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The Green Knight Movie Review

The Green Knight is a 2021 epic medieval fantasy film directed by David Lowery and starring Dev Patel. It’s such an artistic, thought-provoking adaptation.

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“Well done, my brave knight.

Now… off with your head“

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Back during my college years, I remember learning about this work during English literature classes. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a 14^th-century poem by an unknown author that has endured centuries to still be regarded among the best and most important among the Arthurian tales. Thus, it’s silly that this incredible tale perfect for cinematic treatment has been adapted so few times during movie history, but finally here we have a worthy adaptation that not only adapts, but modernizes the story for contemporary audiences.

There is a lot to talk about here. This is a dense adaptation of an already dense story that is much more than its deceitful simplicity would imply. Gawain is King Arthur’s nephew and he has to go on a journey to face the Green Knight after he takes up the challenge during Christmas. He decapitates this tree-like creature of a man, and it is up to him to also take a blow, but before that he has to endure many temptations and tests.

First and foremost, the core of the story with these tests is the same. He endures and he perseveres as a great knight. However, this movie changes the formula to a degree by altering the main arc, and for the better in my opinion. In the original tale, Gawain is a great, brave knight from the beginning. Those were the conventions of the time. However, nowadays this arc would not be relatable to today’s audiences, so it was changed, and as a result the protagonist becomes a much better adapted central figure.

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I loved that about this movie. Yes, the film casting an Indian actor in a historical British setting was ridiculous and typical of the woke era, but Dev Patel gave such a stupendous performance that I ultimately did not care for his casting. He was very believable as this scared man who strives to become a brave knight. Instead of the original tale, he has to become braver and that build-up was very well crafted and quite moving. He is the heart and soul of a movie that has many other personalities, but he is the only one who got a true, proper arc.

There is a powerful final scene where he imagines a different outcome, but then decides to be brave, which ends in an ambiguous conclusion. That entire sequence where he imagines the life of a coward was very powerful. The movie, thus, did not forget to show the importance of knighthood, but it also criticizes it through the Lady’s monologue about everything turning to green and how ultimately all those quests aren’t important. This might be thought of as nihilist, but it is only going in line with the original poem’s pagan themes of the power of nature. This movie adapts the poem faithfully in regard to its pagan and religious themes. It’s a story that is still difficult to understand and dealing with polar opposite themes and interpretations, so the movie also being ambiguous was a great choice by Lowery.

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Yes, David Lowery’s direction on The Green Knight is incredible. He had a unique vision and he delivered. He modernized this poem while still faithfully adapting its core elements. I personally found the exclusion of the twist about the knight’s identity unfortunate, but for the most part the script is still excellent. The movie is also gorgeously scored, very intense and also visually appealing.

The cinematography is very artistic. From the different color hues to the incredible location work on display, the movie looks very much timeless. It also has a very grounded feel to its first half as if it were a period piece, but then the second half goes into fully fantastical territory with some questionable CGI, but also some unforgettable imagery, such as that fox, the lake and all the skeleton moments are strikingly creepy and poetic even. The editing is also terrific. The movie is undercooked in the mother character and many other personalities on the protagonist’s journey, but for the most part the themes and emotions still resonate.

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