THE GREEN KNIGHT(2021)
Label: Lionsgate
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: R
Duration: 132 Minutes
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 2160p UHD Widescreen, 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: David Lowry
Cast: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sarita Choudhury, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie, Ralph Iverson
The Green Knight (2020) tells the adjunct Arthurian story of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), the nephew of King Arthur's (Sean Harris, 24 Hour Party People), who is never mentioned by name. Gawain is a sort of do-nothing 20-something medieval style, who after a life of hedonistic pursuits embarks on a quest to confront a supernatural being called the Green Knight (Ralph Ineson, The Witch). TGK is an emerald, tree bark-skinned character who appears at King Arthur's court during Christmas revelry with the offer of a strange game, one in which one of Arthur's Knights of the Roundtable are challenged to land a blow upon him. If one succeeds, he will surrender his axe to them, but come the following year on Christmas that knight is fated to journey to the faraway Green Chapel, where the Green Knight will return the blow in kind. Gawain, suddenly possessed with the a need to prove his worthiness, volunteers to play along, borrowing the King's legendary Excalibur sword and chopping off the head of the Knight without a fight. However, the emerald knight does not die, he merely picks his head up off the floor, reminds Gawain of their agreement, and then rides off with a bit of laughter holding his head like The Headless Horseman.
What ensues is Gawain's journey across the kingdom with intentions of honoring his covenant to the Green Knight in one years time. Along the way he must contend with a headless ghost (Erin Kellyman, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), wandering giants, ill-intentioned highwaymen (Barry Keoghan, The Killing of a Sacred Deer), a bewitching Lord (Joel Edgerton, The Thing) and Lady (Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina, who appears in a dual-role, also as Gawains lover Essel), and the near constant companionship of a mystical red fox who tags along. The journey sees Gawain come into his own as an honorable mans, defining define his character through good deeds and valiant acts, and stumbling a bit along the way.
It's an engrossing slow-burn drenched in medieval lore and fantastical imagery, the world building and supernatural elements are terrific. I don't know what the budget was but they make it look like it cost a mint, thanks in no small part to the fantastic Irish locations, the cinematography of Andrew Drozz Palermo (You're Next), the gorgeous production designer Jade Healy (House of the Devil), and then aided and abetted by some terrific period costuming by Malgosia Turzanska (Stranger Things), visual effects by Eric Saindon (WETA), Nicholas Ashe Bateman and prosthetics creator Barrie Gower (Game of Thrones) - who created the look of the Green Knight, which is one of the most interesting fantasy characters I've seen since Hellboy II: Legend of the Golden Army. On top of that you have an atmospheric score from composer Daniel Hart (TV's The Exorcist) that pulls you right into the middle of it all and further enhances the fantastical elements The world building happening here is magnificent, it's a total medieval fantasy fever dram that feels expansive, I would love to see more stories set in this world.
Audio/Video: The Green Knight (2021) arrives on 4K UHD from Lionsgate in 2160p UHD framed in 1.85:1 widescreen with DolbyVision color-grading. The image looks fantastic, the fantastical medieval world bathed in glens and wafting shrouds of fog looks amazing in 4K UHD, the wider gamut of color gives it a boost over the accompanying Blu-ray, with deeper black levels that are layered and give a boost to depth and contrast. The 4K resolution also offers plenty of refined detail in textures and close-ups of facial hair with deep blacks that accentuate contrast and depth. Colors are restrained, it's a medieval fantasy film, so it's somewhat subdued by the green canvas of the forest, the cold blues and greys, and the yellow and green of Gawain's clothing have a nice depth of color.
Audio comes by way of uncompressed Dolby Atmos track that offers a nice immersive experience with the sounds of forest adventures springing to life around you, plus that gorgeous score, and that raspy timber of the Green Knight's voice. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 is also quite good, and we get optional English subtitles are provided.
Onto the extras we begin with a 35-minute Boldest of Blood and Wildest of Heart: Making The Green Knight that offers both plenty of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Director David Lowry, stars Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander and Joel Edgerton, plus Producers James M. Johnston and Toby Holbrooks, plus cinematographer Andrew Drozz Palermo, Production Designer Jade Healy, Costume Designer Malgosia Turzanska, and Composer Daniel Hart. Topics discussed are the original Arthurian story, the genesis of the project, casting, location scouting, the approach to storytelling and character, creating the effects, the sets and locations, costuming and the score, It's a rather well-rounded making of mini-doc, much better than most contemporary films get these days, so kudos to Lionsgate for the quality bonus content. .
The 15-minute Practitioners of Magic: Visual Effects features interviews with Visual Effects Supervisors Eric Saindon (WETA) and Nicholas Ashe Bateman, who talk about Lowery's love of cinema and practical effects, creating The Green Knight, how certain scenes were achieved, the scene with the giants, digital matte paintings and layering in digital effects to create the immersive landscapes we see in the films.
The 8-minute Illuminating Technique: Title Design features Title Designer Teddy Blanks talking about the extensive research he did to come up with the typographic title designs seen throughout the film, exploring the various fonts, both used and unused in the final film. It's a pretty cool extra and in my opinion title design of often overlooked, so I love the nerdy in-depth featurette! The disc is buttoned up with a 2-minute trailer for the film, plus trailers for On The Rocks, Zola, and Minari.
Special Features:
- Boldest of Blood and Wildest of Heart: Making The Green Knight (35 min)
- Practitioners of Magic: Visual Effects (15 min)
- Illuminating Technique: Title Design (8 min)
- Theatrical Trailer (2 min)
- Trailers: On The Rocks (2 min), Zola (2 min), Minari (2 min)
If you're a fantasy adventure junkie with a minor in Arthurian lore The Green Knight is sure to scratch your medieval itch. A well-crafted tale bristling with tinges of the supernatural, definitely one of my favorite films this past year. It might not be horror but it is a hell of a fucking cool movie!
Screenshots from the Blu-ray:
