THE GREEN KNIGHT
🕑 Added 2021-08-23 18:11:05 +0000 UTCSaw it over the weekend with my best friend. We had a lot to discuss about it. There are certain things that perplexed us both about it. Perhaps I will get explain in the comment section. But initially, how are you guys feeling about it? I might review this one before Annette so...your thoughts are always welcome. Enjoy hearing what you guys have to say.
Comments
janica alden
Just watched this last night! Spot on. Although I did like A Ghost Story more. My thoughts: https://letterboxd.com/jayssohip/film/the-green-knight/
Adam Gregus
Surprised to see all the comments, because I've been seeing the trailer in my theatre and it really didn't sell me on this movie at all. Thanks y'all for pointing out that there is more to this one than meets the eye.
Ryan
my Letterboxd review: https://letterboxd.com/ryanalexander/film/the-green-knight/
Jim Barnes
I loved A Ghost Story, so I was really fired up for this, and ended up a little disappointed just because my expectations were so high. I’m glad Lowery got to play in a bigger sandbox. The visuals covered up some story problems. Definitely worth watching, but didn’t quite “get there” for me.
David Goleb
@Arthur, that's my hope. I look at the last few King Arthur movies, by Antoine Fuqua and Guy Richie, and I think to myself just how much better this sub genre deserves. Those are some directors that have made some pretty good films, but the foray into Arthurian legends just leaves a lot to be desired. This is one of the first times I've watched one and thought, "Wow, I hope they make more films like this." Well, I guess outside of A Knights Tales, but that just a personal favorite comedy of mine. It's nice to see this type of film tackled in a way that's interesting and lends itself to mystique around that time period and those stories. I don't want another Robin Hood by Ridley Scott, give me something interesting, like this film was.
Arthur Augustyn
Big agree on the film’s potential for a sub genre in other Arthurian myths (or just authentic myth adaptations to film). This movie showed there’s a lot of potential for that
Arthur Augustyn
I surprised myself and liked it quite a lot. Not my kind of movie in a lot of ways but it felt authentic to a very old and revered story so I came to greatly appreciate it. If you’ll indulge me — I had extended thoughts in my review (https://featherruffler.com/2021/08/07/the-green-knight-preserves-a-historic-folklore-myth-for-the-modern-day/)
jared Clarke
Lmaooo the black knight
Deepfocuslens
haha yeah
Tony Moro
Isn't this the film with Martin Lawrence?
Tyler Shobe
Something I've noticed and felt after I read the poem this is based on, it relies on a certain knowledge or familiarity with the source material. Which I don't think is fair to people that come in cold.
Ryan
It reminded me of The Seventh Seal but nowhere near as good
Deepfocuslens
I agree with you. A lot of that is what sold it for me. But at the same time I found myself struggling with a similar hollowness of Ghost Story. Which...for an allegory can only work to an extent. It is very surrealistic but perhaps too dependent on the surrealism for it to resonate with me emotionally. You don't ever truly get a sense of who the main character is from the start, therefore his choices feel at times peculiar, and the arc is less satisfying because of that, for me. And also...the entire premise itself was a little ridiculous. And not really handled well in terms of exposition.
Tyler Shobe
I also loved the deconstruction of the myth of the chivalrous knight. It modernized that archetype in a really interesting way without totally removing it from the period.
Deepfocuslens
I enjoyed it, certainly not as much as you did. But I do agree that it was nice to see a film like this finally.
Tyler Shobe
I was initially pretty confused by it mostly because the parable is so old fashioned that even the inciting incident felt odd but on my second watch, once I adjusted to its rhythm I really dug it. Very dreamy and psychedelic in imagery and even in it its story logic. David Lowery's previous art house effort, A Ghost Story, was certainly pretty but I found it fairly hollow probably because there wasn't anything to really latch onto character-wise. This however I think takes a similar stab at taking on larger human questions regarding mortality, choice and honor with a main character I found very engaging and a very classic allegorical plot structure. I last fifteen minutes or so which is just wordless storytelling in particular are what sold me on loving the movie. I found that entire sequence incredible.
Deepfocuslens
Oh for sure. But just because someone uses a style that is reminiscent of someone great...does not inherently make you great. So while I appreciated the uniqueness at times, I do feel it relied to heavily on the abstract quality of the odyssey. But I did like it.
Dan Tedesco
Get any shades of Tarkovsky with the dreamy atmosphere/aesthetic or just me? Didn’t love it but very interested in rewatching soon my audience was quite annoying and clearly bored which kept taking me out of it.
David Goleb
My favorite fipm of the year so far probably. Obviously it's pretty stunning visually, I love the themes of knighthood, and what really is honor? How it kind of deconstruct it through all of the different "trials" on his way to the Green Knight. This opens up the possibility of some more Arthurian type tales for the big screen, but to be executed in such a better way than they have in the past. This is now the gold standard for that genre of film, at least in my opinion. Just absolutely wonderful.