Director Guy Ritchie has developed a reputation for two things among movie critics in his career. One is that he will entertain, the other is that he will lack substance. So what will it be with King Arthur: Legend of the Sword?
Known for his whip-smart, sharply edited, and superbly sound tracked early works such as Snatch and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Ritchie has always paced his films brilliantly and provided a fun and exciting time at the movies. As his career has worn on though critics have gotten used to the Guy Ritchie style and thus started to be more thorough in their critiques, often citing his lack of character depth and an absence of emotional underpinning as his major flaws.
However, his strengths have usually stopped him from ever making a bad film. His first foray into fantasy may tell us more about him. Will he try to fit his usual tropes into a fantasy film or will he adopt a different technique that is more appropriate to the genre. If the trailer released at Comic Con is anything to go by, it’s the former, with Charlie Hunnam fronting a visceral, frantic, and gritty portrayal of King Arthur, a king raised on the streets. Take a look.
It’s clear this film will bear almost no resemblance to 2004’s King Arthur, starring Clive Owen, which wasn’t as bad as people like to make out. Ritchie’s offering looks like it will delve into the realms of magic quite significantly, which could be a good thing considering certain aspects of the film feel inauthentic to the fantasy genre. Ritchie always makes smart choices in regards to casting and usually gets good performances out of his actors. Fans of Sons of Anarchy will be overjoyed to see Hunnam in this role and fans of Game of Thrones will be similarly pleased to see some familiar faces.
All in all, it’s doubtful critics will love this film, but on first impressions, it appears as though it will be perfectly serviceable entertainment. What do you think?