I found this movie to be mostly intriguing, and I have no qualm with the acting. I must confess that in a couple of places it dragged for me, once to the point where I nodded off for a few minutes. To be fair, I was also operating on not enough sleep lately. I thought it odd that Essel, Sir Gawain’s girlfriend, had such short hair. Was that a thing in the Middle Ages? There are a couple of plot twists that add a little zing to the story, which I will not reveal here. Rather I will say that the ending reminded me a little of the ending of The Last Temptation of Christ. Also, you should pay attention to it s it winds down, so that you know what is going on. So file this film with others that I probably won’t watch a second time, but which I don’t regret spending two hours on.

_The Green Knight_ is an epic character study that takes it's time following the path of a man finding worth in his life, but that slow progression is also its downfall. This movie was really gripping at first, I was invested in the first 30 minutes but that flow slowly starts to fade during the mid-section. At this point the scenes begin to drag a bit and the story jumps from one section to the next so quickly that it can be a bit disorienting as to where you are. Despite the slight pacing issues, this film is still a treat to watch. The visuals and the atmosphere of this film is really well done, each scene felt perfectly crafted. The mix between CGI and practical affects are a real bright spot as today so many movies rely too much on the computerized effects. The tone had me completely captivated, as adventure unfolds there are many darks turns where our protagonist has to preserver to get to his objective. This perseverance is what evolves him as a character and is what enables him to be worthy of knighthood. I bought that evolution due to the fantastic job Dev Patel does in this film. Patel encapsulates so much of what Gawain is, a reckless and immature child who has done nothing with his life. This causes a great deal of insecurity as he feels not worthy to be in the presence of his uncle, the king, even though he has royal blood. The sense of unsureness is carried throughout the film brilliantly by Patel, and it is not until the end where he truly becomes worthy for the crown. This performance is spectacular, and Dev Patel deserves all the accolades for this film. Overall, _The Green Knight_ was a really interesting experience. Although it does not warrant its runtime and pacing could have been done better, it is still an excellent film that I enjoyed. Even after watching, the more research I do and more I think about it, the more it gets better due to the complex symbolism and presentation that does not make itself known on the first watch. **Grade:** _83%_ **Verdict:** _Great_

The Green Knight baffled me after the first watch; perhaps watching it at 4 am, I was too tired to fully appreciate its dreamy, slow pace. But on the second viewing, I discovered all the stunning visuals and deep symbolism I apparently slept through the first time. It turns out Dev Patel’s Sir Gawain isn’t just wandering around aimlessly, getting his end away.