--- title: "The Green Knight: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-green-knight/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-green-knight" critics_score: 81 critics_reviews: 28 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Green Knight (2021): what the critics said Critics' score 81 from 28 reviews: 22 positive, 5 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics admire The Green Knight, and the praise clusters in two places. The first is the look of it: David Lowery’s slow, dreamlike telling, the landscapes, the colour, the long held shots, which reviewers describe as mythic and unsettling in equal measure. The second is Dev Patel, whose Gawain is widely credited with holding the strange story together as the character ages and hardens; more than one review calls it the best work he has done. The reservations gather around pace and solemnity. Even admirers say the film asks for patience and is sometimes baffling. The spread is narrow at the top and thin at the bottom, with a single outright negative. Slant finds it only superficially daring and objects to how explicitly it resolves the poem’s mysteries. The Ringer calls it self-important and emotionally cold. The Wrap thinks the fussy presentation smothers the storytelling. Little White Lies, though positive, notes the loss of the poem’s nuance and queer subtext. ## Radio Times — Ann Lee Rating 5/5. Ann Lee praises the film as a sublimely weird medieval fantasy and calls Dev Patel’s performance career-best. She singles out Patel’s portrayal of Gawain as the film’s standout. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-idchrr/the-green-knight/) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 92/100 (inferred from the text). 29 July 2021. Chang finds the film a richly mysterious, moving triumph that transforms an old legend into vital mythmaking. He especially praises Dev Patel’s performance and the film’s ravishing imagery. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-07-29/review-the-green-knight-review-dev-patel) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating A-. 26 July 2021. Ehrlich praises the film as a hypnotic, deeply imaginative Arthurian adaptation that embraces the source poem’s contradictions. He especially singles out David Lowery’s dreamlike visual storytelling and the film’s striking finale. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-green-knight-review-1234653532/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 September 2021. Bradshaw finds the film a stunning, mysterious experience, praising its visual brilliance and metaphysical grandeur. He particularly singles out the beautifully rendered landscape and the haunting imagery of Gawain’s quest. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/sep/24/the-green-knight-review-dev-patel) ## The i Paper — Christina Newland Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 September 2021. Newland finds the film spellbindingly beautiful and praises its cohesive, richly imagined visual world. She also commends its thoughtful challenge to masculine ideals and the stories men tell about themselves. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/green-knight-film-movie-review-sir-gawain-dev-patel-king-arthur-1214153) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 August 2021. Brody praises the film as a visually daring, apocalyptic revision of the Arthurian legend, while arguing it exposes the violence and misguided ideals beneath heroic knighthood. He especially admires Lowery’s cinematic imagery and long, striking shots, which make the journey both wondrous and unsettling. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/the-green-knight-reviewed-david-lowerys-boldly-modern-revision-of-a-medieval-legend) ## Empire — John Nugent Fi1m's normalised score 88/100 (inferred from the text). 21 September 2021. The critic calls it a remarkable, major work, though its slow, atmospheric approach asks for patience. He singles out the cinematography and landscape for their exceptional beauty. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-green-knight/) ## RogerEbert.com — Brian Tallerico Rating 3.5/4. 29 July 2021. Tallerico finds the film a striking, unconventional adaptation with a dreamlike, meditative power. He particularly praises its visual atmosphere and Dev Patel’s performance. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-green-knight-movie-review-2021) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 26 July 2021. Rooney finds the film a quietly dazzling, boldly unconventional fantasy that rewards viewers willing to surrender to its strangeness. He especially praises Dev Patel’s magnetic performance and the film’s sumptuous visuals. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/dev-patel-in-david-lowerys-the-green-knight-1234987039/) ## The AV Club — A.A. Dowd Rating B+. 26 July 2021. Dowd finds the film a striking, atmospheric reinterpretation whose sustained art-house portentousness sometimes wears thin. He especially praises its mythic imagery and visual craftsmanship, while noting the payoff in Gawain’s coming-of-age journey. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/dev-patel-david-lowery-and-a24-give-arthurian-legend-1847362082) ## Little White Lies — Hannah Strong Rating 4/5. 24 September 2021. Strong praises the film as a bold, haunting vision, while noting that it loses some of the poem’s nuance and queer subtext. She singles out Dev Patel’s performance and the film’s richly considered visuals as highlights. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-green-knight) ## Time Out — David Hughes Rating 4/5. 9 September 2021. The review praises the film as a spellbinding new take on Arthurian legend. It singles out Dev Patel as terrific in the lead role. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-green-knight-2021) ## Vulture — Alison Willmore Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 July 2021. Willmore finds the film a ravishing, unsettling meditation on the search for meaning and direction. She especially praises Dev Patel’s convincing transformation as Gawain ages and hardens. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-green-knight-movie-review-dev-patel-and-david-lowery.html) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 26 July 2021. Gleiberman finds the film accessible, moving, and somberly majestic, though at times baffling and slow. He praises its ravishing, enigmatic journey and its solemnly moving treatment of Gawain’s confrontation with death. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/the-green-knight-review-dev-patel-alicia-vikander-david-lowery-1235026883/) ## Screen Daily — Tim Grierson Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 26 July 2021. The available page identifies this as a review but does not reveal the critic’s verdict. The standfirst describes Patel’s quest as part of a cultish rendition of the fable, but offers no specific praise or complaint. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-green-knight-review/5161904.article) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 29 July 2021. The review text could not be accessed, so its verdict is unavailable. No specific praise or criticism can be verified. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/29/movies/the-green-knight-review.html) ## Film Comment — Beatrice Loayza Fi1m's normalised score 63/100 (inferred from the text). Loayza presents the film as a digestible, sensation-driven coming-of-age narrative rather than a straightforward chivalric tale. The visible text offers no specific praise or complaint beyond that characterization. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/review-the-green-knight/) ## Slant Magazine — Keith Watson Rating 2.5/4. 28 July 2021. Watson finds the film haunting but ultimately only superficially daring and enigmatic. He praises its intoxicating color grading and eerie cinematography, while criticizing how explicitly it resolves the source poem’s mysteries. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-green-knight-review-david-lowery/) ## /Film — Hoai-Tran Bui Rating 10/10. 26 July 2021. Bui finds the film hypnotic, seductive, and a strikingly original take on the sword-and-sorcery genre. She especially praises Lowery’s painterly visual artistry and Dev Patel’s charismatic, sensual performance. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/582815/the-green-knight-review-a-mesmerizing-sexy-epic-that-feels-unlike-anything-youve-seen-before/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating A. 30 July 2021. Goldberg calls the film a marvelous, life-affirming achievement that rewards viewers willing to engage with its challenges. He particularly praises Dev Patel’s sympathetic performance and Lowery’s surreal visual storytelling. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-green-knight-review-dev-patel/) ## Consequence — Clint Worthington Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 26 July 2021. Worthington calls the film a mournful, distinctive adaptation and an easy candidate for one of the year’s best. He especially praises Dev Patel’s vulnerable performance and the film’s mesmerizing cinematography. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2021/07/the-green-knight-review/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 4.5/5. 26 July 2021. The critic calls it one of the best films adapted from Arthurian lore and finds its strange, mysterious vision spellbinding. He particularly praises the sumptuous design and elegant framing, along with Dev Patel’s charismatic, nuanced performance. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-green-knight-review-king-arthur-movie/) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 September 2021. Kermode calls it an astonishing, daring work and the finest Arthurian film since Excalibur. She especially praises the rich colours and striking compositions that make its landscapes feel mythic. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-green-knight-2021-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## Polygon — Robert Daniels Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 30 July 2021. The critic calls it one of 2021’s best films and the finest Arthurian adaptation, despite some pacing issues. The review especially praises its dazzling visuals and Dev Patel’s career-defining performance. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/22594354/green-knight-review/) ## Paste — Brianna Zigler Rating 9.0. 30 July 2021. Zigler finds the film a haunting, spellbinding reckoning with honor, nature and humanity’s vulnerability. She especially praises its lush cinematography and Dev Patel’s magnetic performance. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/david-lowery/the-green-knight-review) ## NME Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). The critic calls the film a beautiful, frightening, uncompromising watch that feels distinctive, though it may not appeal to everyone. They especially praise Dev Patel’s performance for anchoring the surreal story and conveying Gawain’s transformation. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/the-green-knight-review-dev-patel-3053431) ## The Ringer — Adam Nayman Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 3 August 2021. Nayman finds the film striking and ambitious but ultimately too self-important and emotionally cold. He praises its eerie visual grandeur, especially the haunting sequence with the giants. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2021/08/03/movies/green-knight-movie-review-king-arthur-sir-gawain-david-lowery) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 26 July 2021. The critic finds the film visually striking but ultimately frustrating and less compelling than its unusual premise. They single out the cinematography and costume design for praise, while faulting the fussy presentation for weakening the storytelling and emotional connection. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-green-knight-review-dev-patel-david-lowery-alicia-vikander/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-green-knight.md