Quartile rating: 5.5/10 · 1 rating
England, 15th century. Hal, a capricious prince who lives among the populace far from court, is forced by circumstances to reluctantly accept the throne and become Henry V.
The King boasts exceptional performances, particularly Timothée Chalamet's brooding Hal and Joel Edgerton's Falstaff, and Roger Deakins-influenced cinematography delivers striking, desaturated medieval atmosphere. The plot, drawing loosely from Shakespeare's Henriad rather than strict history, is engaging but meanders in its second half, and the Agincourt battle sequence, while visually impressive in its muddy chaos, lacks dramatic payoff. The twist ending regarding the Dauphin's manipulation is clever on paper but lands flatly in execution, feeling rushed and unearned. As a revisionist take on Henry V, it has a distinctive somber tone, but the brooding prestige-drama approach to historical royalty is well-trodden Netflix territory, keeping Novelty from standing out further.