4.7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.9 |
A fast-talking maintenance worker is in for a royally rude awakening when an unfortunate moat mishap at the Medieval World theme park transports him back in time to 14th century England.
Starring: Martin Lawrence, Marsha Thomason, Tom Wilkinson, Vincent Regan, Daryl MitchellComedy | 100% |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English SDH
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Funny man Martin Lawrence (Bad Boys) suits up for the oftentimes hilarious but sometimes drab "fish out of water" tale, Black Knight. It's a Comedy about a modern-era urban slacker who is suddenly thrust backwards in time by several centuries. Of course, it's hardly original, but it's heartily fun. The idea of modern man circling back hundreds of years to medieval times dates back at least to Mark Twain's popular A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Twain's followup to Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remains a staple of Satire, Comedy, and even Science Fiction. It's an idea that was made into an abysmal movie, A Kid in King Arthur's Court, about a lad (and his portable CD player) who finds the same basic fate as Twain's Hank Morgan. It's an idea that was also no doubt the inspiration for a segment of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure ("Iron Maiden? Excellent!") and it's most certainly the foundation for Lawrence's film. Black Knight earns plenty of laughs with its modern urban America-meets-middle-ages-Europe schtick, and at least there's no CD player laser or other such obvious nonsense to save the day.
Behold: me!
Black Knight rides onto Blu-ray with a decent high definition transfer. It's rather dull and fairly flat, with colors that never pop and details that aren't all that. It displays tattered peasant garb, the more regal clothes, muck and mud, castle walls, and the like nicely enough, but not with the sort of eye catching, lifelike details and nuance found on the best transfers. Likewise, the color palette is basically effective but not what viewers would expect of a top end Blu-ray. Jamal's green football jersey stands out from the crowd, but even that lacks a real, genuine brilliance, even up against many of the naturally duller earthen tones seen around the film. Black levels are decent, as are flesh tones. There are some occasional speckles and pops, but they never appear in force. This is a watchable but not particularly noteworthy catalogue transfer from Anchor Bay.
Black Knight arrives on Blu-ray with a fairly good Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. There's a decent enough presence to the Hip Hop music that plays at the beginning; it's aggressive in energy and spacing and spreads out out well across both the front and the back while also enjoying honest clarity and solid bass. When Jamal first arrives in medieval times, the sounds of nature nicely immerse the listener in the environment, and various other ambient effects, particularly in bustling exteriors, are fairly reproduced. The big battle near the end delivers sufficient power and clarity. There are a few instances where the track sounds a little muddled, where clarity and precision are lacking, particularly early in the film when the employees and the boss discuss the future of the park. Even dialogue in that scene comes through a bit underwhelming. It all picks up nicely enough, however, later in the film. Nothing here is an any way spectacular, but the track generally provides a serviceable listening experience.
Black Knight contains no extras, and no menu is included. The film begins playback immediately after disc insertion. Optional English SDH subtitles must be switched on or off in-film with the remote control.
Martin Lawrence is the only real reason to watch Black Knight. It's a star vehicle if there ever was one and a showcase for his comedic timing and talents. Lawrence dominates every scene and merrily finds that contrast between modern urbanite and medieval denizen very well. The jokes are spot-on and well-delivered. This is simple but highly effective escapist entertainment, a movie surely not for anyone in the mood for serious filmmaking but perfect for those looking for a good, relaxing little movie sure to bring a smile to the face. Anchor Bay's featureless Blu-ray offers adequate video and audio. Worth a rental and perhaps a purchase at a rock-bottom price.
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