The Green Knight

Starring: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sarita Choudhury, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie, Ralph Ineson, Barry Keoghan, Donncha Crowley
Directed by: David Lowery
Rating: R
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
2021

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A mysterious Green Knight appears and Sir Gawain (Dev Patel) agrees to engage him in a deadly game.

Review:

Tim: When I saw the first trailer for David Lowery's adaptation of The Green Knight, I was blown away. The visuals looked stunning and it appeared to be an incredibly immersive experience. Lowery has a unique style and while I've enjoyed most of his movies, I don't think he's quite pulled everything together yet. I had hopes that this would be the one to put him over the top. Unfortunately, that doesn't quite happen here. The movie is good, absolutely, but it feels too limited.

In many ways, this feels very much like a product of Lowery's direction. His films always seem to have so much promise- he has a truly unique vision and his films don't feel like anything else. He usually fights against the desire to build a sense of momentum as his films progress. Most movies sacrifice a lot to push their stories forward. Lowery never does that. He lets moments linger, he takes his time in telling his stories. This is appreciated, although it makes his film feel more artistic than entertaining. This isn't necessarily a bad tradeoff, but out of the five films of his I've seen, I wouldn't necessarily want to see any of them again.

This is all context for The Green Knight because the same scenarios play out here. The film is gorgeously shot, but Lowery once again gives his film too much room to breathe. He's terrific at creating moments and feelings, but doesn't quite pull them all together in the most compelling narrative. In some ways, you appreciate Lowery treating his audience like adults- he doesn't feel the need to explain everything. The issue is that sometimes, too much exists only in Lowery's head and he doesn't quite translate that into his films. He clearly had a vision for this film, but it didn't quite feel realized. What this did for me here was tell a visually impressive story that eventually wears out its welcome some. Lowery's style was effective at the beginning of the film, but towards the end, it starts to wear thin.

I liked the way he told this story, even if he leaves so much of the narrative unsaid. There's enough here to follow Gawain's story, even if we might not catch every detail of the story. Lowery's films are probably ones that need repeat viewings- the problem is that they've never made me want to take the journey again. That's true for this one, too.

The film does get a strong performance from Dev Patel. He might make an unlikely choice for the lead, but he brought vulnerability to the role. I like Patel and appreciate he got the opportunity to lead this film. I thought his performance was strong. He seemed less like a character from a book and more like a fully complex human being. Alicia Vikander was strong in dual roles. She doesn't have as much to do as I'd wished (in either role), but she's a good actress and she made a lasting impression on the film. She and Patel have a few scenes together and they worked well. I wouldn't say they had the most chemistry, but they played off each other fairly well. I really like Joel Edgerton and I thought he was effective here. The downside is that his scenes came just when my patience started to wear out, so that limits how good he can be on screen. Sarita Choudhury was decent, but underutilized. Sean Harris was a great addition and I always enjoy seeing Barry Keoghan. The cast was good, but the movie is truly about Patel.

The visuals were striking, but I have to admit they looked better in the trailer. Those quick hits together looked gorgeous. The film is that, yes, but the images come so slowly as the film progresses that it might lose a bit of its effectiveness. Still, the visuals are one of the film's biggest selling points- Lowery did a terrific job here.

Not surprisingly, the film feels too long. At 2 hours, 10 minutes, it eventually results in diminishing returns. I became less invested in Gawain's journey because of how long it takes him to get there. By the time we (SPOILER ALERT) see his future path, I was more than ready to call it a day. Now, I've highlighted the film's flaws, yes. However, this is still a visually stunning retelling of an Arthurian legend story. It features solid performances and Lowery's unique storytelling. I might not have loved The Green Knight like I'd hoped, but it's a memorable, effective movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Ain't Them Bodies Saints, A Ghost Story, Excalibur, First Knight