Yes, I mean the new movie King Arthur Legend of the Sword. And unlike the critics, I’m going to admit that I loved this movie. My son loved it too, which I find awesome because anything that gets him into King Arthur and the legends of old makes me happy.
So if you’re leaning on critics to tell you whether or not to see this movie, ignore them this time.
Now, the beginning was a little rough. They could have done without the very first tower exploding scene (which happens to be right at the beginning) because we had no idea what that tower was or why it was important, we just saw exploding tower and it just plain felt awkward.
Lesson #1) Watch your beginning carefully. Just because you know what’s happening doesn’t mean the readers/audience does. I know we abhor too much backstory being thrust at the reader in a novel, but sometimes it is necessary.
Lesson #2) If you have a vision for your work and it’s a little off-the-beaten-path … just stick to it and trust your readers to give it a chance. Those who do will be rewarded for it. Those who don’t … well, I guess this particular work isn’t meant for them.
I say this because of the music. At first, I was a little taken aback by the soundtrack but as the story moved on it just … fit. In fact, I own that soundtrack now.
Lesson #3) Failure is important but equally important is to emphasize the promise of what will come to pass once the character succeeds.
Without giving too much of a spoiler here, Arthur and Excalibur don’t get along at first. Arthur keeps failing. But with every failure, we see the promise of what this combination is going to become when he finally gets it right.
And when that moment comes in the movie, it is extremely satisfying.
Now … if I were a stringent “legend of King Arthur” person, I imagine I would have guffawed at this movie. They took the very basics of the legend (Arthur, Excalibur, Lady in the Lake) and they tossed out the rest, making it into something new. In an age of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, I think we’re more than capable of having a new vision of Arthur.
So … I enjoyed this movie. And my son loved it too. And in the middle of enjoying it, I was able to gain insight into a few things for my own craft. All in all, I’d say it was money well spent.
AJMaguire 