An array of films based on true stories is opening in movie theaters this month. Medieval is not the best of the bunch.
It’s a picture that’s short on any memorable dialogue and devoid of great acting. Even the usually wonderful Ben Foster and always sensational Matthew Goode (Watch The Offer on Paramount+, if you haven’t) aren’t all that wonderful or sensational.
What saves Medieval from becoming just another small studio pump-and-dump flick and what makes it worth seeing in a movie theater is its out-of-this-world cinematography and fight sequences. The cinematography, from Jesper Tøffner, deserves an Oscar nomination. It’s that eye-popping.
Based on the true story of fifteenth century Czech icon and warlord Jan Zizka, who defeated armies of the Teutonic Order and the Holy Roman Empire, Medieval takes you back in time, and, if watched on the big screen, will make you believe you are in the Bohemian Forest (mountains) fighting right next to the Jan himself. The movie was filmed entirely on location, in the Czech Republic.
Equally impressive is watching 89-year-old, two-time Oscar winner Michael Caine (Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules)—who has a significant role in the film.
Jan Zizka went down in history as being a leader who never lost a battle. Medieval will go down in history as one of the most beautiful movies to grace the big screens in the year 2022.
That said, back in the 1940s and 50s, Medieval would have been considered a “B Movie,” and would have been relegated to the second film in a double feature.
Grade: C-
If based on cinematography alone, the film would earn an A+ grade
