The King: A Dull Version of a Shakespeare Classic
Netflix's The King directed by David Michod and starring Timothee Chalamet leaves audiences waiting for something greater to happen during its two-hour run. The movie is based on the Shakespeare play of Henriad and covers the soldiers on the battlefield for a majority of the time. It is a movie about the rise of Henry V and his navigation of the English throne.
The film begins with early 15th century England in a civil war with Scotland and the Hundred Years' War with France. The current King Henry IV is shown to be frail and paranoid as he is trying to create a strategy with all the threats coming in. The King follows Hal, the young heir to the English throne, who has a broken relationship with his father and chooses to live out of the spotlight of being a prince. He alienates himself from his father and prefers to drink in the pub. After his father's death, he is crowned King Henry and aspires to be a king he wants to be but is suddenly thrown off when politics become involved and threats from France begin to appear.
Hal starts off the film as an opposite to his father but as the plot progresses he starts to become the man he despises. Hal strives for peace, unlike his war-loving father. It centers around a young boy who has just become king and head of a country. It is a coming of age story for Chalamet. The war scenes with Chalamet crawling in the mud around bodies are astonishing. It paints a picture of claustrophobia in thanks to the film's cinematographer. This scene displays that not only is Hal fighting men but also he is battling the inner conflict of staying true to his beliefs or taking on his father's philosophy in life.
The film is extremely slow and has audiences waiting for a moment of something exciting to happen. It continues to drag on in the same place of war. A funny moment in the film is Robert Pattinson's portrayal of the French Dauphin. His addition brings comedic relief to the film. His use of a ridiculous French accent adds to the madness of his character and offers entertainment between the muddy war scenes. Pattinson portrays him as a fool. Lily-Rose Depp and her chemistry with Timothee Chalamet are evident in the little screen time she posses. She is able to bring power through her words and is extremely clever and French. Her lack of screen time feels like a waste of her interesting and mysterious appeal when she appears on the screen.
The king is visually stunning with its shots that reveal acres of the muddy fighting grounds. The performances of its stars are believable as they step into the roles they are given. Hal's transformation feels rushed and it is unclear what his motives are throughout the film. He lacks substance. The film is dull and even when Hal has his moment it is anticlimactic and leaves the audiences confused as it abruptly ends.