MOVIE: King Arthur: a story that has been told too many times

DO we really need another King Arthur movie? The answer is probably no, and this could be the reason ‘Legend of the Sword’ has had such a disappointing open at the international box office, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not any good as a film.

Directed by Guy Ritchie (‘Sherlock Holmes’, ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E’), this latest version tells the story of a younger Arthur (played by Charlie Hunnam of ‘Sons of Anarchy’ fame) who has to learn how to grow up fast when his father is murdered. 

Arthur’s uncle, Vortigern, (played by Jude Law) with his brother out of the way, then proceeds to seize the crown for himself. 

Robbed of his birthright and with no idea who he truly is, Arthur comes up the hard way in the back alleys of the city. But once he pulls the sword from the stone, his life is turned upside down and he is forced to acknowledge his true legacy, whether he likes it or not.

The film has the traditional Guy Ritchie style, fast paced action and trademark slow motion sequences that suddenly speed up for no other reason than it looks good. 

It also benefits from snappy and witty dialogue (thanks in large part to the writing skills of Ritchie), which bring a number of unexpected laughs along the way. 

Warner Brothers obviously cut no corners with their $175 million budget, recruiting not only a top director, but also two-time Oscar-nominated director of photography John Mathieson (‘Gladiator’) and Oscar-nominated production designer Gemma Jackson (‘Finding Neverland’) to work on the visuals, and in many ways the decision paid off, as the film looks imposing on the big screen. 

It’s hard to see therefore, where it falls down, but fall down it does. This reviewer suspects it’s a simple case of a story that has been told one too many times. Having said that, it’s probably not as bad as you may have heard elsewhere, and is definitely worth a watch. We score it a decent, 3 out of 5 stars. 

Other Releases: Snatched – 2.5 stars 

Paul O’Rourke