With its theatrical release only a couple of weeks away, IGN has released an exclusive clip from David Lowery's The Green Knight, giving viewers another glimpse of the highly anticipated A24 film. Like numerous other movies, The Green Knight was scheduled to have its world premiere at the SXSW Festival in 2020, but naturally, here we are over a year later. The wait has only escalated expectations for Lowery's latest feature, but based on the first clip, the film will surely be a singular experience that doesn't pull its punches.
The Green Knight is a loose adaptation of the poem of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," a late 14th-century English epic about King Arthur and his Knights of Camelot. They both recount the story of Sir Gawain, King Arthur's nephew, who embarks on a quest to fight the titular Knight — a massive, Treebeard-like creature. Dev Patel stars as Sir Gawain, joined by Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sarita Choudhury and Sean Harris. A host of other A24 regulars are also part of the cast, including The Witch's Kate Dickie and Ralph Ineson, as well as The Killing of the Sacred Deer's Barry Keoghan.
The few trailers that have been released so far depict a highly stylized and visually impressive film. This clip shows the introduction of the Green Knight to King Arthur's round table, where he is initially met with hostility. This scene is also edited with another one to include Gawain's mother. She is a sorceress who may or may not be manipulating the events and circumstances behind the scenes. Covered with a blindfold in a tall tower, she takes a sealed note and sets it aflame, and in the ashes a green leaf sprouts. We next see the tree-and-moss-covered Green Knight entering the castle (who looks incredibly cool and well-designed), as he holds out the sealed note in his hand and offers it to King Arthur and his knights.
Theatrical music and eerie vocals set the stage for the quest's introduction, accentuated by the low-key lighting and resplendent costumes. While there is a chance that this kind of melodramatic tone could be a miss with viewers, it's great to see a film commit to a wholly different and more challenging experience.
The Green Knight hits theaters on July 30. Check out the new clip below.