King Arthur

What if at the age of ten you had to leave your family for fifteen years and serve another country that wasn't your own?? This was just the case for the brave knights in the movie King Arthur. It was directed by Jerry Bruckheimer and was produced by Touchstone pictures in 2004. The film is mainly about Arthur and his knights going on several missions for the sake of Rome or better yet the pope. Overall I thought the film was really well done. There were three aspects that made it well, they were the character portrayals, filming techniques and the costumes.

The first character, King Arthur was played by Clive Owen. He did a good part by being such a good leader and taking command of a hell raising situation. The "damsel in distress", Guinevere, was played by Keira Knightly. She did a good part by having two sides to her character, at first she appeared weak and scrawny but then rose to become victorious in battle. Lancelot was played by Ioan Gruffudd. He was King Arthur's right hand man and was very brave yet he died in the end.

The filming techniques in this movie ranged from aerial shots to source light and long shots. Most of the shots in this movie were aerail shots, due to the huge landscape. The scene towards the end was shot using source light. That's when King Arthur and Guinevere get married. The sunlight was used as the light source. Most shots in the framing of this movie were long. For example, when Artur and his knights are ontop of the hill, the cropping is done to show them and the surrounding environment.

The costume department did a good job as well. The costumes were accurately portrayed. The knights all had their shining armor and their chain mail. The peasants at the castle were wearing mostly rags that gave the them the correct costuming effect. Merlin and his men wore Barbaric looking clothes because they lived in the woods. These were the costumes of the movie King Arthur.

The tale of King Arthur was well done. It portrayed a lifelong story and had many great aspects for a good film. I would have to give it 4 out of 5 stars. The length of the movie was sufficient enough to tell a story, but not too much to bore the viewer. This film would be good for history buffs and anyone who wants to watch a good action/adventure movie.