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King Arthur

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King Arthur (2004)

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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

[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.
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for King Arthur

    • T-Meter Critics
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    141 - 160 (sorted by date)
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    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.

    Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment Comment
    07/07/04
    Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
    Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
    TheMovieChicks.com

    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.

    Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
    07/07/04
    Phil Villarreal
    Phil Villarreal
    Arizona Daily Star

    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.

    Full Review Source: San Antonio Express-News | comment Comment
    07/07/04
    Larry Ratliff
    Larry Ratliff
    San Antonio Express-News

    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.

    Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
    07/07/04
    Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
    Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
    Spirituality and Practice

    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?

    Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
    07/07/04
    Robin Clifford
    Robin Clifford
    Reeling Reviews

    "King Arthur" is worth watching at least once, but only when it comes to cable. This film is a dreary dull mess.

    Full Review Source: Eclipse Magazine | comment Comment
    07/07/04
    Michelle Alexandria
    Michelle Alexandria
    Eclipse Magazine

    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.

    Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
    07/07/04
    Scott Weinberg
    Scott Weinberg
    eFilmCritic.com

    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.

    Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
    07/07/04
    MaryAnn Johanson
    MaryAnn Johanson
    Flick Filosopher

    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.

    Full Review Source: Cinerina | comment Comment
    07/07/04
    Karina Montgomery
    Karina Montgomery
    Cinerina

    'The untold true story that inspired the legend' shouldn't be [just a] generic ancient combat epic.

    Full Review Source: Window to the Movies | comment Comment
    07/06/04
    Jeffrey Chen
    Jeffrey Chen
    Window to the Movies

    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.

    Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
    07/06/04
    Eric D. Snider
    Eric D. Snider
    EricDSnider.com

    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?”

    Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
    07/06/04
    Erik Childress
    Erik Childress
    eFilmCritic.com

    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.

    Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
    07/06/04
    Walter Chaw
    Walter Chaw
    Film Freak Central

    Ran two hours, felt like three, could have easily been one, and features no less of a videogame-type plot than mothersucking Van Helsing.

    Full Review Source: Planet Sick-Boy | comment Comment
    07/06/04
    Jon Popick
    Jon Popick
    Planet Sick-Boy

    a watered-down hybrid

    Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
    07/06/04
    Laura Clifford
    Laura Clifford
    Reeling Reviews

    The film may be set in the Dark Ages, but the cliches are vintage sixties Hollywood.

    Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
    07/06/04
    Peter Rainer
    Peter Rainer
    New York Magazine
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    King Arthur is another big, expensive opportunity inexplicably wasted by an army of extremely talented movie people.

    Full Review Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel | comment Comment
    07/06/04
    Chauncey Mabe
    Chauncey Mabe
    South Florida Sun-Sentinel

    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.

    Full Review Source: San Jose Mercury News | comment Comment
    07/06/04
    Glenn Lovell
    Glenn Lovell
    San Jose Mercury News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The worst Jerry Bruckheimer film since Dangerous Minds.

    Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
    07/06/04
    Fred Topel
    Fred Topel
    About.com

    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.

    Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
    07/06/04
    Jan Stuart
    Jan Stuart
    Newsday
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
     
     
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