First Knight Blu-ray Review & Comments

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Reviewed by Chris McEneany
Old fashioned entertainment with boo-hiss villainy, rousing set-pieces, a large scale, and the simple, honest-to-goodness ode to chivalry, self-belief and, of course, honour that suffuses the entire filmic genre as well as its literary sources. First Knight, however, is still hugely superficial, contrived and barely even begins to scratch the wonderful treasure-trove of material that the Arthurian Romances offers up for cinematic storytelling. Oh, and let’s not forget, it is badly miscast, badly acted and ineptly written as well. You don’t need to have Merlin and the usual cast to make a good King Arthur story – they are missed, mind you – but just shovelling big names into what is little more than a soap opera mishmash of un-intriguing odds and ends is never going to work.

Sony’s disc is loaded with EPK pap and a truly hilarious promo for John Clements and his wannabe Knights-in-Training. Only the much more critical and better thought-out commentary from the historian about the film’s authenticity bears any repeatability. AV-wise, there is not much to say, really. The film shows its age and does not look or sound especially good. It remains passable but, like the armour in the film, is still in need of a spit and shine.

One for the fans only. And I don’t mean fans of the legend of King Arthur … who should probably avoid this like the pox.
Read the full review...
 
About the AVForum reviewer's comments on the special featurette about the historical training of knights in armor:

The main reviewer here reveals a stunningly embarrassing ignorance of our knightly martial heritage in suggesting that genuine Western martial arts from the middle ages did not exist, or that they cannot be accurately studied and credibly recreated today from authentic historical sources.

The reviewer's insinuation that the practitioners shown in the documentary are really somehow disingenuously really just performing Asian fighting styles while misusing medieval arms and armor is without any factual basis. [Indeed, a quick perusal of their website at www.theARMA.org reveals substantial academic evidence of serious scholarship into the actual fighting teachings of Medieval and Renaissance men at arms underway within the historical fencing community worldwide. --- Try visiting the Royal Armouries in Leeds sometime. They have a very similar kind of chivalric fighting arts program.]

It would seem then that the documentarians who produced the featurette failed to get across the central message of the piece (one the reviewer here embodies): most people are educated about Medieval combat by the inaccuracies and silliness of Hollywood movies.

As to the students and teacher being geeks? Let's see: the head martial artist in the piece is an accomplished professional fight instructor and historian who rails against pretense, theatrical stunt, and role play in his craft; while by contrast the reviewer here writes online about DVDs. Ironic that.
 
:devil:
About the AVForum reviewer's comments on the special featurette about the historical training of knights in armor:

The main reviewer here reveals a stunningly embarrassing ignorance of our knightly martial heritage in suggesting that genuine Western martial arts from the middle ages did not exist, or that they cannot be accurately studied and credibly recreated today from authentic historical sources.

The reviewer's insinuation that the practitioners shown in the documentary are really somehow disingenuously really just performing Asian fighting styles while misusing medieval arms and armor is without any factual basis. [Indeed, a quick perusal of their website at www.theARMA.org reveals substantial academic evidence of serious scholarship into the actual fighting teachings of Medieval and Renaissance men at arms underway within the historical fencing community worldwide. --- Try visiting the Royal Armouries in Leeds sometime. They have a very similar kind of chivalric fighting arts program.]

It would seem then that the documentarians who produced the featurette failed to get across the central message of the piece (one the reviewer here embodies): most people are educated about Medieval combat by the inaccuracies and silliness of Hollywood movies.

As to the students and teacher being geeks? Let's see: the head martial artist in the piece is an accomplished professional fight instructor and historian who rails against pretense, theatrical stunt, and role play in his craft; while by contrast the reviewer here writes online about DVDs. Ironic that. .

Yep - guilty as charged. I did call them geeks.

To be honest with you, I've been waiting for someone to retaliate about my comments regarding ARMA. But my opinions about what I saw being demonstrated in the documentary still stand. They certainly take their craft seriously and that is commendable, but the manner in which John Clements goes about edifying us is, as I stated in the review, pure David Brent and that approach, I'm unashamed to admit, is something that I find hysterical. Their credentials in their chosen field may impress you ... but if their chance to shine for the cameras on the back of a Blu-ray disc for a pretty dismal film ends up being as daft as this, then my disc reviewing sense of humour takes over. I have an obligation to discuss what I see on these discs - whether my thoughts agree with yours or not.

I'm sorry if that offends you. But it is my opinion at the end of the day and I think I'm entitled to supply that as well as "giving viewers honest information about the DVD's special features" as you put it. At least I, and the other reviewers here, have the honesty to put some genuine personal opinion into a review, unlike many other writers who just choose to toe the line.

I found the piece OTT and almost an unwitting spoof. Have you actually seen the featurette in question, by the way? Personally, these guys are so amusing I want to see more of them ... and what's wrong with that? At least they're getting some extra advertising off the back of this, aren't they?

Anyway, cheers for your comments. And let's get one thing straight - it is quite obvious that my remarks regarding Clements and ARMA were said in jest.

Chris McEneany :devil:
 

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