12 Best King Arthur Movies Ranked: Worst To Best

King Arthur opens with a historical note explaining that "most" historians now agree that King Arthur was a real man who lived in Roman Britain and that the following film is based on newfound "archaeological evidence". Who knows if this was ever meant to convince anyone over the age of 13, but it certainly sets the tone for what follows.

Antoine Fuqua's misfit film is a strange mix of fun and drudgery. In the fun column, there is Ray Winstone as Oliver Reed as Bors. There is Keira Knightley as Guinevere the Pictish warrior princess. There is Stellan Skarsgard as the rumbling Saxon warlord whose boredom conveniently mirrors Skarsgard's own boredom playing him. There is gratuitous violence, especially if you watch the Director's Cut. There is a hilarious decapitation gag in the first 15 minutes. There's a battle on the ice, ala Alexander Nevsky.

But then there is Clive Owen as Russell Crowe as Arthur. There is Ioan Gruffudd as the edgiest of lords as Lancelot. There are oceans of smoke and low angles in the incoherent final battle. There is an absolute clunker of a script by the first, and later, fired-because-of-his-terrible-dialogue screenwriter of Gladiator. So, it's a mixed bag. But it really helps if you're 13. RUS!