Tristan & Isolde Movie Review:


I have to admit it. I never thought that I would see a year where January produced some entertaining movies. Now after seeing “Glory Road”, Tristan and Isolde proves once more that a new kind of January might be making its way into theatres.

January is traditionally the dumping ground for studio embarrassments and the tradition has been going on for more than 15 years. The first big embarrassment I can remember was 2000’s “Supernova” which has become legendary in some circles. I am really surprised that Uwe Boll didn’t direct that film but instead it nearly killed the careers of visionary directors like Francis Ford Coppola and Walter Hill. The film ended up being so bad that both directors refused to claim the film as theirs and a name was made up for the director’s credit.

With films like “Glory Road” and “Tristan and Isolde” debuting this month, has a new dawn for January arrived?

“Tristan and Isolde” is basically the reawakening of the star-crossed/Harlequin-styled romance films not seen since 2004’s “The Notebook”. This romance follows Tristan, a noble knight (James Franco) and his forbidden love affair with Isolde, an Irish princess (Sophia Myles) during the Dark Ages. Their love is tested when Isolde is wedded to Tristan’s king (Rufus Sewell) and their affair could bring down a kingdom. How can they live another moment and never be together again?

Surprisingly this story is fun, energetic, sweeping and romantic. I got into the characters and their dilemmas. I was also shocked when I found out it was directed by “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” director Kevin Reynolds but when I realized that Franco’s accent wasn’t dominant half the time in the film it all made sense.

I have to say that the biggest downfall in this film does lie in Franco’s performance. In one scene he is brilliant but in the next all I could see was the wincing and forehead wrinkling he did when he played “James Dean” or Harry Osborn. Then there were some scenes where he held his sword and I just couldn’t believe he was this burly warrior type. I had the same problem with Orlando Bloom slicing up people in heavy battle sequences in “Kingdom of Heaven”.

I did however like the chemistry between Franco and Myles there was something magic and primal about it.

I really enjoyed Sophia Myles in this film. Her character’s lines were tedious at times but something natural, forth-coming and believability made me really like her. Now if she could stop making movies like 2004’s “Thunderbirds”, she might be going places.

I also have to hand it to the filmmakers for pulling the restraints on Rufus Sewell who is very likeable here even if he is stuck between the lovers. The film doesn’t make him evil and vindictive but he is a different kind of character you don’t often see in love stories. He isn’t the enemy and that is interesting.

Even with all the lover moments, the film does ramp up some of the action in typical Kevin Reynolds style. So there is something here for the boys and the girls, I guess if I dare say it like “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves”.

The similarities between this film and Robin Hood are interesting but not all encompassing. But if I had to recommend this film to someone it would have to someone who liked Robin Hood. Ok, who back in the summer of 1991 wasn’t humming the title track to that film? I know I was. So sit back and enjoy “Tristan and Isolde” much the same way you did back in the summer of 1991.

So Says the Soothsayer.



Dean Kish

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