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Today I will go into a different medium of entertainment and do a movie review. I haven't done one in some time so bear with me. Today I am reviewing "The Green Knight," directed and written for the screen by David Lowery and starring Dev Patel.
I'm going to do my movie review differently than I do book reviews, and I hope you all can forgive me for going off-page a bit. I'm going to do this review in this manner because I feel the film is different from books, and the film needs to be critiqued differently. I can't go over things like grammar, spelling, or book pacing in the way you can with a film.
So let me start with the things that I felt were a tad weak in the film for me. To begin with, you probably should know some about Authrorian lore before you walk into this film. I'm not sure that film has done the best job of preparing an audience for this movie; it's going to need some books, in my opinion, to get an initial grasp of who the characters are. It helps to solidify act 1 because a lot of the subtle clues and whose who bits come in knowing a tad more about everyone and who they were overall. I am very sure, that if you are into movies with more action and adventure, or where you shouldn't have to read things ahead of time, that this movie may be a miss for you. But hear me out, "The Green Knight" is worth a little research. And given how the movie goes on, I believe that was the intention of the writer/director, that he wants you to read this and the other bits of Arthurian tales, so you do have an understanding. "The Green Knight" has a very sharp learning curve.
Now given my love of all things fantasy and that I've seen and read many adaptations of the Arthur Legend, I figured out who was who to the most extent, and it helped me. The reason this is a critique, I know I'm not everyone in the world. So, if you are a novice or do not know who anyone is in the tale of King Arthur, you may find the first act confusing if you do not do some basic research.
My following critique comes from the fact that adopting a tale of the Green Knight into a Movie means there will be a few plot holes. It's not the end of the world. I'm chalking a lot of these little "But wait, how did he?" moments to there's only so much they can do or show, and if they give away every little bit of it, the poetry of the picture does not move. If you are an "I hate plot holes" person, this isn't your film. If you don't care, this critique is not going to apply to you.
Now I want to talk about the things I loved about "The Green Knight." Let's go from the bottom to the top here. Firstly, the costumes, makeup, set pieces, and all the practical effects were gorgeous. I am looping all of these things together because they blended seamlessly. I have no idea if any of it at all is period-accurate, my guess is no, but they are so beautiful. The crowns are beautiful, the capes and belts, and gowns are lovely, and the way that themes are placed in these pieces make for an enjoyable experience. But more than that, the special effect and practical effect makeup were beautiful.
I had a slight critique of how they did the makeup for the actress Alicia Vikander who played Lady Essel. She had cheekbones that were sculpted out like a Kardashian, and that took me out of the moment because I kept thinking, "I wonder which bronzer she has" and "Huh, they really added that highlight in at that angle on her eyes well, I wonder if they used cream or powder highlighter there, it looks great." and "Woah, they hollowed out that cheekbone." I shouldn't have to pick out the highlighter, blush, and contour regime of an actress when all the other makeup looks natural. Aside from this one and only one thing, everything on the makeup was beautifully done. They had Ralph Ineson look so believably like a tree that I was lost in it. I had to IMDB who it was because I knew the voice, but I couldn't see who it was, and I knew this wasn't a Gollum situation; this was practical special effect makeup.
My next highlight comes to the fact that the cinematography is just gorgeous. Andrew Droz Palermo did such a fantastic job. The use of color, light, and frame was so magical it was transportive to me. There wasn't any shakycam, and that means a lot to me. The framing was so good. If you can see beautiful paintings in every shot of a film, you are looking at fantastic cinematography. This move was so beautiful. And there wasn't a single muddy or dark or dull shot in the bunch. There was an excellent use of smoke and water, but none of that muddied the picture.
My love of this film goes to how well the theme is carried out. This is a beautiful example of thematic cinema. We need more like this, where the writer knows what every element is leading towards and follows through. The pieces of the story are woven beautifully, and that's why I want to make clear, plot holes don't matter in this kind of film. It's brilliant how well this is structured to fit the theme and the journey, and the acts are tightly done, which I love. I want more of this and less "Subversion of expectations" in my movies.
Next, I want to give an impressive stand-out performance, and it's a shame she's not listed as a central cast member. Erin Kellyman played the character of "Saint Winefred." If you may or may not remember, Erin was Karli Morgenthau in "The Falcon & The Winter Soldier," and I was shocked when I saw her in "The Green Knight." She was fantastic. Her part was more minor, but it had a lot of tension behind it, and it added to the heart of the journey that Gawain was on, and the quest he was on, and her purpose in the theme of the story was significant to me. I felt she embodied it well, and I wish she had more screen time, but I understand why she did not. The character was only needed for a tiny bit.
Overall, I loved this film. If you love fantasy movies that are paced in a methodical way to show the hero's journey through the theme and structure for that theme, you would love this movie as well. As far as my scoring, I'm giving this a 5 out of 5 because I do not have a mathematical scoring system for films yet. If I did, my gut says this falls about a 94, but again, I can't use book math for film math. So stick to the 5's.
Tell me what you think, though, please! I'd love to hear your views. Did you see "The Green Knight" yet? What did you think of the theme, and what was your take on the overall structure? I'm dying for more interaction, friends. Hit me up on Twitter @mrs_y_writer, and we can continue this conversation.
