‘The Green Knight’ Is Being Called One Of The Year’s Best Movies And An Instant Fantasy Classic

What is it about A24 movies with animals? They’re almost always great. The Witch: great. First Cow: great. The Lighthouse: great. Lean on Pete: great. Uncut Gems: great (you can’t convince me Furby isn’t an animal). You might as well add The Green Knight, starring Dev Patel and an adorable CGI fox, to the A24 animal = great list.

The embargo for A24’s first foray into high-concept fantasy (the “fuck box” in High Life is a different kind of fantasy) has lifted, and the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. “The mythical, adventure-packed drama The Green Knight is the best Arthurian adaptation this side of Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” raves Robert Daniels for Polygon, while Slashfilm‘s Hoai-Tran Bui writes, “The enormity of this film intimidates me. And it hypnotizes me, and seduces me, and captures me until it feels as if the green has grown like moss over my entire body. But rather than threatening to choke, The Green Knight injects a new source of oxygen into the sword-and-sorcery genre.”

The Green Knight currently sports a 94 percent “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is in line with director David Lowery’s other films (93 percent for The Old Man & the Gun, 91 percent for A Ghost Story, 88 percent for Pete’s Dragon). It’s a must see.

Here’s more:

An epic fantasy adventure based on the timeless Arthurian legend, The Green Knight tells the story of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), King Arthur’s reckless and headstrong nephew, who embarks on a daring quest to confront the eponymous Green Knight, a gigantic emerald-skinned stranger and tester of men. Gawain contends with ghosts, giants, thieves, and schemers in what becomes a deeper journey to define his character and prove his worth in the eyes of his family and kingdom by facing the ultimate challenger. From visionary filmmaker David Lowery comes a fresh and bold spin on a classic tale from the knights of the round table.

The Green Knight opens this Friday.