Review: King Arthur
The outline, King Arthur in a more realistic setting and way of storytelling, seems like a smart move. It has not been done before, and a darker tone could be a benefit to attract more adult customers. The high expectations though, are not met. If at all, it’s just mildly entertaining. How the story is set up, there’s no room for drama nor exploration of the many characters (only Arthur’s character has a less simple outline, but it’s still not much). The story seems to move too fast, yet it doesn’t progress at all. Most battles don’t have any tension leading up, and the outcome is no surprise either. They’re also not extraordinarily shot nor is it any more bloody than beyond the acceptable. Hans Zimmer’s score is dramatic now and then, but it’s not overly exciting, nor is there a theme to identify this film by. With everything so middle of the road, most viewers (the males of course) have the mesmerising beauty of Keira Knightley to lead them to the exit, but the other half will go home pretty disappointed. It’s not fair to put the blame on Antoine Fuqua though, an otherwise standard actioner (though with an extremely well-done Training Day under his belt), so the usually insightful Jerry Bruckheimer has to deservedly take the full heat.7-.