3 stars out of 5
This was not a “ooh I can’t wait to see this movie” selection. Rather, it was a “I’m bored stiff in Maryland and I guess this looks OK” choice. Andrew Garfield, we like him. And writer/director Paul Greengrass made those Matt Damon/Jason Bourne flicks. This could be exciting, even if I don’t really care for period pieces, and this is set in… uggh… 1381.
It starts out well enough. I’m sitting there thinking, “I’m learning!” It’s 14th century England and the population is already reeling from the recent plague. Poor Spider-man lost his whole family! Little wooden crosses in the stubby ground. And now the king’s advisors want to raise money. They basically work around the king because he’s a foppish 14-year-old who wakes up screaming every morning. So the king’s court institutes taxation but without representation. Hey where have I heard that before! So the people rise up… you could call it an uprising, or… the Peasant’s Revolt! What a revolting development!
It goes on like this. There is fighting. And “the king is coming to us.” And “we’re going to see the king!” And more fighting. And more “the king is coming to us.” Felt a little like Monty Python and the Holy Grail except without the laughs. I guess an interesting thing is that, even though they’re totally pissed at him, when the King shows up, the people are all in awe, bowing and what-not, as if the throne has some divine power. That felt so foreign to modern times. What seemed hauntingly familiar: When the peasants’ go all January 6th on the kingdom, their bloodlust drives them batty. Maybe violence is not the answer! Wait, I already learned that in The Odyssey.
A main problem to me is the king character. Now, I can imagine a satisfying tale of a boy king having greatness thrust upon him, and slowly rising to the challenge. But here, the king’s motivation and behavior suddenly changes without explanation… twice.
Supposedly Andrew Garfield’s character inspired the legend of Robin Hood. Psst, Paul Greengrass, make that movie.
Jack Silbert, curator