Movie Reviews

from Ben's mom

As Ben mentioned, we went to the movies this weekend. I wanted to see King Arthur and victim to a double-feature, was convinced to see The Village as well. In a bizarre twist, King Arthur was a complete disappointment and The Village turned out to be a rare jewel in film today. For those readers who like myself struggle with whether or not they should spend the time or money on movies, I will provide brief reviews.

Bearing no resemblance to the Arthurian legends I studied so intently, even the title "King Arthur" is deceptive. In this film, King Arthur is neither king, nor his knights knightly. While King Arthur talks of his faith in God, his actions don't always follow. However, he has far and away the most character in the film. We don't really get a chance to know "the knights" other than some baudy humor. Most disappointing was Guinevere, played by Keira Knightly. Rather than being the gracious, principled queen, she is a pagan vamp who runs around in bad body paint fighting the Saxons. Merlin is pure pagan, and Arthur is forced to join sides with him to save his little band from the Saxons. Other than one gorgeous scene on the ice, the photography, action, and acting does little in the way of feeling like a 21st century movie. The movie was filmed in Ireland and yet little is given in helping us sense the beauty of the country. Not even worth the rental fee.

Then there is M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village." While there are a few moments when the plot is somewhat predictable, the many themes running through this movie make it worthy of seeing several times. I was transported back to Dr. Hill's American Lit course, discussing a good Hawthorne novel. While saying much about this film will only ruin the experience for other viewers, go prepared to THINK. More than entertainment, this movie has a lot to say about America (and no, it's not about the Bush administration), love, human nature and faith. Bryce Dallas Howard does an amazing job and outshines an amazing all-star cast.