FIRST KNIGHT
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1995 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 4.4
United States, 1995 U.S. Availability: wide release 7/7/95 Running Length: 2:13 MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Violence) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Sean Connery, Richard Gere, Julia Ormond, Ben Cross, Liam Cunningham Director: Jerry Zucker Producers: Hunt Lowry and Jerry Zucker Screenplay: Lorne Cameron, David Hoselton, and William Nicholson Cinematography: Adam Greenberg Music: Jerry Goldsmith U.S. Distributor: Columbia Pictures
FIRST KNIGHT is Jerry Zucker's re-invention of a segment of the Arthurian legend ("re-interpretation" would be too light a word to describe the wholesale changes made to the Vulgate Cycle). What we get here, however, is often unintentionally closer to MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL's silliness than to EXCALIBUR's melodramatic grandeur. Bad acting, dumb dialogue, and confusing cinematography abound, creating one of the most shoddy Camelot stories to date. What makes FIRST KNIGHT seem even worse is that it's up against the vastly superior BRAVEHEART, a romantic adventure in very much the same vein, although formed from an entirely different mould.
In FIRST KNIGHT, we're introduced to King Arthur of Camelot (Sean Connery), his intended bride Guinevere (Julia Ormond), and the valiant Sir Lancelot (Richard Gere), who apparently is hot for the queen-to-be (or so the script tells us -- you couldn't tell by Gere's acting). Conspicuous by their absence, however, are the likes of Sir Galahad, Morgan le Fay, the Holy Grail, Merlin, Excalibur, and Mordred. The villain of this piece is Malagant (Ben Cross), an ex-knight of the Round Table who's out to take control of Arthur's kingdom. Add to this an idiotic Hollywood ending, and FIRST KNIGHT turns out to be a mess of the first order.
Sean Connery is perfect for the King Arthur role. Too bad he isn't given more to do than stand around looking regal. In fact, the film is about one-quarter over before he makes his first appearance. Julia Ormond, who was so impressive in LEGENDS OF THE FALL, is underwhelming here, constantly wringing her hands over the dilemma of who she loves most. Then there's Richard Gere, terribly miscast as Lancelot. In fact, it's hard to imagine a less likely figure in the part of this legendary hero, uttering such pretentious lines as "I never believed in anything before, but now I believe in Camelot." At least he spares us an attempt at a bogus British accent.
There are the requisite battle sequences which feature huge armies clashing on an open field. Filmed with all the coherence of an MTV video, these are prime examples of how not to shoot this sort of scene. Maybe Zucker should have consulted Mel Gibson before embarking on this project. The sustained tension of BRAVEHEART's battles is in marked contrast to the boredom generated by FIRST KNIGHT's.
When all is said and done, there's still at least one amazing thing about FIRST KNIGHT: after being kidnapped, dragged through a forest, imprisoned, rescued, and nearly drowned, Guinevere's lipstick is perfectly intact. That this bit of minutia sticks out so clearly speaks volumes about the dullness of this supposed adventure film. When it comes to potential summer blockbusters, FIRST KNIGHT ends up close to last.
- James Berardinelli (jberardinell@delphi.com)
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