What it does have in common with the aforementioned is that they all have not done so well at the box office. I'm trying to steer away from the 'flop' and 'fail' mentality since all of these films are not fails nor flops. At least not in my view, but just not great commercial successes... unfortunately.
Why is that though? For one, superhero movies have desensitized us in the opposite direction from the true nature of fighting and war (ironic!). And secondly, most of the time we go to the cinema to have *fun*. Well, what about learning something new, about history and men?
As a matter of fact
That's where the Medieval film comes through and delivers a very dark page of Earth's history, one we should be ashamed of for sure. Or at least some institutions should... *wink*wink* the church...
At the same time, solid representations like these make us better appreciate how far we've come from those insane times of dark and brutal dogma and rule. And yet, still so near. See the war in Ukraine... When will we cease to let ourselves be ruled by monsters?
Medieval is inspired by the story of Jan Žižka, a Czech general and one of the most brilliant tacticians in military history who, apparently, was never defeated. The film story follows him and his protege through a dangerous political game between the monarchs of the time and place, all vying for power, no matter what. What ensues is battle after battle, but also surprise changes in allegiances and faith.
It is unknown when this real-life hero was born, but he died on October 11th, 1424. So one day from the time of publishing this article, we would mark the commemoration of his death. I find the fact synchronistic relative to the release of the film. I am sure it might have been intended, but that doesn't detract from the fact, not for me at least...
When 'dark' is pretty
Regarding aesthetics, Medieval blows it out of the park! It's like an Edmund Blair Leighton painting if you strip away the colors. And magic. And fun.
Some parts made me think about the Diablo 1 cinematics; Gothic 2 armor and character designs, and Game of Thrones personas. The protagonist with his eye bandage is a pleasant reminder of Beric Dondarrion.
Getting to the main point, the beautiful scenery from The Czech Republic leaves you in awe with the big wide format that the film is presented in. So most definitely a great watch on the biggest screen available.
In terms of sound
The sound is great and the score even more so. Philip Klein, the composer, deserves an award or something. You can listen to it below while reading the rest of this review. I suggest you check out from the playlist at least the four that I've selected as my favorites: Kidnapping Katherine, Storming the Castle, Prayer & Resurrection, and Listen for Me.
At times, the soundtrack is reminiscent of what Lorne Balfe did for the Mission: Impossible - Fallout music department; in particular my favorite, The Exchange. And both of them have a track named like that. Quite curious!
Should you watch it then?
So what do you get from Medieval? Religion, dogma, power obsession, barbarism, death, blood, maiming, spit, hooves, dirt, mud, and bleakness. But great action scenes and camera work too. And battles, lots of well-thought-out clashes, skirmishes, and fights for survival. Aptly named, then, this film is.
The casting is perfect, but Michael Caine is a bit too much alongside these unfamiliar faces. We see very little of him so he is wasted on this side role.
That being said, I do have a few gripes: the bad guys seemed underdeveloped, the protagonist said very little (I really wanted to know more about this historical presence), and it was a bit confusing at times to keep track of the intrigue and whose allegiance lay where; some weird line deliveries here and there.
