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153 comments in total

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53 out of 81 people found the following comment useful :-
That's why you shouldn't drink your own urine., 7 January 2005

Author: Andy (film-critic) from Bookseller of the Blue Ridge

I cannot stress the fact that this film has been overplayed and recycled through Hollywood more times that I can count. While I have read some reviews that claim that this is one of Lawrence's more creative roles yet, I can only laugh and gag simultaneously at these words. Lawrence was a major contributor to the downfall of this film. He provided no character analysis, no development, and definitely no humor to the entire story. It was as if we were watching a dress rehearsal in progress before the final script arrived with all of Lawrence's funny bits. From the quick introduction at the beginning of the film (a mere 7 minutes of character introduction), until the incoherent ending that was trying to monopolize on the popularity of Gladiator, we never see Lawrence's character of "Jamal" or "Skywalker" (depending on the care of the actors) emerge from the film. This was merely Martin Lawrence cashing in on his already overplayed self, stretching no further than his comfortable limits and never exerting anything "fresh". He has fallen into the cracks of the Hollywood recycling bin and Black Knight reinforces that idea.

Sadly, Lawrence isn't backed up with any better acting or story. Tom Wilkinson has done some amazing films during his career, but apparently was looking to buy a new car with this film. It required no "real" acting from him, just sloppy drunkenness with clichéd moments near the end that could have been pulled from any other film like this one. I think that was my major problem with this film (beside the lackluster Lawrence) was the story. There wasn't any. It felt like we were forced from the beginning to all of our different places and events just to fill time. There wasn't any redeeming value from the story. In fact, I would go so far as to say that whomever wrote this screenplay may have…gasp…plagiarized from nearly every other film like this one out there. The structure was nothing new, the formula literally had dust on it, and nobody seemed to care. Lawrence obviously didn't from the performance that he gave, but I expected more from Mr. Wilkinson who has impressed me in the past. This was not the best showcase for his talent, or for anyone's talent to say the least. We must always remember that it begins with a story, and if it doesn't sound good on paper than it isn't going to translate well onto the screen. This is a rule to live by for everyone involved with the Black Knight debacle.

Finally, I normally don't mention this in my reviews, but with this film it just stood out more than any other that I have seen, but the production of this film was horrible. The costumes, the sets, and even the way the shots were framed seemed "cheap" in so many ways. The costumes are the first that come to mind because Lawrence always seemed like he was wearing something that was made with haste. How could he have quickly made this garment in the time that he was in this land? Who knows, but it was "cheap" and only lowered this film further into the muck pit. If the story is going to be bad, and the actors are not going to give their full potential by actually doing what they are paid … to be creative … than at least give us something to look at Production Team! Unfortunately, there was nothing ravishing to even glance at. The entire Medieval World that Lawrence works at from the beginning is "cheap" and obviously a set. I want a film to take me away from Hollywood and give me my dollar's worth, not rob me blind. The cinematography was done by a two-year old. Nothing spectacular, nothing worth writing about.

Overall, this was a very poor film. Would it have hurt anyone working on this project to use a little something I like to call "imagination"? Creativity was not being used or welcomed in this film. You could tell that the director wanted to make the film, edit out what didn't work, finish, and relax at home while thinking of all the different ways that he could spend his Hollywood money! I blame two major players in this film for the overall poor quality. The first is Mr. Lawrence. If he does not expand his acting potential and bring something new to the screen, I don't think his Hollywood stay will be very long. The second player that I blame for this befuddling mess is the writer. Again, creativity and imagination went backseat to the infamous Hollywood recycling bin. This was a truly disappointing picture.

Grade: * out of *****

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39 out of 60 people found the following comment useful :-
Don't be fooled, this is a terrible movie...but funny at parts., 28 June 2002

Author: LebowskiT1000 from Escondido, California, USA

To be completely honest I am not a fan of Martin Lawrence, although I LOVED "Bad Boys" and thought he did an awesome job in that film...but this review isn't about THAT film ("Blue Streak" was pretty good too). Anyhow, I have to say that I had EXTREMELY low expectations for "Black Knight", the previews were barely funny, the story looked god-awful, and just over-all nothing even remotely great. ...BUT...I watched the movie anyway. I thought the movie was just HORRIBLE, but there were a few things that I thought were pretty funny.

I really can't believe that a movie like this would get green-lit. I can't believe that someone would read this story and say "Yeah, let's make this into a movie!" You gotta be kidding me?!?!

I really don't have much else to say about the film. If you are a fan of Martin Lawrence, then there's a possibility that you may like the film. If you've got some free time, and have an opportunity to see it for free (or really cheap) go ahead and check it out. Otherwise, spend your money on a different movie.

Thanks for reading,

-Chris

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17 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
the black knight is defeating, 18 July 2002

Author: Jessie Robertson (MrBoBomb@aol.com) from United States

This was a more toned down version of Martin Lawrence, which to me isn't as funny as his usual raunchy self. His TV show was very good and his comedy specials are funny, but I haven't enjoyed any of his movies except Bad Boys. This was tolerable at best but his best jokes were racial ones. You can't have a movie solely depend on that. Not to mention the weak plot.

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21 out of 28 people found the following comment useful :-
Ye Olde Garbage, 9 March 2003
Author: CoolDan from Connecticut

Saw this movie when I bought a bootleg videotape of it a while back, and let me just say this. The quality of the video was almost as poor as the movie itself. Black Knight is TERRIBLE. First of all, the acting is non-existent. Martin Lawrence, you can do better! This is probably the first movie I've seen where an actor gets paid to act like himself. The director, Gil Junger, must of thought the movie would do the acting for him. Sorry, Gil. Second of all, there's no plot whatsoever. An amusement park worker accidently gets transported to the year 1328. That's about it! At least "A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court" was actually entertaining. And probably the greatest offense of all is that Black Knight is NOT FUNNY! The funniest scene in the movie is probably when Martin Lawrence brushes his teeth in the beginning. Oh sure, Martin TRIES to be funny, but all he accomplishes is making an ass out of himself. Poor Martin. I stopped the tape halfway through and put it on my shelf for use as a dust collector. OK, so I don't TOTALLY regret buying the video...

If you want a good Martin Lawrence movie, try Blue Streak. Just stay away from this load of garbage.

0/10

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22 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :-
Nothing that you want, and everything you expect... almost, 8 September 2004

Author: TIDQ from Austin, TX

The star of one of the most successful African American sitcoms of the 90s returns for yet another uninspired comedy charged with more racial jokes than you can shake a stick at.

Medieval feudalism meets hip-hop. Another typical "culture clash" comedy, with all the tools to look exactly the same as its predecessors ("Rush Hour," "Bringing Down the House"), but doesn't come across quite as funny.

The one thing I can say for this movie is that it definitely doesn't take itself seriously. The reactions and mannerisms of the medieval people are stretched at best, and Lawrence's reactions aren't quite how you'd expect a normal person to act, were he thrown back in time. All of the jokes are clearly set up, but the ridiculousness of the movie might just grow on you after a while if you treat it like a bad movie.

The front half of the movie is completely abysmal. It's just about clichés of black culture and nothing more. The second half mellows a lot on the racial humor and becomes more charming. It doesn't become "good," but it had charm. Without giving anything away, there's a contrived dance scene that arises well into the movie. As silly and ridiculous as it is, it's an entertaining and well-done scene.

I still gave this movie a two, because even though I enjoyed some scenes near the end, I wouldn't be much of a movie critic if I gave this movie TOO much due. It really is just a bad movie. The fairly original concept was enough to hold my interest, although the comedy was cliché most of the time and overall poorly executed.

Worth watching if you're in the mood for seeing something stupid but not boring. If you want a laugh-out-loud masterpiece, look elsewhere.

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15 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
Yawn, 2 June 2002
Author: Daniel Little (balddanny@hotmail.com) from Columbus, Ohio

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

May contain spoilers

Here's a spoiler-Martin Lawrence goes back in time and becomes a black knight! It was worth a rental, I guess, but I fell asleep during the middle of it. I did like the sequence where he teaches everyone in the castle how to "Dance to the Music". Stupid, but sort of funny. Sort of.

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16 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
Jive Turkey, 21 April 2003

Author: rblayer from San Antonio, Texas

What a shame!! Costumes and scenery to rival 'Shakespere in Love' and a leading man right out of 'Jackass the Movie' Over-acted, over-mugged and over-jived Martin Lawrence single-handedly destroyed an otherwise competent supporting cast and story line. Perhaps only Jim Carey could have been more unlikeable and obnoxious. Time travel can almost always present a viable and enjoyable theme, but a modicum of restraint was needed on the constant barrage of Lawrence's 'cock-eyed' L.A. street jive, which got old in a hurry. Except for the dance lesson, the Black Knight would have been better portrayed by Mike Myers or David Spade, but then again the title of the movie would need to be changed to something like Loser Knight.

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18 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :-
Utter Garbage, 30 August 2002

Author: trevor.hickman from Wolverhampton, England

No plot, No jokes, No budget, No script, No actors

A complete waste of 89 minutes of my life. The film was utter agony in parts, and the only good thing about the evening was that the theatre was absolutely empty so I was able to shout at the screen without disturbing anyone.

There is no single scene within the film without Martin Lawrence in, and the only time he is not on screen is when the camera flicks momentarily to whoever he is talking to.

I really believe that some of the film is un-scripted and they simply gave Lawrence intermittent periods to be "funny" and act stupidly.

From the annoying teeth cleaning scene at the start, right through to the pathetic ending, the film was awful. The middle third really really dragged.

I went, expecting the movie to be very bad, it was worse.

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19 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :-
Disappointing performance by Martin Lawrence, 25 February 2003

Author: Andrew from Houston

Finally got around to seeing this one on D-TV.

I believe most know the plot: man from South-Central LA is teleported to the days of Knights and becomes involved in a rebellion to oust the evil King and restore the good Queen.

In general, it was disappointing because the screenplay did not allow Martin Lawrence to be as funny as he normally is. It seemed forced and weighted down. Unlike other Lawrence films (i.e. Bad Boys, Blue Streak, Big Mama's House) we were not able to see the Martin that we all know and love (or hate). Instead of the impulsive, quick-witted Martin we expect, what we actually saw was Martin that struggled with a poor, predictable script that runs out of fuel in the first twenty minutes and leaves Martin to try to make something out of the remaining hour. As funny as he can be, he is no miracle worker.

All in all I give it a mediocre to low rating. The worst thing is that when I see that Martin Lawrence is going to be in a film I expect certain level of funniness from him. I was disappointed. I feel gypped out of one hour-twenty-minutes of my Saturday.

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19 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :-
Very Bad, 20 January 2003

Author: jalbert3 from ohio

I am a Martin Lawrence fan- I thought Bad Boys and Blue Streak where excellent comedy/action fare. However, I found Black Knight to be totally predictable and boring. The jokes are stale retreads and missing is Martin's crude but lovable humor. I would have found this movie slightly amusing though, if I was twelve years old. Here's something I never thought I would say about a Martin Lawrence movie: this is a good one for the kids.

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