Putting a new spin on a legend is an interesting idea, but it has to remain a story worthy of the legend and this movie doesn't quite live up to that standard.
King Arthur (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:180
Fresh:56
Rotten:124
Average Rating:4.9/10
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
Gimme an angry, bitter Mordred. Gimme seething, forbidden love and a noble leader tortured by treachery all around him. Gimme anything but this wannabe Braveheart.
Anyone who counts on Hollywood to excavate history accurately deserves a movie in which Guinevere is a ferocious female warrior who wears only a leather harness as a top.
King Arthur offers a revisionist portrait of the legendary leader and warrior that expends almost all its energy on one bloody battle sequence after another.
Fuqua’s reinvention of Arthur is more a swashbuckling action adventure than an answer to the question: from whence did the legend of Arthur come?
"King Arthur" is worth watching at least once, but only when it comes to cable. This film is a dreary dull mess.
If you're going to intentionally suck all the good parts out of a great tale, you'd best replace them with something besides dry political intrigue and predictable gimmickry.
Leather and swords and British accents and gorgeous guys wielding them all can make a gal overlook a lot of badness in a flick. But not quite this much.
Based on real data or no, I rather like this grittier, wilder version of Arthur's legend. Bone up on your ancient English history a little before you go, and enjoy the ride.
'The untold true story that inspired the legend' shouldn't be [just a] generic ancient combat epic.
King Arthur is a good enterprise, and it makes a good run at it, but by the last act, it's just the same old Saxon violence.
Those steeped in Thomas Malory’s “La Morte d’Arthur” or T.H. White’s “The Once & Future King” will leave with the resounding thud of “what the HELL?”
Boasts as its main selling points a beautiful young starlet with about twenty minutes of screentime and the steadfast promise of an absence of myth and magic.
Ran two hours, felt like three, could have easily been one, and features no less of a videogame-type plot than mothersucking Van Helsing.
The film may be set in the Dark Ages, but the cliches are vintage sixties Hollywood.
King Arthur is another big, expensive opportunity inexplicably wasted by an army of extremely talented movie people.
Just as we're ready to write this film off as Bad Boys in tights -- or a dull, Earthbound cousin to Lord of the Rings -- director Fuqua and his team of production experts wow us with an eye-popping tableau or panorama.
As a primer in the thuggish territorial land grabs of the Dark Ages, it gets the adrenalin flowing and makes us want to learn more. But the sheer density of the historical material is often at odds with the cut-and-dried requirements of the action genre.
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