OK. First things first; this deviates substantially from any of the other depictions of Arthurian legend, so if you're looking for anything akin to the films (or books) you've come across before, then I'd stop now. If you're looking for a light and fluffy costume romance, then you might salvage something from it yet, though. Julia Ormond (Guinevere) is travelling to meet Sean Connery (King Arthur) with a view to marrying him and thus saving her beleaguered land of Leonesse from the frequent invasions of the evil "Malagant" (Ben Cross). On her way, though, she is attacked and only saved by the cunning wit and bravery of travelling swordsman Lancelot (Richard Gere). She is delivered safely to her beau, only to encounter Lancelot again as he wins the most lethal obstacle course known to man - and he gets his kiss! The remainder of the film dips in and out of the legend - she falls in love; gets kidnapped and there are as many shades of "Robin Hood" as there are of "Knights of the Round Table" as our intrepid Lancelot tries to keep her, and the kingdom safe. Cross isn't exactly menacing as the baddie, but Connery is quite good giving an impression of a king who can't believe his luck, and Ormond and Gere have a certain chemistry as their affair blossoms. The ending isn't up to much, though - perhaps if the knights had spent less time in front of the mirror, they may have made for better soldiers - and I thought the whole thing missed the characterisation of Merlin (the most interesting character of these legends, I thought). The look of the film is mischievous, colourful and breezy, and it's a decent if slightly cheesy and unremarkable family film that does what it says on the tin.
