First Knight

Rating:
Summary: Entirely Entertaining -- who needs Camelot
Review: A take-off on the Camelot legend, First Knight spins the yarn a tad differently than you learned in English Literature classes. Nonetheless, not encumbered by a classical education, I really enjoyed this tale -- even though some purists have grumbled. Sean Connery plays a fairly convincing Arthur -- more than a little overwhelmed with the ongoing labors of perpetuating his realm, and an almost adolescence passion for his betrothed, the young Guinevere. I like the dashing, somewhat Americanized, version of Lancelot played by Richard Gere - kind of a small town boy makes good sort of character. And the lovely Guinevere, played by Julia Ormond, seems like a great match for the persistently romantic Lancelot.

First Knight does stray from the traditional Camelot, but tells a terrific tale nonetheless. Lancelot pursues Guinevere into all sorts of perils. Arthur insists on moral principles and honor at all costs. Prince Malagant is the quintessential fiend: dressed in black, persecuting the innocents, seemingly unconquerable -- and of course showing his true wickedness in the closing scenes. ... the movie will entertain you if you like your adventures stories mixed with swashbuckling swordplay and tenderness, in a classic good versus bad tale. A fun movie!

Rating:
Summary: good adaption of the Arthur legend
Review: Although this film drew critical reviews, and was a box office flop, it was not as bad as I expected. It was so good, in fact, that I bought it after seeing it 3 or 4 times. Sean Connery is believable as King Arthur, and Richard Gere is acceptable as Lancelot. (Although his interpertation doesn't match very closely with the old Arthur legends. Excellent battle scenes, and beautiful scenery, as well as realistic interpertaion of the times make it a historically accurate movie while retaining the spirit of the fairy tale Camelot.

Rating:
Summary: I love this movie and never tire of watching it.
Review: Sean Connery is awesome as Arthur, Julia Ormond is beautiful and sensual as Guinevere, and Richard Gere sizzles as Lancelot.

It may not be the most historically accurate portrayal of Camelot and the circumstances surrounding it, but it's a great movie nonetheless.

If you're in the mood for a great romance with some adventure and betrayal thrown in, I definitely recommend "First Knight."

Rating:
Summary: From First Knight to Last
Review: The approach to this movie is an interesting one, for clearly the director tries to 'humanise' the entire Arthurian legend. Gone is Excalibur as a magical blade. Lancelot is a travelling loner, rather than having been sent by the Lady of the Lake. Merlin is nowhere to be seen, and there is no hint of magic or mysticism in sight. Many viewers will automatically be deterred by this approach.

This approach provides an interesting perspective on the movie - trying to get behind the true story upon which the Arthur legends are based. The idea is good, the execution lacking.

Geer provides a very modern portrayal of Lancelot. The American accent for an English hero was proven not to work by Costner in Robin Hood : prince of thieves. His portrayal of Lancelot is very contemporary which creates discord with the setting of the film. A classic approach was maintained by Ormond and Connery, and so Geer's portrayal goes against the grain.

The plot and villian are very run-of-the-mill in all regards. The only stand out features of this film are: Connery, Ormond and the cinematography. Connery and Ormond, and the lovely sweeping scenes of the lanscape, keep this film above a rating of 1.

While not a terrible film, it is mediocre at best.

Rating:
Summary: utter contempt for source material...
Review: This film is an insult to the viewers intelligence and the Arthurian tradtion. I can not believe how awful this film is. Wooden acting, contempt for the source material, some of the worst period costumes and armour ever seen in a film and a scrip to bad they could use it for torture sessions...

Rating:
Summary: A marvelous interpretation of the Arthurian Legand!
Review: I am 15 years old, and I just love this movie. "First Knight" ranks up on the list with the musical "Camelot" and Disney's "The Sword and the Stone" as a magnificent telling of the Camelot legend, and may in fact surpass these other two movies in excellance. Creative license was taken so that the "accurate" legend is not portrayed, but the charcters stay true to the story and the affect is nothing short of amazing. Lady Guinevere of Leonesse (sic?) is on her way to marry King Arthur of Camelot when she inadvertantly meets Lancelot, a very cocky mersonary whose arrogant ways hide a dark childhood. Although attempting to stay loyal to her King, Guinevere is twice saved by Lancelot (although she did a good deal of the work to escape herself) and finds herself falling in love with him. To complicate the problem, the evil Prince Malagant is determined to take over both Leonesse and Camelot. Tension builds to a stunning climax, a shocking ending, and a glorious conclusion. ----- This movie is filled with both heart-pounding action cues of suspense and heart-rending conversations of real people. Richard Gere portrays Lancelot beautifully, giving him a self-assured pride and arrogance that later reveal to be merely a cover-up to the pain he experienced as a child. Although I have heard complaints that Gere is too American for the part, he added a dimension to Lancelot's personality that few others could top. There is a chiling reason for his cockiness, and it makes him seem more human. Julia Ormond gives Guinevere beauty, but also independance. She is quite able to handle herself, and is one of the few "damsels-in-distress" that haven't gotten on my nerves by their helplessness. Because this Guinevere is anything but helpless! Guinevere is torn apart by her love for two men, and Ormond portrays it excellently, allowing you to see into Guinevere's soul and find the pain she is going through. Ben Cross as the terrible Malagant is perfect. He is wicked, cruel, selfish, and disgusting; the perfect villian! Not every actor/actress can play a villian so well. Great job! And what can I say about Sean Connery as King Arthur? This was the first movie I saw him in after I saw the film "DragonHeart", in which Connery played the voice of the dragon. Perfectly cast in that movie, perfectly cast in this, Connery gives King Arthur boundless dignity, wisdom, and heart, but he also gives him a human side; vulnerable and not always quite sure what to do next. This is probably the most realistic portrayal of Arthur, and you can't help but have your heart go out to him. ----- The music, the diolodge, and the wonderful acting make "First Knight" such a great movie. For anyone who loves the Arthurian Legend, or simply a story of regular people with lots of heart, see this movie. As the song goes, "It will not be forgot that once there was a spot for once brief, shining moment that was known as Camelot!"

Rating:
Summary: Just Plain Bad
Review: This is one of the most historically inaccurate movies I have ever seen. It is certainly the worst King Arthur movie that I have seen. I can not believe how bad this film is. King Arthur was a fairly young to middle age guy, but Sean Connery is in his 70's and looks like it too. The other Knights of the Round Table were also about the same age as King Arthur, but in this movie they
are of wildly different ages. The acting is generally poor with several of the actors being just plain wooden. The script is pretty bad too.

One of the worst aspects of this movie is the costumes and acting. All of the clothes look brand new and there are a number of instances where clothes that get dirty in a battle suddenly and mysteriously get clean again even though the characters are still on the battlefield. Evidently the actors could not stand wearing dirty clothing. Back in the days of King Arthur, knights wore chain mail instead of plated armor.

The final word: avoid this flick at all costs.

Rating:
Summary: Accentuate The Negatives
Review: The legendary story of Camelot and King Arthur has been told, and retold in various incarnations, over the years. Some of them, like Excalibur, and the television mini-series Merlin, were excellent in the way they handled aspects of the the tale. These examples are among the very best and have stayed with me. While I would like to put First Knight in the same league, I cannot, thanks to an annoying bit of casting.

Lancelot (Richard Gere) is a rogue with no ties, no enemies, and no fear-until he meets Lady Guinevere of Leonesse (Julia Ormond). She has promised to marry King Arthur (Sean Connery), not only because his armies can protect her country from evils like Knight Malagant (Ben Cross), but because she truly loves him. But her chance encounter with Lancelot as she prepared to enter Camelot stirs conflicting and powerful emotions within her. Arthur welcomes both into his city with an open heart, little foreseeing how his great capacity for love and trust opens the doors for his own betrayal.

First Knight marks the second time that director Jerry Zucker has traded in the laughs of Airplane! and The Naked Gun films for something a bit more dramatic. His first, was a little "mega hit" called Ghost, therefore his limited track record in the genre was off to a fine start. To be honest though, the main draw for me in the film, was the prescence of Connery, whom I have always liked and Julia Ormand. She made quite a name for herself in Legends Of The Fall. I knew both of these actors could make the most with the material. It's too bad that Gere had to be in the film. He must have went to the same school on how to use a bad surfer dude accent, as Kevin Costner did. This is not something that's easy to forget. It is so bad that it brought everything else down in the process. He makes it difficult to get into the film, without thiking that maybe Zucker is making a comedy after all. As usual Connery saves the day--commanding every scene he's in. Connery, Ormond, and Cross, who makes a good bad guy, are reasons to watch.

The DVD lacks extras. But you have the option of watching the film, in either the fullscreen or widescreen formats.

Rating:
Summary: BRAVO!!!
Review: A truly great epic movie and one of my personal favorites, First Knight, brings to the screen the tale of King Arthur of Camelot, Lady Guinevere, Sir Lancelot and the likes. Sean Connery, Julia Ormond, and Richard Gere, whose performances are outstanding, make this movie one of the best of its kind. The castles, the battles and the costumes are all wonderful!
First Knight is a movie about honor, bravery, and heroes from a time long gone.
A great movie indeed!!!

Rating:
Summary: Please make it stop!
Review: Okay. I feel compelled to write a review because of all of the silliness in the other reviews. Yes, there is a Melagant (or Meleagant) in Arthurian legends. It is one of the oldest Arthurian legends to appear in the Romances (it's in Chretien's Lancelot). He's a villain who abducts Guenevere.
That said, the movie strays as far from the Arthurian legends as possible. At the end [SPOILER ALERT], Arthur dies and Lancelot rules Camelot with Queen Guenevere at his side. Lancelot and Guenevere remain chaste until Arthur's death, however. Oh, and Lancelot defeats some automatonic gauntlet thing. This is worse than heresy. It's like one of those 19th Century rewrites of Romeo and Juliet where Romeo and Juliet come back to life in the end to avoid a sad ending.
There is an episode of the Simpsons where the Simpsons watch a Zorro remake. At the end of that movie, after Zorro defeats the villanous Scarlet Pimpernel, King Arthur makes Zorro the King of England. Watching this movie is an experience akin to what I imagine watching that movie would be. You simply cannot tag on a happy ending to the Camelot story without being ridiculous. This movie is ridiculous.