Legend comes to life in the enthralling 'Green Knight.'

Legend comes to life in the enthralling 'Green Knight.'

In writer-director David Lowery's "The Green Knight," an Arthurian legend is brought to life on the big screen (A24). The film successfully immerses spectators in the atmosphere of the Middle Ages, while being visually appealing yet difficult to comprehend.

Those looking for a quick pace and a clear message, on the other hand, would certainly be disappointed. Even some adults may find its depiction of sexual desire to be too strong for their tastes.

Dev Patel stars in a scene from the film "The Green Knight.

Lowery skillfully adapts the 14th-century romance "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," a story of chivalric valor, honesty, and chastity. Dev Patel, who plays the first of the two main protagonists in the long-running narrative, embarks on an epic adventure during which he finds himself called upon to demonstrate all three of those qualities. 

The cause for his journey is a challenge from the Green Knight (Ralph Ineson), a gigantic treelike monster that pays a surprise Christmastime visit to Gawain's uncle, King Arthur (Sean Harris). There, he challenges any member of the monarch's famed Round Table to deal him a blow, which he will then precisely return a year later to the day.

When none of the more experienced knights are willing to participate in the monster's possibly deadly "game," the inexperienced but brave young Gawain takes up the challenge. He immediately decapitates the invader, only to have him resurrect, pick up his head, and remind Gawain of their agreement before riding off again.

Thus, Gawain honor obliged to travel to his opponent's distant hideaway, an abandoned chapel, and endure the same deadly wound he inflicted the following Yuletide. He experiences a series of low-key yet frightening adventures along the road.

These include a stay at the castle of a wealthy, nameless lord (Joel Edgerton), whose generosity Gawain is tempted to take advantage of when the aristocrat's wife (Alicia Vikander) tries to woo him. While in the textual version, this is the opportunity for Gawain to demonstrate his chastity, the interlude on film is considerably more confusing and, ultimately, unpleasant.

This meeting, along with a number of other moments of bedroom intimacy, effectively prevents younger audiences from enjoying Lowery's deft direction and Andrew Droz Palermo's constantly evocative photography. The narrative's mixture of Christian and magical themes, which is authentically reflected in the original material, also necessitates mature evaluation.

If, as a consequence, children lose out on a spectacular show, they will be spared the trouble of finding out what it all means, a process that many a graybeard may find too onerous. “The Green Knight” is a bizarre mind scratcher that leaves you with few simple solutions.

The picture contains esoteric themes, semi-graphic adulterous behavior, glimpses of nudity, a short but filthy sexual image, and scenes of sensuality. Adults are classified as A-III by the Catholic News Service. The Motion Picture Association of America has rated the film R – restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.