Around 450 AD, the Roman Empire was in decline and the British Isles were a loose anarchy of errant knights with a history of many years of territorial battle. As legend has it, one of the knights, King Arthur, wanted to unite them at a round table, which symbolized equality, as no one knight sat at the head of that table.

After they win a hard-fought battle and successfully rescue a bishop from certain death, Arthur and his band of elite soldiers, like a small brigade of "special forces," expect to be released from 15 years of service to the realm. But they are told that they must complete one more mission; to rescue a young Roman and his family from within enemy territory. They must defeat the fierce Saxons, led by Cedric (Stellan Skarsgaard).

These knights realize that this is a battle from which many of them will not return. But for freedom and loyalty they raise their swords and follow Arthur. The supporting cast provides depth and you care about everyone, even the bad guys. Cedric declares that Arthur is, "… a man worth killing." Ray Winstone ("Sexy Beast") as Bors is quite a character. With his twisted sense of humor, he provides comedic relief to what is an overall bleak situation.

The fact that this film was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer ("Pirates of the Caribbean") and directed by Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day") probably explains why we liked the movie better than we expected. The strong story and acting, along with battle scenes that are better than "Troy," approach "Lord of the Rings," (LOTR) ¾ making it hard not to embrace this film.

The best combination of real life action and computer generated images (CGI) of any movie we can think of, rivaling "LOTR," make this an event film that not only lives up to the hype but exceeds it. With a mood that mixes the cerebral headiness of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with the ferocity of Gladiator, "King Arthur" is a must see film.

George’s Take: There are a number of excellent new young actresses on the scene, but without doubt one of the best is 19-year-old Keira Knightley ("Pirates of the Caribbean," "Love Actually," "Bend it Like Beckman"). She can do both romantic roles that sparkle with passion and swing a sword, as Guinevere, on the battlefield against the most ferocious warriors.

Pam’s Take: The dialogue and interplay between characters is natural, humorous and not contrived or too modern. Kudos to writer David Franzoni.