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.
King Arthur (2004)
Tomatometer
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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
Reviews for King Arthur
I loved the notion of the Dark Ages as the Wild West with swords. Thumbs up.
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.
By going back to its origins and dusting itself off, the King Arthur story has proved itself to have a very contemporary resonance.
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.
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.
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.
A fine pretender to the historical action crown Ridley Scott's Gladiator reforged.
For all this silly spin, King Arthur is a better movie than you might have expected.
Most folks, when asked about the legend of King Arthur, don't immediately conjure up an image of Keira Knightley in a leather bikini.
This middling King Arthur doesn't waste time developing character -- or coherence -- when a big, joyless, synthetic battle will do.
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.
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.
This Arthur is long and somber, broken up by crowded, clanging battle scenes that lack the visceral thrills of, say, Braveheart.
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.
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.
Never seems to quite know what's on its mind, though individual scenes (a cool battle on the ice) have their moments.
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