The Green Knight is big and poetic and a tad moody. Well at least that’s the impression from the trailer further below and many a reviewer have said as much about the Arthurian story, but as one critic alludes beneath — is it really something that regular cinema-goers will appreciate? Maybe if they’re looking for an American epic medieval fantasy that’s a bit more quirky than usual.
Either way, it’s a gorgeous looking film based loosely on the 14th-century Middle English poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight written by anonymous.
Dev Patel stars as Gawain, a nephew of King Arthur, who sets out on a quest to test his mettle and in that have a reckoning with the Green Knight character. It also stars Alicia Vikander, Sean Harris, Sarita Choudhury, Ralph Ineson and Joel Edgerton.
The Green Knight was adapted and directed by David Lowery. See a sampling of reviews of his film below.
JUDGEMENT
“One thing director and screenwriter David Lowery points to in Gawain’s quest is his unwavering dignity and kindness. Throughout his psychologically grueling trials on the way to the chapel, he gives to those in need, takes risks for the sake of others, and politely avoids conflict. When it comes time for him to keep his promise and fulfill his end of the bargain, where some men might have fled, Gawain does not. Lowery never needed to convince audiences that Gawain was worthy; Patel did all that himself, extracting the dignity that was within Gawain from the beginning.” Tyler Bey, The Christian Science Monitor
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“The Green Knight, a film adaptation of the Arthurian poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, is one of those languid, art-house-type moody tone-poem movies that cause critics to wax poetic and audiences to hate it. I’m with the people. Why? It’s boring! Zero tension. Pretty? Yes, but I insist of movies that they do not violate the No. 1 rule of show business: ‘Never be boring’.” Mark Jackson, The Epoch Times
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“The film seizes Lowery’s best skills as a director: his eye for innocence and nature (Pete’s Dragon) and how he uses slowness to deepen a story (The Old Man and the Gun). That said, The Green Knight is a bit long for what it is, but at least it’s time spent in the company of the excellent Dev Patel. The 31-year-old actor has been segueing, quite seamlessly and brilliantly, into classical roles. His vulnerable, determined, nervous Sir Gawain comes on the hooves of his ebullient Dickensian hero in The Personal History of David Copperfield, which was also a joy to watch.” Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post
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“Although Dev Patel has a captivating presence and really lives the role, there are many points where he is (rightly) just giving us suffering. Since the title holds the word “knight” in it, and it’s a medieval movie, modern audiences may easily go into it expecting massive battles and not a man’s internal struggle. While the characters in the poem have many happy moments, the film has a very typical ‘medieval’ joylessness, and without epic battles, it’s hard to say if modern audiences will be willing to suffer with Gawain for the long haul.” Danièle Cybulskie, Medievalists.net
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“All of it feels genuinely imaginative and surprisingly cohesive, perhaps touching a bit on the filmic styles of Kubrick or Malick but also diving into the uncharted unknown. Lowery even refrains from referencing the familiar names ‘King Arthur,’ ‘Guinevere,’ or ‘Morgan le Fay,’ deepening the film’s dreamlike feel. Throughout, The Green Knight also wonders about the central purpose of Gawain’s quest. Just what does honor actually mean, and what does it cost?” Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media
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“Lowery has adapted the 14th century chivalric romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight into one of the most memorable films of the year, a fascinating swirl of masculinity, temptation, heroism, and religion. Arthurian experts may quibble with some of Lowery’s decisions and it is certainly a film that challenges traditional expectations of stories about heroic knights for modern audiences, but fans will be drawn to this mesmerizing journey guided by Lowery’s incredibly poetic eye, career-best work from Dev Patel, and an artistic sensibility that transports audiences to another world.” Brian Tallerico, rogerebert.com
Watch the trailer for The Green Knight below.