King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
UK Release Date: May 19th
What is it: Guy Ritchie’s take on the King Arthur legend, with Charlie Hunnam in the lead role and Jude Law co-starring.
Why it might be good: Guy Ritchie is a good director, when he wants to be, and his take on Sherlock Holmes, another classic story, was fairly solid. His new take on this tale could breathe new life into a story that has not been told on the big screen for a very long time.
His previous outing The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was a solid, if not spectacular romp and if the film can just match the standards of that then people won’t be too displeased.
Why it might be bad: The early trailers don’t look particularly promising. Clearly inspired by Game of Thrones the movie looks like a mix between that and 2015’s terrible Dracula Untold.
It is also arriving with very little hype in a rather busy period at the box office. Sandwiched between a series of huge blockbusters, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword could go on to be one of the summer’s biggest flops.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
UK Release Date: May 26th
What is it: The fifth (fifth!?) entry in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
Why it might be good: To say the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has been a mixed bag so far would be to pay it a kindness. The last two entries in the series have been forgettable at best. Johnny Depp has grown so used to playing Jack Sparrow thoug, that he could do it in his sleep and he still has the potential to drag us through the movie here.
Word coming out a surprise screening at CinemaCon is that the film is a considerable step up in quality on the previous two entries and that it works fairly well as a stand-alone movie.
The addition of Javier Bardem as the villain certainly adds a degree of credibility to things as well, and providing he is written well, he is sure to add the right amount of darkness to proceedings.
Why it might be bad: As I said, to say the franchise has been mixed so far would be an understatement. The last two films were a complete mess – number 3 was incoherent, with little to no structure and number 4 was blander than Orlando Bloom in the previous three entries.
The franchise has just become a license to print money and is not likely to be taking a risk anytime soon. It will still make a considerable amount at the box office, despite the franchise being long past its sell by date and the studio are very likely to have played it safe here.
Originally published April 22, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
