Movie Review: The Outlaw King
Nov. 15th, 2018 09:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
caitriI finally sat down to watch it--the whole thing, not just the, uh, highlights.
So I actually enjoyed it way more than I was expecting, since it was billed as so gritty, much grimdark. I could have lived without the blood and viscera, though, it is true.
What surprised me was the romance plot, which was incredibly incredibly sweet. Following from A Wrinkle in Time, CFine plays another DILF, albeit with a bad haircut and a passable Scottish accent. He's been widowed for several years and has an incredibly cute munchkin. (And actually his character's interactions with small children throughout are always well done. My favorite is the little girl who brings him a shovel and says that her mom said for him to give it back as soon as he's done with it--she's so embarrassed, it's adorbs.) He gets pushed into marrying King Edward's goddaughter Elizabeth, a character who frankly needed a movie of her own, because what we get here is cherce. Sure she's been pushed into what could end up being a loveless marriage, and her new husband doesn't want to fuck her on their wedding night, but she's damn well going to be a Solid Heroine. She's kind to the cute munchkin, sticks up for her new people, and calls bullshit when she sees it. I love her so. much.
And therefore it's a pity that she gets the most abbreviated love scene ever. Sure she gets to be nekkid with CFine, including having to keep her legs angled to preserve his dignity, such as it is, but like... Okay. Having established that they have not fucked so far, but in recognition that he might be killed in battle the next day, they decide to Get It On. Getting it on involves them taking their clothes off, getting into bed, some giggling, and immediate penetration followed by orgasms. Now I know I have been spoiled by Outlander but I just sat there thinking, "Well that's just disappointing." Also, that poor girl. She's a virgin, she has three minutes of sexy time, and then has to spend ages avoiding death and imprisonment and such. Their reunion at the end is very well done, but they needed some ... dialogue, maybe, as opposed to sunny, relieved smiles.
The other thing I liked about this film was that Edward II is...actually portrayed as way more competent than one would have thought. And though Piers is there for, like, a second, they do not go into the gayness at all--which I imagine is meant to be some sensitivity since you're supposed to hate him. Way more time is spent on his daddy issues and his just generally being shown up by Robert, since they've known each other since they were kids.
Anyway, it was a good film to watch once. All subsequent viewings will be fast-forwarded until I get to the romance bits and the nude scenes. Sorry not sorry!
So I actually enjoyed it way more than I was expecting, since it was billed as so gritty, much grimdark. I could have lived without the blood and viscera, though, it is true.
What surprised me was the romance plot, which was incredibly incredibly sweet. Following from A Wrinkle in Time, CFine plays another DILF, albeit with a bad haircut and a passable Scottish accent. He's been widowed for several years and has an incredibly cute munchkin. (And actually his character's interactions with small children throughout are always well done. My favorite is the little girl who brings him a shovel and says that her mom said for him to give it back as soon as he's done with it--she's so embarrassed, it's adorbs.) He gets pushed into marrying King Edward's goddaughter Elizabeth, a character who frankly needed a movie of her own, because what we get here is cherce. Sure she's been pushed into what could end up being a loveless marriage, and her new husband doesn't want to fuck her on their wedding night, but she's damn well going to be a Solid Heroine. She's kind to the cute munchkin, sticks up for her new people, and calls bullshit when she sees it. I love her so. much.
And therefore it's a pity that she gets the most abbreviated love scene ever. Sure she gets to be nekkid with CFine, including having to keep her legs angled to preserve his dignity, such as it is, but like... Okay. Having established that they have not fucked so far, but in recognition that he might be killed in battle the next day, they decide to Get It On. Getting it on involves them taking their clothes off, getting into bed, some giggling, and immediate penetration followed by orgasms. Now I know I have been spoiled by Outlander but I just sat there thinking, "Well that's just disappointing." Also, that poor girl. She's a virgin, she has three minutes of sexy time, and then has to spend ages avoiding death and imprisonment and such. Their reunion at the end is very well done, but they needed some ... dialogue, maybe, as opposed to sunny, relieved smiles.
The other thing I liked about this film was that Edward II is...actually portrayed as way more competent than one would have thought. And though Piers is there for, like, a second, they do not go into the gayness at all--which I imagine is meant to be some sensitivity since you're supposed to hate him. Way more time is spent on his daddy issues and his just generally being shown up by Robert, since they've known each other since they were kids.
Anyway, it was a good film to watch once. All subsequent viewings will be fast-forwarded until I get to the romance bits and the nude scenes. Sorry not sorry!
