King Arthur DVD Review

"KING ARTHUR" reviews

DVD

KING ARTHUR

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2005-10-26 11:16:33

Provider

DVD Review

A Bruckheimer mega-blockbuster. The latest take on the legend of the knights of the round table with Clive Owen as the eponymous king.

Ioan Gruffudd is Lancelot and a very sexy Keira Knightley plays a tomboy Guinevere in this timeslip version of the legendary tale. Here Arthur and his knights are a crack Sarmatian cavalry team enlisted by the all-conquering Roman army. At the end of their conscription, with promises of freedom and gold directly ahead of them, they must complete one final mission: save a scurrilous Roman priest and his family from the advancing Cedric and his Saxon hordes. But this will take them into dangerous lands though forests controlled by the English Woads. Can Arthur and his knights emerge triumphant?

This is a rollicking tale full of lambastic action and exciting, expertly-orchestrated battles. Training Day director, Antoine Fuqua retains the essence of the legend, delivering a CGI-enhanced treatment which you can discover more about in the 'Making Of' extras. The sterling lead performances are ably supported by Ray Winstone, Stellan Skarsgard and Ken Stott and while the plot setting may initially jar, it is considered to be one of the most historically accurate, being based on new evidence and theories that Arthur really existed far earlier in history than before. So forget what you learnt in Excalibur. Sit back and enjoy this thrilling adventure.