the editing and a few of the pacing choices, especially early on, really threw me off. there are certain elements, like the momentum of the introductory scene (not the pre-credit ode), that suggested the film was meant to be a light-hearted satire. as well, some of the graphic elements of the film. however, the rest of the time, the film was played entirely straight and serious, as an epic surrealist fantasy hero’s quest. i personally didn’t find that those two qualities mixed particularly well, so the entire thing felt off-balance.
there were some good sequences, like all of the bits with King Arthur–i really loved that performance. i also found the sex scene to be quite powerful.
thinking back, i’m not entirely sure what the relationship between gawain’s mother and the green knight was supposed to be. she summoned this wood-knight to challenge her son so that he could prove himself by rejecting the protection she offered? not a bad theme, and a certain oedipal dynamic does reoccur–as in the callback to his mother during the aforementioned sex scene.
on the whole, some decent imagery and cinematography with some decent performances, but the film itself felt off-kilter and unbalanced.