Probably not. No matter how many people bemoan the lack of original ideas in Hollywood, they cry just as loud when any new take on an old story conflicts with their own biases. It’s a lose-lose situation.
So if you are looking for just a fun movie, this won’t let you down. If you are looking for some knits to pick… give it a go and knock yourself out. I liked it, and so did Mrs. Multiverse. Check it out for yourself if you haven’t already.
