Rent King Arthur: Excalibur Rising (2017)

King Arthur: Excalibur Rising review by Adrijan Arsovski - Cinema Paradiso

King Arthur: Excalibur Rising should give you a clue pertaining to its quality in the title; I mean, when you make your Arthur-esque flick on an indie budget, at least make sure the titling is intriguing at least. I’m talking about two words that should stay nowhere near each other: ‘Excalibur’ and ‘Rising’. First off, Excalibur is a relic of the past, a magical sword that can be wielded only by those who are deemed worthy (or at least that’s what the legend says). Here, instead of the knight in possession of it, it’s Excalibur that is ‘rising’; which means if you want to watch this flick – forget everything you know about these olden English legends, sit back, and enjoy the C-grade antecedent chaos that ensues.

The film follows King Arthur, or at least revolves around his knighthood until he dies. There, I said it. However, this doesn’t mean anything because now, it is Owain who inherits Arthur’s previous heroic antics (and character traits as well), after which the Lady in the Water gives the legendary Excalibur to Owain and the latter follows up by seeking revenge. The main antagonist is Mordred, who tortures and taunts our heroes and of course there is Merlin who comes to the rescue (the archetype of the old wise sage). As one thing leads to another: King Arthur: Excalibur Rising becomes a film about Arthur’s sons, and not the man in the shiny armor himself. The ultimate clickbait of films.

Further, it’s amazing how King Arthur: Excalibur Rising thrives on profanity, blood, torture, and all the other nasty stuff as well. I mean, it’s understandable to have some authenticity and realism sprinkled inside your work, but if you build a film on top of swearing and gore, then you’re probably doing something wrong to begin with.

Additionally, the actors try to provide a decent performance, but the sole poorness of the screenplay prevents them from showcasing their talents. Ah, who am I kidding: the acting was subpar as well, which almost always proves detrimental in re-imagining an old legend (especially one involving King Arthur’s kith).

In terms of the technical aspects of the film, they are little to no existent at all. And the ones that somehow managed to ‘sneak’ into the film – well, I’ll leave it up to the audience to give a final judgment. One thing worth mentioning is the Welsh actors and the subsequent naming conventions, which managed to elevate this film above an absolute zero.

All things considered, King Arthur: Excalibur Rising works only as an unintentional C-grade comedy, and nothing else. Go into this expecting absolutely nothing in return, and maybe you’ll get your money’s worth that way.