King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A man discovers his royal lineage after claiming a legendary sword and must join a band of rebels to overthrow a tyrannical king.
The story
In a land ruled by the tyrannical King Vortigern, a man named Arthur lives as a tough and sophisticated minor chieftain in Londinium. His life changes when he is caught and taken to a stone where he removes the sword Excalibur, a deed that reveals his royal lineage. Following a series of events, he is rescued by a group of rebels and a mysterious mage. Arthur must then navigate a dangerous journey to understand his true identity and the power of the sword he holds, while preparing to confront the forces that have oppressed the land.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film begins with the backstory of Uther Pendragon, who defeats the warlock Mordred but is later betrayed by his brother Vortigern. Vortigern becomes a Demon Knight and rules Britain cruelly. Years later, Arthur, a man living in Londinium, is caught while attempting to remove Excalibur from a stone. He is rescued by the mage and the general Bedivere. In the Darklands, Arthur sees visions of his parents' deaths and realizes he is the rightful king. He joins forces with Bedivere's rebels to fight Vortigern. After a series of skirmishes and a vision from the Lady of the Lake, Arthur faces Vortigern in his tower. During a final battle involving a giant snake and a sacrifice by Vortigern's daughter, Arthur is granted a vision of his father passing the sword to him. He defeats Vortigern, reclaims his throne, and begins the construction of his Round Table.
- First release year
- 2017
- Runtime (minutes)
- 126
- Production countries
- Australia; United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Guy Ritchie
- Writers
- Joby Harold · screenplay; Guy Ritchie · screenplay; Lionel Wigram · screenplay; David Dobkin · story; Joby Harold · story
- Cast and characters
- Charlie Hunnam · King Arthur; Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey · the Mage; Djimon Hounsou · not specified; Aidan Gillen · not specified; Jude Law · Vortigern; Eric Bana · Uther
- Genres
- fantasy; action; adventure
- Themes
- destiny; legacy; power
- Tone and mood
- action-packed; over-the-top
- Premise and plot tags
- origin story; mythology; fantasy
- Source material / true-story basis
- Arthurian legends
- Franchise connections
- Planned six-film franchise
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews and was considered a box office disappointment, failing to recoup its high production and marketing costs.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 31% · scale: percentage · review count: 279; Metacritic · score: 41 · scale: 100 · review count: 45; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 78% · scale: percentage
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Reel Awards · Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Music Score · 2017 · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was originally intended to be the first in a six-film franchise.; The character of the Mage was originally intended to be Guinevere.; The film was originally planned for an IMAX release in July 2016.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…