There had been talk of Oscars around this movie at one point.
Yes, this is the one that has Chris Pine showing off his wang.
Technically, the movie’s synopsis goes as follows:
Outlaw King tells the untold, true story of Robert The Bruce who transformed from defeated nobleman, to reluctant King, to outlaw hero over the course of an extraordinary year. Forced into battle in order to save his family, his people and his country from the oppressive English occupation of medieval Scotland, Robert (Chris Pine) seizes the Scottish crown and rallies a ragtag group of men to face off against the wrath of the world’s strongest army lead by the ferocious King Edward 1 (Stephan Dillane, aka Stannis from GOT) and his volatile son, the Prince of Wales (Billy Howle, who you might recognise from Dunkirk).
But really, in the lead up the movie’s release, all anyone seemed to be talking about was that Pine shows off his wang in this movie.
So… there’s that.
It also comes from the director of gritty prison drama Starred Up and Oscar-nominated heist thriller Hell Or High Water, so the hopes were pretty high that this could be great.
Before we get to the early reviews, here is the trailer:
Clip via Netflix
Okay, so now on to the early reactions for the movie, which arrives on Netflix on Friday 9 November.
“Mackenzie falls a little too in love with his battle scenes; by the fourth clash of blood and swords it all starts to feel like déjà vu, with different horses. At nearly two and a half hours, there’s clearly room to trim…. But he also films it beautifully in the natural light of candles, torches, and overcast skies, and there’s a solidness to the old-fashioned conventions of his storytelling.” – Entertainment Weekly
“Outlaw King rattles along at a bracing pace, but the assured bloodshed of the final showdown looms large, casting a weary shadow over the film’s middle section.” – Slant Magazine
“A fair bit of historical scene-setting at the beginning means that the picture takes a while to hit its stride. But once it does, there is much to enjoy in this big, brawling ruck of an action movie.” – Screen International
“Pine is fully committed to Robert’s mission, but the film has a hard time making him a compelling character, even with a wife and daughter on hand to make him relatable. And it takes forever for his military campaign to get rolling.” – The Hollywood Reporter
Yep, a pretty mixed reaction all round.
At the time of writing, the movie has a score of 60% on Metacritic, and 58% on Rotten Tomatoes. Seems like you’ll either dig the slow, deliberate pacing on the way to the kick-ass battle scenes… or you’ll be bored out of your mind waiting for something to happen.
Or the idea of seeing Chris’s Pine might have already helped to make up your mind.
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