July 9, 2020

Arthur & Merlin: Knights of Camelot (2020) Movie Review

Director: Giles Alderson

Writer: Simon Cotton, Jonny Grant (Screenplay) Giles Alderson, Simon Cotton, Jonny Grant (Story)

Starring: Richard Brake, Richard Short, Ronan Summers, Stella Stocker, Olivia Bernstone, Joe Egan

Plot: A much older King Arthur returns home after fighting the Roman Empire. His illegitimate son has corrupted the throne of Camelot. Now King Arthur must reunite with the wizard Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table and fight to get back his crown.

Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Game of Thrones the Arthur & Merlin Edition

Story: Arthur & Merlin: Knights of Camelot starts as Arthur (Short) has led battles across the land, leaving his illegitimate son Modred (Phillimore) ruling Camelot, Arthur learns the news of Modred’s new ideas and must return with his most loyal men Merlin (Brake) and the knights of the round table to reclaim his throne.

We follow the journey Arthur and his men take, filled with visits from characters who might help or hinder the mission to take back the throne, while Modred is doing everything he can to make sure, his reign will be remembered.

Thoughts on Arthur & Merlin: Knights of Camelot

Characters – Arthur has been fighting for the land of England, he leads his men into battle only to learn his illegitimate son has bought a new rule to England. He leads his most loyal men in a plan to reclaim his throne. Merlin visits Arthur when he needs him most, providing his wisdom in his time of need. Most of the familiar names from the round table are here too, only they don’t seem to do much else in the story, while Modred is the evil ruler who is trying to use his new power to change the land for his own gain against his father’s wishes.

Performances – The performances in the film are not the strongest, with most of the cast struggling to make their character feel like they are reaching the bigger impact.

Story – The story here follows Arthur and the knights of the round table as they look to reclaim the throne from a new toxic leader that wants to cause more war. This is like watching another version of Game of Thrones, we are watching the desire to regain power, while a new ruler is trying to bring a new conflict to the land. It is a battle for power, which does have plenty of side stories that just don’t come in complete connection to everything going on within the biggest story arc, not enough time is given to the small sides of things, while the action is held back more than you would have imagined for a story involving the iconic characters involved here. It is getting to a stage where the King Arthur storylines have been overdone and need to have a rest.

Adventure – The adventure side of the film shows the journey that Arthur and his men undertook to return to Camelot.

Settings – The film uses the settings to take us back to the era the film is set in, with the massive castle being the target for the journey.

Scene of the Movie – The Lady in the Lake.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not enough character about the characters.

Final Thoughts – This is another one of those King Arthur storylines that tries to bring something new, only to end up feeling like it is just ripping off Game of Thrones.

Overall: Disappointing of Thrones.

Signature Entertainment presents Arthur & Merlin: Knights of Camelot on DVD & Digital HD from July 13th

ABC Film Challenge – Romance – I – Infinitely Polar Bear (2014)

Director: Maya Forbes

Writer: Maya Forbes (Screenplay)

Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana, Imogene Wolodarsky, Ashley Aufderheide, Nekhebet Kim Juch, Manoah Angelo

Plot: A father struggling with bipolar disorder tries to win back his wife by attempting to take full responsibility of their two young, spirited daughters, who don’t make the overwhelming task any easier.

Tagline – What it takes to keep a family together

Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Mark Ruffalo is Fantastic

Story: Infinitely Polar Bear starts when Cam (Ruffalo) loses his job leading to him having another mental breakdown, his wife Maggie (Saldana) in an attempt to protect their children Amelia (Wolodarsky) and Faith (Aufderheide) forces him into an institute to help him overcome his struggles.

When Cam gets out of the home, Maggie has been struggling to make ends meet, which sees her needing to move from Boston to New York to study, the only thing is Cam must look after the children, working on his ability to get back into a routine, can Cam handle this responsibility for his family or not?

Thoughts on Infinitely Polar Bear

Characters – Cam is a bi-polar sufferer, when he is functional he is a brilliant man, but the pressure of his career brings out the depressive side of his nature, seeing hard to keep down a job and seeing his wife need to move his girls away from him during his darkest days. After seeking help, he must put his life back together which will see him take care of the girls, which sees him getting back into a routine he can handle. Maggie is Cam’s wife, she is trying to hold down a job, but needs to study to get to the next level of her career, she will have to move away for chance of an education, needing to let Cam raise their children, while she must decide whether to get back together with Cam. Amelia and Faith are the daughters of the couple, they both struggle to completely understand what their father is going through as they are being raised in a way, they don’t see their friends growing up in.

Performances – Mark Ruffalo is brilliant in the leading role, he shows how difficult like can be for a depressed to process each day, proving once again that he is one of the best actors around today. Zoe Saldana is wonderful too, giving the balance to show how difficult, but how much love can come from somebody that just wants to be there for somebody. Both the two child stars are great fun, giving us the genuine performance that you could see from youngster in the 1970s.

Story – The story here follows a husband and father that suffers from bi-polar that can’t functional in everyday working life, which means his wife needs to get a career, while he raises the children, something that wasn’t wildly accepted in the 1970s. This story does look into how mental health wasn’t wildly understood in the 1970s and being in the relationship can be difficult for both sides too. We watch how Cam tries to get back into a functional way to life, while his family needs to face difficult decisions about life for their daughters. This is based on the director’s childhood, so you can see the story having realism in how everything unfolds, without anything being over played when it comes to the mental health side of the story.

Comedy/Romance – The comedy involved in the film, does come off lightly as we look to get a chuckle at times, the romance shows us just how difficult the relationship between Cam and Maggie was, be it the marriage or her attempts to make a career for herself.

Settings – The settings in the film show the Boston lifestyle the family did have, it shows the quieter lifestyle is helpful for Cam.

Scene of the Movie – Give my wife a job.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – It doesn’t show much of the actual treatment.

Final Thoughts – This is a brilliant look at how mental health works with a family that didn’t fully understand the difficulties behind it, we get to see just how this family found a way to get through the toughest days in the 70s where Mark Ruffalo shines.

Overall: Brilliant look at mental health.

Rating