By: Andrew Wing, Contributing Writer
The Green Knight is a 2021 American epic medieval fantasy film brought to us by David Lowery, who directed, wrote, edited, and produced. The film stars Dev Patel in the lead role as Gawain, a nephew of the legendary British leader King Arthur, who sets out on a journey to test his courage and face the Green Knight. The film is an adaptation of a famous 14th-century medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The film also stars Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina, The Danish Girl), Joel Edgerton (Loving, Boy Erased, The King), Sarita Choudbury (A Perfect Murder, She Hate Me, Sean Harris (Prometheus, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, Mission: Impossible - Fallout), and Ralph Ineson (The Witch, Game of Thrones) as the titular character.
The Green Knight was theatrically released in the United States on July 30, 2021, by A24, my personal favorite film production company that has given us some celebrated films such as Moonlight, Lady Bird, Hereditary, Eighth Grade, and Uncut Gems just to name a few.
THE GOOD
When the trailer for The Green Knight first came out a couple of months ago, I instantly knew this was a movie I was going to check out. First off, it comes from A24 and I pretty much watch anything in their catalog and I am not joking when I say that they rarely miss. Their films are almost always indie films with very low budgets ($15 million for The Green Knight) compared to the likes of Marvel’s $200 million for Black Widow (see review here) or Warner Bros./DC’s $185 million for The Suicide Squad (see review here). And because of the low budget and less marketable name, they must find other ways to bring people to the screen with captivating new stories, distinguished performances from big-time actors/actresses, and stunning cinematography and The Green Knight checks all of those boxes.
There were so many things I loved and appreciated about The Green Knight as the movie buff I am, but the thing I loved the most has to be the film’s cinematography. It truly looks incredible and is just a visually stunning movie to look at. The film was shot in Ireland in 2019 and I’ll just come out and say that I had no idea Ireland was such a beautiful country. With this being a medieval film, you know there are going to be castles and the castles in Ireland were just breathtaking and that, as well as all of the sick outfits they were wearing just helped me get into the zone. The sound of this movie was phenomenal as well, from an eminent soundtrack that helped set the mood to the amazing sound of the actual Green Knight crunching when he moved around because well, he is a tree-like character. This movie is just a prime example of purely great filmmaking, it was exceptional in all areas from the sights to the sounds.
There is no doubt that this, like most other A24 films, is a very artistic movie, but this movie brought so much more to the table with notable performances from the entire cast, but none stuck out more than the star himself, Dev Patel. I absolutely loved Dev Patel in this movie. He is just such an amazing actor, and while I don’t think this is his best work simply because of the excellence that is Slumdog Millionaire, this is probably right up there as his second best work in my opinion. He continues to just knock it out of the park in every role he is in, and while it is a long shot just because of all the big movies still to come this calendar year, he definitely has a chance at his first ever best actor nomination at the Oscars. Also worth noting is just how cool he looks in this movie with his long hair and beard flowing in the wind as he is riding his horse and his crown is pretty sick too.
Another special thing about this movie is just the story as a whole and David Lowery’s direction. The story is awesome, the film truly creates a world unlike anything we have ever seen in films before and it just left me in awe. This isn’t a spoiler but the round table scene in the beginning of the movie when the Green Knight introduces himself is so intense and definitely one of my favorite scenes in recent memory. This is nowhere near the first Arthurian films with it being such a famous medieval topic and legend. However, instead of being an intense action film like most Arthurian films of the past, Lowery brought an extremely unique take to this story and I was just digging it. I feel it was unique because we are raised to believe that these Knights of the Round Table are one-dimensional god-like heroes, but in this, Gawain is portrayed as a normal person who is troubled. His character is simply a stubborn young man who just wants glory and to be looked at by his peers as an honorable man but he is afraid to do what must be done to earn those things. Lowery really did just hit the nail on the head when it came to this premise and I can’t wait to see what he does next.
Some other quick things I liked about The Green Knight include the performances of the supporting characters. The gorgeous Alicia Vikander is one of the best supporting actresses in the industry today and she just grabs your attention whenever she is on screen. Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris were very good in this despite limited screen time, but they both played vital roles in Gawain’s journey. Ralph Ineson really does have one of the best voices and they could not have found a better actor to play the Green Knight. The Green Knight as a character was just so badass and intimidating. The visual effects on him were extraordinary and you could just tell they paid attention to all the small details that we take for granted and I just love how this movie was put together.
THE BAD
Yeah, if you are still reading up to this point, you can tell I really enjoyed the film, but there is no denying that this film is not for everyone. This is definitely one of those movies where critics are raving about it, while the audience scores are not as supportive. For example, I went and saw this with my Mom and she thought it was really weird. Also, I could hear other people in the theater making comments and I could tell by their facial expressions leaving the theater that they were asking themselves “What the f**k did I just watch?”, and that may in large part be due to the ending that is certainly open to interpretation.
But yeah, this movie is not everyone’s cup of tea, and it has nothing to do with what some like to call “movie intelligence”. Arthurian stories are just not some people’s thing, there have been plenty of bad King Arthur movies in the past and it can be kind of boring. It is an over 2-hour movie and it can be slow and grueling at times, but I found that to be by design on Lowery’s part to sort of show you what he is going through and having you feel like you are a part of his journey because well, you technically are.
If you are like my Mom and think because this is a medieval movie that you are going to get a lot of combat and sword fights you are sadly mistaken. There is some combat, but not a lot. Instead, there is slow and deliberate pacing because of the amount of symbolism in this movie, and trust me, some of it will leave you scratching your head. The movie as a whole really didn’t feel very medieval to me, I was definitely getting more fantastical when watching and I was even picking up some sci-fi vibes. Like most other A24 movies, you can tell from the jump that the film has countless themes present throughout and that it is going for a deeper meaning here so just be prepared.
Lastly, this movie is definitely not a feel-good movie in any sense, which really makes it a tough movie to recommend. The main character, Gawain, is not the easiest guy to root for for starters. He really is just doing whatever it takes to achieve glory and be considered an honorable man, and not worrying about anything else in the process. But at the same time, I liked that because they made the character feel relatable because I think all of us can say at some point in our lives we have been self-centered. For me, as I have said, I was pumped when I saw the trailer to check this out and before seeing the movie, I did some minor research on the poem that the film is based on and also some stuff on King Arthur and his family. I guess you could say I was in the right mindset heading into this film, and I’m not saying you need to do all that to enjoy it, but for me, doing all of that made The Green Knight quite a remarkable movie.
THE VERDICT
With a uniquely thrilling take on the Arthurian legend from American filmmaker David Lowery and a profound performance from Dev Patel as Gawain, The Green Knight is an epic medieval fantasy film taking place in the 14th century that will captivate audiences with outstanding cinematography, an imposing story, and some of the best visual effects you have ever seen on the titular character.
The Green Knight is one of my favorite movies of the year and is another home run from the entertainment distribution company A24.
I strongly recommend checking this movie out if you get the chance to and I would love to know your thoughts, good or bad. It is a movie meant to be seen in theaters and you can do just that at Flagship Premium Cinemas in Falmouth where it is currently playing.
TED TAKES RATING - 9.1/10
The Green Knight is now playing in select theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.