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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 13, 2004)
Tuesday, July 13, 2004 AGGlEitnr <■* THE BATTAllnui; B R E E L R T "King Arthur" Starring Clive Owen, Keira Knightiey, loan Gruffudd Touchstone Pictures/Jerry Bruckheimer Films Review by David Barry Two months behind “Troy,” “King Arthur” is the summer’s second course of clanging swordfights and epic battles. “King Arthur,” a PG-13 rated movie, probably maxes out its bloodshed quota with the MPAA. Unfortunately, there is little else to gener ate excitement in this dreary, two-hour slog through ancient Britain. A brief history lesson at the movie’s beginning reveals that Arthur and his knights were plucked from their homes in Eastern Europe as youths and sent to defend the Roman Empire’s terri tory in Britain. The movie jumps ahead 15 years and rejoins Arthur (Clive Owen) and his band of knights as they near the end of their mili tary service to Rome. They are dark, bitter men, sick of fighting for Rome and ready to go home. Before they are freed by their Roman masters, however, they Photo Courtesy: TOUCHSTONE PICTURES Owen (right) and Knightiey star in the action-adventure “King Arthur.” must complete one last mission— rescue a Roman official from a remote outpost before it is overrun by the murderous Saxons. 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Guinevere’s legendary love triangle could have things interesting, but the movie quietly shuffles that plot! the bottom of the stack. After all, there are more important things: The Saxons a preaching (we can hear them banging on their drums in the ground), and that means the director can milk a few more scenes from the movie before the credits roll. Some of the action scenes are fun to watch, like one ball tween knights and Saxons on a frozen lake. Others are boring predictable, with confusing, jumpy camerawork that makesfon pleasant viewing. The knights are a mixed bag of characters, is believable as Arthur, and Gruffudd succeeds as handsome, nest Lancelot. His verbal jousting with Bors (Ray Winstone), T h al lonal alleged father of as many as a dozen bastard children, provide to p< few light moments. Bors tries to serve up the comic relief, but he is no knightoftfnationa Mock OISE tion 1 rul f states n on i nviro d the stry £ nder It won I’he ru Clintc Monty Python sort - his bawdy humor falls Hat on its lace, ■ one joke in the movie worth laughing at belongs to Guinevere.! remaining knights, who receive only flashes of camera tinted ie lifeless as chess pieces. er challe Merlin (Stephen Dillane), the leader of the body-ps forest-dwelling pagan Woads, plays a minor role in the first as enemy and then as ally of the knights. The real villi is left up to Cerdic (Stellan Skarsgard) and his ferocious S: army. Skarsgard manages to energize the plodding script,a army maintains an invisible, driving presence that helps the scenes along. When the Saxons are off screen, and their presence is krI^ ^ iav only by the distant beating of drums, the audience may even:IHE AS! a tinge of suspense. Unfortunately, that suspense is tossed aside once the arm) pears in the open, and “King Arthur” becomes another unii good v. evil melee. ha U t xtn iliil l.ih m l Juniu \ link l jn I sow Wail k ste il on viJet : l T ~ 11 C il< li llu uialiiite lll| III I lls I'MllIK [ list ml ik in kul mli uni ml l\w in (Illshi.Jyjiiu Free Rent Or Special Rates ERUS. Jnister VI inday ir .ajor Pai :o ilition, his Lik early t block th l\n alii uld boi withdrr am st Ban K)5. Cos e beer a pul Some ain in tions, in er senioi rly the j sjer for L; ’ires. Bot pectade JULY 13 & 14 fed Arena OPENING NIGHT SAVE $5 ON TICKETS! rntXAS A&M univkhsity *KIDS UNDER 12 - SAVE $4.00 ON TICKETS For the fastest and easiest way to order tickets, go to WWW.Ringlilig<C0 ticketmaster Ticket Centers including Foley's, Arena Box Office or call (979) 268-0414 For Information & Groups call (979) 862-REED TICKET PRICES: $15 - $18 - $23 limited number of front Row and VIP seats available. Call for details. 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