The Green Knight

Before I viewed this movie I was aware of the polarized reviews and ratings, some think it is great while others consider it a complete miss. So I was curious.

It is a lesser-known story on the fringes of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Sir Gawain (they pronounce it 'GAW-in') is the King's nephew, it is Christmas, and a mysterious Green Knight shows up, inviting a challenge. None of the Knights step up but Gawain does.

Then a year later, on Christmas, he must travel 'six days north' to meet up with the Green Knight again, to settle the score.

My wife and I viewed it at home on BluRay from our public library. At just over two hours it was a fantastical, mystical movie. It has very accomplished actors who play their roles well. The locations (shot in Ireland) and cinematography are excellent all the way through. The sound track is really great. That's all the good stuff.

The not-so-good is that the story is very obscure much of the time. Things happened (like, what was up with the blindfolded woman who never spoke?) that cannot easily be interpreted as part of the story. So what we end up with is a pretty good viewing experience that leaves you figuratively scratching your head and wondering, "What was that all about?"

I am glad I watched it, I doubt that I will ever want to watch it again. The "making of" extra on the disc contains lots of discussion for those wanting to dig deeper into it. I viewed some of it. The cast and filmmakers clearly had a good time making it.

I thought the story was slow and confusing. I didn't understand what happened in the film at all.

Told in the spirit of watching paint dry, waiting for water to boil, or watching golf...this an insanely boring telling of what should have been a great story.

I could see how this movie could put some to sleep or how other people could say it's not faithful to its source material, but this is genuinely one of the most intriguing movies I have ever seen, and if you have enjoyed the past styles of a24 you will definitely enjoy this movie, as it has its high moments. Most of the negativity I see stems from people going into this movie expecting an epic tale of Game of Thrones proportions. This is not the case, and anyone who knows a24 should really have known better. This movie is enjoyable and a sight to see, so giving it your time could change your perspective.

It's a good film, but modern filmmakers seem a little too obsessed with deconstructing characters and de-romanticising the hero's journey, and it's starting to become a cliche that is overplayed and almost insulting to the audience. The filmmakers seem to think that by making all the protagonists anti-heroes who are not as heroic as we think that it's intelligent storytelling, but it really isn't.

I find myself regularly asking, "Where have all the good guys gone?" and "why isn't there romance in films anymore?"

Is it a little too much to ask for a righteous protagonist and a little love in films?

The modern landscape of cynical filmmaking that creates nihilistic stories has become very tedious.