Overview
A bold reimagining of a classic tale that challenges the very essence of honor and bravery.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- haunting
- enigmatic
- melancholic
- late night viewing
- rainy day
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as an absorbing, visually magnificent, and thematically ambitious reimagining of Arthurian legend, while acknowledging its deliberate ambiguity and slow pace.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Gawain seeks recognition as a knight while repeatedly confronting situations that challenge his performance of bravery and honor.
The Green Knight, death anxiety, decapitation imagery, and the journey’s supernatural encounters make mortality a sustained thematic presence.
The film presents Camelot, wilderness, giants, ghosts, and the Green Knight through carefully composed, haunting imagery.
The adaptation turns the Arthurian knightly quest into a critique of masculine reputation and conventional heroic worth.
Films like The Green Knight, and why
The Northman
mythic fantasy, moral testing, haunting atmosphere, and meditative treatment of heroism
Excalibur
arthurian fantasy, ambiguous symbolism, medieval setting, and contemplative spiritual themes
The Fall
dreamlike folklore, supernatural trials, and visually stylized coming-of-age themes
The Seventh Seal
dark medieval fantasy, existential dread, and an enigmatic encounter with death
Movie Details
- Director
- David Lowery
- Release Date
- 2021-07-29
- Runtime
- 130 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (2319)
Cast
- Dev Patel
- Alicia Vikander
- Joel Edgerton
- Sarita Choudhury
- Sean Harris
- Kate Dickie
- Barry Keoghan
- Erin Kellyman
- Ralph Ineson
- Emilie Hetland
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Hulu
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Green Knight about?
- A hesitant Arthurian knight crosses a haunted medieval world where supernatural trials force him to confront the difference between appearing heroic and becoming worthy.
- What is The Green Knight like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Green Knight as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Green Knight violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Green Knight as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Green Knight?
- Critics broadly praised the film as an absorbing, visually magnificent, and thematically ambitious reimagining of Arthurian legend, while acknowledging its deliberate ambiguity and slow pace.
- Which films are like The Green Knight?
- Films with a similar feel include The Northman, Excalibur, The Fall, and The Seventh Seal.
- How long is The Green Knight?
- The Green Knight runs 130 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Green Knight?
- In United States, The Green Knight streams on Hulu.
