Movie Review - The Green Knight (2021)

There have been several film adaptations of the famous poem about King Arthur and the Round Table. This is reportedly the fourth adaptation, written and directed by David Lowery (A Ghost Story and Pete's Dragon). The poem was all about honor and nobility, underscoring traditions of chivalry and certain members of the court, such as knights, and how they're supposed to behave. Lowery's film is also about that honor and nobility. It focuses on a young man who goes on a quest to prove his honor and nobility. Unfortunately, I don't think that the character development worked for me. Ultimately, I found myself bored. Yes, Lowery crafts a lot of beautiful and striking visuals. He also amazingly photographs his main actor who is himself beautiful and striking, but other than the eye-candy, I felt the film dragged.

Dev Patel (Lion and Slumdog Millionaire) stars as Gawain, the nephew of King Arthur, the ruler of Camelot, an area in Medieval England. Gawain is the only son of King Arthur's step-sister who isn't named here but is presumably Morgan le Fay who is a sorceress or witch. It's not clear if Gawain knows that his mother is a sorceress, but, he and all the others do believe in magic and aren't phased when they bear witness to magical or supernatural acts. Gawain is instead too much of a lush and licentious. He stays out drinking too much and having sex, probably with various women. He seems at first very privileged and entitled, even though he is respectful of the king.

Sarita Choudhury (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 and Lady in the Water) plays the mother to Gawain. Again, she's never identified, but the assumption is that she's Morgan le Fay, a sorceress or witch. We see her casting a spell that seemingly creates what's called the "Green Knight," a large man that appears to be half-tree, as he's made of wood and is all green in color. He's armed with an axe and challenges King Arthur to a game where the Green Knight allows a blow but then wants the man doing it to come to him in one year so that the Green Knight can return the blow.

Watching this film, it seems as if certain things are taken for granted. One thing that's taken for granted is the idea of why King Arthur isn't more incredulous. He just accepts the Green Knight who is essentially an intruder. King Arthur doesn't seem to be even at all interested as to where this Green Knight originated and how much of a threat he is. It's not sure if King Arthur even knows that his sister is behind this creation or if he didn't know, he doesn't seem interested in going to his sister for help, assuming he knows his sister is a witch.

Gawain decides to play the Green Knight's game. As a result, he has to wait a year and then set off to find the Green Knight. That's when this film gets boring because Gawain's quest to find the Green Knight feels like it drags forever where mostly nothing happens. Gawain does encounter things but they don't seem to add up to anything. His encounters are seemingly tests of his honor and nobility.

Joel Edgerton (The Great Gatsby and Exodus: Gods and Kings) plays a Lord that is the last of Gawain's encounters. It's ironic because Edgerton played Gawain in Antoine Fuqua's King Arthur (2004). Here, he plays a childless husband, living in a huge manor with his wife and an elderly woman who might be either his mother or mother-in-law. This Lord just appears to be a wealthy sheltered man who spends most of his time hunting on the acres of land around his home.

In the original poem, the Lord makes a deal with Gawain to give Gawain whatever the Lord hunts and Gawain has to give the Lord whatever Gawain has gained during the day. The trick is that while the Lord is hunting, the Lord's wife seduces Gawain but is only able to get a kiss. Therefore, when the Lord returns and gives Gawain what he's hunted, Gawain has to give the Lord a kiss. Lowery presents this trick a little differently. It seems as if Lowery twists it, so that here the Lord is essentially a closeted gay man who lusts after Gawain as much as his wife does. I felt, at one point, the Lord knew his wife would seduce Gawain and he used that as an opportunity to get kisses from Gawain who is very much a handsome and sexy guy.

This was a very compelling interpretation of that part of the poem, which probably didn't conceive of the Lord as a frustrated homosexual. However, Lowery presents enough to presume that's what he is here. I enjoyed that bit. I wish there were more of it. I wish there wasn't more of the boring journey that Gawain has. For example, at one point, Gawain encounters giant, naked woman and aside from seeing them pass by, Lowery does nothing with these giant women. They don't factor into the narrative later and Gawain barely interacts with them, so I didn't understand the point of having them here.

Rated R for violence, some sexuality and graphic nudity.
Running Time: 2 hrs. and 10 mins.

In theaters.