12 Best King Arthur Movies Ranked: Worst To Best

Medieval literature is weird. It's from a different time, written by people who are both similar and completely alien to modern audiences. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is one of the strangest entries in the Arthurian canon. Its author is unknown and the poem is inextricably linked with Welsh, Irish, English, and French traditions. It's been adapted for the big screen twice before (both times by Stephen Weeks) and neither telling worked very well.

Then along comes The Green Knight in 2021. Directed by David Lowery and starring Dev Patel as Gawain, the film is haunting, visually gorgeous and, most importantly, weird. The plot revolves around "the beheading game" and the intricate rules of chivalry are key to the resolution of this game. Ralph Ineson is a foreboding Green Knight. For the first time, the Green Knight is depicted as a truly otherworldy creature. Patel gives the performance of a lifetime as King Arthur's directionless nephew. The rest of the cast is filled with ever-dependable character actors.

The power of The Green Knight is that it marries the themes and tone of the poem with the tricks and tools of modern cinema. The result is a mesmerizing journey across a strange land that feels like a walk through a waking dream. It's not the greatest movie about the character King Arthur but it's easily the best movie about the medieval world the stories existed in. Now, off with your head!