A good watch - with a 'cute' story twist. Good fun.

Rating: 7/10 (16 February 2009)

It is a good film for what it is: an adventure story built on one legend and trying to add their own. There have been several theories about 'King Arthur' (if indeed such a character exists). Much was invented by medieval monks who updated the legend to their ere (hence 'knights in shining armour in the traditional view)- it was further dressed up by Tennyson and Malory and others in the 19th century. (See also Wikipedia). A recent Nat Geo Channel documentary looked at a few options - one of which was the Roman link: possibly a Roman soldier who with some others with British families, remained behind when the Legions left.
The matter of who's sword was Excalibur (or spoiler warning - 'E S Calibur' ... )? Well: we do not even know if a King Arthur ever existed at all. So, for story tellers .. who cares? One legend is as good as the next. In this context, the film is 'good fun' - and the cast do a good job. Highly recommended. With a higher budget and more script work and maybe some recasting, etc, it could have been a story alongside 'Gladiator'.