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Posted May 10, 2017 by Scott Davis in Features
 
 

The Preview Reel: Will King Arthur Get Snatched?


Welcome to the “Preview Reel” column, where we look at the week’s upcoming wide-release movies. Marvel started the summer with a huge bang (as it does every summer) with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, this weekend looks to be much calmer. Guardians looks to dominate the box office again, but two newcomers will attempt to take on mighty Marvel. Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur: Legend of the Sword will try to take away some of the action buffs, while Amy Schumer’s Snatched looks to provide an alternative for comedy film fans.

 

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword PosterWhat we are excited about: A modern re-telling of the classic King Arthur story is an intriguing concept. The 2004 film King Arthur was a little too bland for our taste, and Legend of the Sword looks anything but bland. Guy Ritchie is a polarizing director, but what worked so well in Sherlock Holmes was his unique style when applied to a classic character that most people are familiar with. He’s doing pretty much the same thing here with King Arthur, although it is safe to say that Charlie Hunnam is no Robert Downey Jr.

What we are worried about: The trailers seem to highlight the crazy action and over-stylized editing that usually occurs, for better or worse, in a Guy Ritchie flick. If you are a fan of his style, then maybe you’ll probably enjoy this film, but it seems like an odd fit for a King Arthur movie. Charlie Hunnam has not proven himself to be a summer-blockbuster star yet (we can admit that the robots and monsters were the real stars of Pacific Rim), so we question if he was the best fit for this role. Jude Law, who is very good in the Sherlock Holmes movies, looks to be giving the hammiest performance of his career here, which has us very worried.

The Buzz: The trailers have been moderately received and the word out of early screenings was that the movie was not as bad as everyone feared, but the review embargo recently went down and the result has not been kind. Legend of the Sword sits at a low 17% on RottenTomatoes and a 44 on MetaCritic. With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in only its second week of release, it’s possible that Legend of the Sword gets swallowed up. Look for an opening around $20 million, which is not the start Warner Bros. would want given the film’s $175 million budget.

Final Thoughts: The action and style of this movie make it feel distinctly like a Guy Ritchie vehicle, and if you a fan of his work, then you might enjoy this. If you aren’t, then you should probably skip it and see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 again, or for the first time.

 

Snatched

Snatched Poster

What we are excited about: The main draw here is obviously the pairing of actresses Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn. These two seemed destined to play mother and daughter at some point in their careers. Whether Snatched is the dream project we’ve been waiting for remains to be seen, but these two are very funny ladies with proven track records to deliver the comedy goods. The film is also directed by Jonathan Levine, who has directed well-received comedies like 50/50 and Warm Bodies.

What we are worried about: The trailers seem about as generic as they come for R-rated comedies. There isn’t a specific big, laugh-out-loud moment, which means they are either saving it for the movie or there isn’t much that’s funny in the film. If the film is just relying on Schumer and Hawn’s appearances alone to carry it, we might have a problem.

The Buzz: R-rated comedies are usually very dependable at the box office in the summer as people look for an alternative to the current mega-budgeted blockbuster. Although Snatched might not be the biggest comedy of the summer (Baywatch and The Hitman’s Bodyguard should do better), it should be a mildly successful comedy. The movie has been getting mediocre reviews, hovering around 40% on RottenTomatoes and 44 on MetaCritic. Look for an opening around $15 million, which would be much lower than Schumer’s last summer comedy, Trainwreck, which opened to $30 million.

Final Thoughts: Heading into the summer, this seemed like the perfect movie to treat mom to on Mother’s Day, but given the reviews and lackluster trailers, maybe introduce mom to the Guardians instead.

Scott Davis

Scott Davis

Scott Davis is a recent graduate of Oakland University where he earned a degree in journalism. He worked for the student newspaper on campus, The Oakland Post, where he became the paper's managing editor. He also earned a minor in Cinema Studies at OU. Scott enjoys all things film and TV related, especially the blockbuster kind. He might be the biggest Christopher Nolan fan you know.