The Stream: Too long, some strange moments even for a fantasy movie.

The Big Screen: Original spin on a well-told story and excellent cinematography.

The Final Bill: Original concept that may have tried to do too much but at least they tried.

– S2S: Movie Review
Director: David Lowery
Writers: David Lowery(written for the screen)
Stars: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Rating: R (Slight nudity and adult/sexual situations, slight language, some violence)
Runtime: 2 hours 4 minutes
Production Companies: Sailor Bear, BRON Studios, A24
Platform: Released in theaters July 30, 2021
Notable Trailers: Blue Bayou, Lamb, Don’t Breathe 2, Candyman, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Hear ye, hear ye! Let all come to the front to view this weekend’s review of The Green Knight. This movie is directed and written by David Lowery who has been around for a while but hasn’t directed anything I would say was “good”. Titles like A Ghost Story, Pete’s Dragon, Peter Pan and Wendy are on his credits and we shall see where his current offering fits. Here, The Green Knight is pegged as an fantasy adventure based on Arthurian legend, “The Green Knight”. The story follows Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), King Arthur’s party boy nephew, who embarks on a redeeming and daring quest to confront a gigantic emerald-skinned stranger, the Green Knight. Gawain contends with bunches of mysterious strangers along his long journey to redefine his character and worth to his family and kingdom. Let’s see if Lowery could turn his career around with The Green Knight.

I’m going to be blunt with this one. This movie is weird. End of review. Ok, ok, I’ll say a bit more. This movie is really weird to review. Parts of me want to say it was good, but I’d likely never watch it again. But then I say to myself, “Does that really mean the movie isn’t good?” I judge it against a movie like V For Vendetta that I love but won’t watch again on purpose because it’s just too long. The Green Knight has that super long element. Then, I judge it against the likes of A24’s Midsommar and Orion Pictures’ Gretel and Hansel where stylistically the movies are so similar. The Green Knight has some of the same cool, flowy shots and smoky elements of Midsommar but also some of the super dark and hard to view elements of Gretel and Hansel, to make it visually appealing and unappealing at the same time. Also, there’s a weird feeling similar to Midsommar or Game of Thrones, like is this a dream, drugs, or am I supposed to take this world just as it is? Just so many questions. I think that’s the main thing about the movie that may make it off-putting. There are a couple scenes where I just found myself questioning life. Why is this happening? Is this really happening? And have they given me a reason to care in the end? I’m just not sure but it makes the movie on the fence.

Overall, the acting in the movie is pretty good. A24 and BRON Studios both have begun to produce some really quality and original films. They don’t always pan out well, but they do know how to cast a movie well. My guy, Dev Patel, does a pretty good job as Gawain but is still overshadowed by the weirdness and eeriness of the side characters who all find a way to shine in their own right. I’ll admit I was intrigue by the promos for the movie but I don’t know if the source material truly shined through in this interpretation.

Confusing enough but so is this movie. The Green Knight is artistically pretty well done but the storyline and fantasy elements at times are just too weird. A24 and Bron Studios have produced some quality fantasy/horror/original stories and The Green Knight falls into that but they might have gone a bit too far and that’s hard to say after Midsommar and Hereditary. Due to the length of the film and randomness of the flick, The Green Knight is best suited for a nice streaming in whether Redbox or Netflix with a handful of popcorn. Save your money from the theater and check this out at a later time.