I feel like this movie will get a lot of mixed (to negative) reactions. For me it's very mixed. If you enjoy Guy Ritchie's storytelling style, then you'll probably have fun. If you don't, then you'll have a tough time trying to keep track on what's going on. This film moves really, really fast. It hardly ever calms down to have quiet moments. It's constantly moving from place to place with new information fed to you, and sometimes also skipping further in time and then backwards in time.. It's basically all over the place. The story and characters are perfectly fine, it's just that the way it's made and told is not always working to move it along. It's a rocky road, but when it wants to have fun it's entertaining.
At times I would have preferred a more traditional style. So, that's the biggest risk the filmmakers took. It's good whenever it works and sometimes it's really fun. It takes a few scenes until you get the hang of it. I didn't expect so much magic though. But, I will say that the magic elements were pretty nice. The opening battle sequence was over the top and fantastical in just the right way. Some of the grounded fight scenes weren't as good because they used too much shaky cam. Which bothers me because you have really nice looking sets, costumes and a good build-up for the action to get started. But, when that happens it's not as great as the build-up would make you believe. It's fine, you can enjoy it. But, it was messy at places. There's this one scene where Arthur is a 100% CGI when fighting bad guys and it was very noticeable. You could tell the audience was put off by that scene.
OK, so what did I like? Well, the soundtrack was neat and it worked well throughout. The mythological aspects are interesting and I wish that would have been explored more. What we get is classic medieval fantasy. But, hey! I liked it in this movie. It's classic and it helps with the world building. The overall visual style is great. The one shame is that many of the best shots last for a few seconds. So, you don't get the time to fully appreciate them. Everyone in Sweden will recognize Mikael Persbrandt playing a viking. Which is a fitting character for him to play. It was fun seeing him be part of it. The whole cast is nice. Jude Law is having a good time playing a bad guy. Astrid Berges-Frisbey plays the wizard who is able to control animals. She does a nice job and I bought the fact she knew magic. You can notice that everyone working on the film were enjoying it. There are jokes and comedic moments, and you know what? It made me chuckle here and there. I like the scenes when Arthur and his gang are plotting their heists or plans. The Guy Ritchie style shines when it's used right, and those are the scenes where it works in this movie.
It's one of those movies where you have to pay attention. So, no casual watching because you will miss some important info. It's way too fast at times and the shaky cam got annoying. The medieval fantasy stuff is nice and the visuals with the fast pace will have you entertained. I liked the humor and the characters. I've enjoyed Guy Ritchie's movies (at least the ones I've seen). This is not his best work, but it's a good effort. I'm gonna be nice to this movie because I had a fun time watching it. Only some parts put me off guard. If it had been more toned down and not rushed through some of Arthur's adventures, it would have been great. It's not completely there yet, but it's a good time. Go in for the magic realms and classic Shakespearean characters. Because all of that's pretty entertaining and fun.
At times I would have preferred a more traditional style. So, that's the biggest risk the filmmakers took. It's good whenever it works and sometimes it's really fun. It takes a few scenes until you get the hang of it. I didn't expect so much magic though. But, I will say that the magic elements were pretty nice. The opening battle sequence was over the top and fantastical in just the right way. Some of the grounded fight scenes weren't as good because they used too much shaky cam. Which bothers me because you have really nice looking sets, costumes and a good build-up for the action to get started. But, when that happens it's not as great as the build-up would make you believe. It's fine, you can enjoy it. But, it was messy at places. There's this one scene where Arthur is a 100% CGI when fighting bad guys and it was very noticeable. You could tell the audience was put off by that scene.
OK, so what did I like? Well, the soundtrack was neat and it worked well throughout. The mythological aspects are interesting and I wish that would have been explored more. What we get is classic medieval fantasy. But, hey! I liked it in this movie. It's classic and it helps with the world building. The overall visual style is great. The one shame is that many of the best shots last for a few seconds. So, you don't get the time to fully appreciate them. Everyone in Sweden will recognize Mikael Persbrandt playing a viking. Which is a fitting character for him to play. It was fun seeing him be part of it. The whole cast is nice. Jude Law is having a good time playing a bad guy. Astrid Berges-Frisbey plays the wizard who is able to control animals. She does a nice job and I bought the fact she knew magic. You can notice that everyone working on the film were enjoying it. There are jokes and comedic moments, and you know what? It made me chuckle here and there. I like the scenes when Arthur and his gang are plotting their heists or plans. The Guy Ritchie style shines when it's used right, and those are the scenes where it works in this movie.
It's one of those movies where you have to pay attention. So, no casual watching because you will miss some important info. It's way too fast at times and the shaky cam got annoying. The medieval fantasy stuff is nice and the visuals with the fast pace will have you entertained. I liked the humor and the characters. I've enjoyed Guy Ritchie's movies (at least the ones I've seen). This is not his best work, but it's a good effort. I'm gonna be nice to this movie because I had a fun time watching it. Only some parts put me off guard. If it had been more toned down and not rushed through some of Arthur's adventures, it would have been great. It's not completely there yet, but it's a good time. Go in for the magic realms and classic Shakespearean characters. Because all of that's pretty entertaining and fun.