Sunday, August 5, 2007

MSCU Review: Black Knight (2001)

Guard #1: "Who be ye?"
Jamal: "Who be I? I be stompin' yo ass you put your hand on me one more again!"

Sigh. Shortly after declaring Beowulf the worst Medieval movie I've ever had the displeasure to see, I watched Black Knight. The gods must truly hate hubris (or hybris if you like), because I have just been proved wrong.

I my (Ryan) esteemed opinion, Black Knight is the worst Medieval movie I have seen thus far. I will not, however, say that it is the worst of such movie ever made, because I'm sure the fates would love to prove me wrong.

As far as the 'plot' goes, Martin Lawrence plays Jamal Walker/Skywalker, a slacker employee at Medieval Times-esque amusement park. One fateful day while attempting to retrieve a gaudy piece of jewelry from the park's mote, Jamal is transported into the Medieval past where he is mistaken for the messenger of the king of Normandy. Stupidity ensues.

This movie is dreadful. It opens with Lawrence mugging for the camera while getting dressed. The actor hams his role to such a degree where the direction of the movie is clear - downwards. Lawrence seems more concerned with making funny faces than actually attempting to craft a believable, or even a likeable character. His overacts each scene to point where his character becomes cartoonish and completely unbelievable.

And speaking of believability, Black Knight requires not a suspension of belief, but a complete rejection of all rationality. It simply makes no sense. How could a character as buffoonish as Lawrence`s ever hope to survive a few moments in Medieval England. First of all, he wouldn't have been able to speak the language. English as a language has changed over time. A person from the 20th century would not be able to communicate with a person from the 14th century. Needless to the remind the readers of this blog, strangers were not well received in Medieval communities.

Moreover, it's not as if Martin Lawrence would really blend in with a Medieval community. Aside from occasionally being called a 'moor,' Lawrence's skin colour is rarely an issue in the film. I can't help but imagine it would be an issue had he really been transported to the Middle Ages.

But what could I really expect from a movie than only plays to stereotypes? This movie is just a group of cliches and stereotypes which have been strung together. There's nothing new, nothing original. For example, Lawrence's love interest is the only other person of colour in the entire film. Heaven forbid a mainstream movie such as this depicts an inter-racial romance. Instead the movie opts to introduce another character of the same skin colour as Lawrence through contrivance as to not offend anyone.

Black Knight was made to act as pablum to the masses. Its only goal is to be generic and to appeal to the lowest denominator. For this reason Black Knight has earned my contempt and disdain.

MSCU Rating: F

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