Director: David Lowery
Notable Cast: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel
Edgerton, Sarita Choudhury, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie, Barry Keoghan, Erin
Kellyman, Ralph Ineson
It ain’t easy being green. Although that phrase comes from a
far different period of time and from a much different world of entertainment,
the phrase seems fitting when looking down at the CinemaScore and Rotten
Tomatoes audience reactions to The Green Knight. It’s a film that was
relatively well-received by critics (and if you’re tempted to look down -
you’ll see my own very favorable score for this one) and yet reads divisive
among audiences. The appreciation for its bold visuals rings true across the
board, but the rest… well, the rest of The Green Knight is up for
debate.
This is not an unusual place to be for film studio A24 or
director David Lowery. Both have had their fair share of critical acclaim and
audience push back through their careers. Having Lowery jump on board the A24
train is a natural progression, but it’s the choice of subject matter with The
Green Knight that is most surprising. An artistic fresh and bold take on
the classic Arthurian legend and poem, The Green Knight is both a
heightened and abrasively artsy assault on its viewer, but it’s also a slow
burn and grounded version of it that focuses on realistic character emotions.
It’s not easy being green and balancing those two often very different
approaches in one film, but The Green Knight smoothly accomplishes the
task with striking effectiveness.