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King Arthur

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King Arthur (2004)

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Reviews Counted:37

Fresh:12

Rotten:25

Average Rating:5.2/10

Consensus: The magic is gone, leaving a dreary, generic action movie.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for intense battle sequences, a scene of sensuality and some language

Runtime: 2 hrs 19 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:Jul 7, 2004 Wide

Box Office: $51,726,421

Synopsis: From producer Jerry Bruckheimer ('Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,' 'Black Hawk Down') and director Antoine Fuqua ('Training Day') comes Touchstone Pictures' / Jerry... From producer Jerry Bruckheimer ('Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,' 'Black Hawk Down') and director Antoine Fuqua ('Training Day') comes Touchstone Pictures' / Jerry Bruckheimer Films' 'King Arthur,' a spectacular, epic tale of one man's destiny to become a king. 'Let me sing with inspiration Of the man born of two nations, Of Rome and of Britain... ... Arthur the blessed Led his assault from the Great Wall...' by the 6th century Welsh poet, Taliesin For centuries most historians believed that King Arthur was only a legend, but that legend was based on a real hero whose actions changed the face of Britain and the world forever. Clive Owen, is 'Artorius' or Arthur, the hero of Roman and British parentage eulogized in the ancient Celtic poem. Like his loyal Knights, he sees only chaos and devastation will follow Rome's final pullout of Britain. Although, as a dedicated Christian he is desperate to return to Rome to influence the budding religion, his first loyalty is to his pagan Knights. Arthur sees his duty is to free them from their servitude to Rome so they may return to their ancestral homeland in Sarmatia. However, before he can, he must lead his Knights of the Round Table on one last mission, deep into enemy territory on a quest of adventure and profound enlightenment. Here, Arthur, Lancelot, Galahad, Bors, Tristan, Dagonet and Gawain are forced to confront their traditional enemy: Merlin and his indigenous guerilla armies. Disdainfully called 'Woads' by the Knights for the Woad plant they use to dye their bodies, Arthur and his Knights will see these guerillas are the soul of Britain, devastated by generations of Roman rule. Now, with Rome gone, and without the help of Arthur and his knights, the invading Saxons will roll over the people like an avalanche. Under the guidance of the shaman, Merlin and the beautiful, courageous Guinevere (Keira Knightley), Arthur will struggle to find the strength to fors ke his dreams of Rome to 'become a leader in this land,' and to change the face of history. Thrilling adventure, edge-of-your-seat action and historical grandeur come together in this unique look at the origins of one of the greatest legends ever told. [More]

Starring: Clive Owen, Stellan Skarsgard, Keira Knightley, Ioan Gruffudd

Starring: Clive Owen, Stellan Skarsgard, Keira Knightley, Ioan Gruffudd, Hugh Dancy, Stephen Dillane, Ray Winstone, Til Schweiger, Joel Edgerton, Mads Mikkelsen, Ray Stevenson, Sean Gilder, Ivano Marescotti, Ken Stott

Director: Antoine Fuqua

Director: Antoine Fuqua
Screenwriter: David H. Franzoni
Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer
Composer: Hans Zimmer
Studio: Touchstone Pictures

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Release:

Dec 21, 2004

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • King Arthur
  • The producer of PEARL HARBOR and the director of TRAINING DAY deliver an immensely thrilling adventure epic that tells the heroic true story behind one of history's greatest legends! It is the valiant tale of Arthur (Clive Owen) and his bond of brotherhood with Lancelot (Ioan Gruffudd) and the loyalty of the Knights Of The Round Table as they fight for freedom and those they love. Also starring Keira Knightley, this spectacular motion picture fuses historical grandeur with edge-of-your-seat action and bestows must-see entertainment!
  • Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
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    Reviews for King Arthur

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    A title card says this King Arthur, grimly directed by Antoine Fuqua, is based on the latest research into the mythic past. Maybe so. But one can't help thinking the research that really counted was that into the more recent box-office charts.

    Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
    07/15/04
    Richard Schickel
    Richard Schickel
    TIME Magazine
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Gladiator lite.

    Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
    07/15/04
    Peter Travers
    Peter Travers
    Rolling Stone
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    I loved the notion of the Dark Ages as the Wild West with swords. Thumbs up.

    Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
    07/12/04
    Richard Roeper
    Richard Roeper
    Ebert & Roeper
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    If this is history demystified, give me myth.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
    07/10/04
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    Chicago Reader
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    It's hard to care about a valiant groping for accuracy when a story is so badly told you can't tell what the devil is going on.

    Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
    07/10/04
    Stephanie Zacharek
    Stephanie Zacharek
    Salon.com
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    By going back to its origins and dusting itself off, the King Arthur story has proved itself to have a very contemporary resonance.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    07/09/04
    Michael O'Sullivan
    Michael O'Sullivan
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Though King Arthur is set in ancient times, there's not much difference between this movie and Fuqua's recent film Tears of the Sun.

    Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
    07/08/04
    Bill Muller
    Bill Muller
    Arizona Republic
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It's a solid, somber, rousing piece of studio zirconium: cobbled together from Gladiator, Braveheart, Lord of the Rings, The Magnificent Seven, and five tons of Hollywood hooey.

    Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
    07/07/04
    Ty Burr
    Ty Burr
    Boston Globe
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    That the movie works is because of the considerable production qualities and the charisma of the actors, who bring more interest to the characters than they deserve.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
    07/07/04
    Roger Ebert
    Roger Ebert
    Chicago Sun-Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A fine pretender to the historical action crown Ridley Scott's Gladiator reforged.

    Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
    07/07/04
    Lisa Kennedy
    Lisa Kennedy
    Denver Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    For all this silly spin, King Arthur is a better movie than you might have expected.

    Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
    07/07/04
    Terry Lawson
    Terry Lawson
    Detroit Free Press
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Most folks, when asked about the legend of King Arthur, don't immediately conjure up an image of Keira Knightley in a leather bikini.

    Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
    07/07/04
    Tom Long
    Tom Long
    Detroit News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    This middling King Arthur doesn't waste time developing character -- or coherence -- when a big, joyless, synthetic battle will do.

    Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
    07/07/04
    Lisa Schwarzbaum
    Lisa Schwarzbaum
    Entertainment Weekly
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    May the gods protect us from modernists messing with our myths.

    Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
    07/07/04
    Rick Groen
    Rick Groen
    Globe and Mail
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    This version has action, yes, but the love triangle among Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot is diluted, and there's nothing exuberant about a dutiful slog through the muck.

    Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
    07/07/04
    Jami Bernard
    Jami Bernard
    New York Daily News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    King Arthur may be far closer to the facts than anything in Le Morte D'Arthur -- and far grittier than Hollywood's old Knights of the Round Table or The Sword in the Stone. But there's nothing true in it at all.

    Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
    07/07/04
    Stephen Whitty
    Stephen Whitty
    Newark Star-Ledger
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    This Arthur is long and somber, broken up by crowded, clanging battle scenes that lack the visceral thrills of, say, Braveheart.

    Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
    07/07/04
    Steven Rea
    Steven Rea
    Philadelphia Inquirer
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Combines the plodding sincerity of a Ph.D. dissertation with the brains of a high-concept Jerry Bruckheimer- produced blockbuster (which it is), and no one benefits.

    Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
    07/07/04
    Mick LaSalle
    Mick LaSalle
    San Francisco Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Two hours of relentless battle, badly stitched together with a hard-to-follow story fashioned to give maximum opportunity for big, brawny guys to bash each other.

    Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
    07/07/04
    Susan Walker
    Susan Walker
    Toronto Star
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Never seems to quite know what's on its mind, though individual scenes (a cool battle on the ice) have their moments.

    Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
    07/07/04
    Mike Clark
    Mike Clark
    USA Today
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
     
     
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