King Arthur

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Entertainment: +3

Content: +1/2

This action/adventure film covers the life of Arthur (Clive Owen) treating the legend as a historical figure before he becomes king. It takes place during the fall of the Roman Empire in 450 A.D. After long military service for Rome, Arthur and his fellow knights are assigned one more mission before they are granted their freedom. With only a few men including Lancelot (Ioan Gruffudd) and Galahad (Hugh Dancy), they are to rescue a family important to Rome before their homeland is overtaken by the Saxon army. When they arrive at the familys estate, they discover that the head of the house is a cruel taskmaster and has imprisoned and tortured many who worked for him. From the dungeons, Arthur frees all of those who are still alive including Guinevere (Keira Knightley). Arthurs task has now become even greater; in addition to bringing safety to an evil man, his conscience drives him to rescue those who served him.

Arthur, a devoted Christian who is bound by the heathen laws of Rome, is asked to fulfill a mission in which he does not believe. He is also committed to his fellow knights and warriors all of them pagans who have fought faithfully by his side. Arthur is taunted by his peers when they witness people claiming to be servants of God involved in hideous acts. When his faith is questioned, Arthur says, It is my faith that protects me. The infamous magician, Merlin (Stephen Dillane), makes an appearance but is not shown performing sorcery. There are numerous violent battle scenes, but the blood and gore is minimal. There is also some bad language and two scenes of implied sexuality. The films overriding message is positive: Do good in the midst of evil. King Arthur provides many opportunities for discussion. Preview cautiously gives King Arthur a + acceptability but warns that it may be too intense for younger children. Please base your decision to view this movie on the content listed in the Summary.

Preview Reviewer: Alan Boyer
Distributor: Touchstone

Summary
The following categories contain objective listings of film content which contribute to the subjective numeric Content ratings posted to the left and on the Home page.

Crude Language: Several (9) times mild (damn 1); moderate (b-stard 4,); strong (-ss 4,)

Obscene Language: Few (2) times moderate (piss 2)

Profanity: None

Violence: Many times moderate (battle scenes with sword fighting, attacks with arrows, arrows with fire igniting the battlefield, and men being trapped and burned by fire)

Sex: Few times mild (implied sex when a woman puts mans hand on her thigh, kissing and caressing without nudity); moderate (man is on top of woman attempting to rape her but is stopped with no nudity shown)

Nudity: None

Sexual Dialogue/Gesture: None

Drugs: Few times mild (possible drinking of alcohol)

Other: Bastard is used in reference to a mans illegitimate children; appropriate use of good Jesus)

Running Time: 125 minutes
Intended Audience: teens and adults.

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