ithinkdifferent

0/10

Spoilers

Synopsis: High school student Allie Pennington (Britt Robertson) is ecstatic to find out that she will actually be staying at Avalon High for three years, instead of moving after mere months like her parents have always done. Mom and Dad happen to be professors of medieval history, and constantly talk about King Arthur, the wizard Merlin, and their contemporaries, so, Allie knows all about the subject. Upon starting at her new school, she makes friends with football captain Will, his girlfriend Jen, and weird, nerdy Miles. When Allie and Miles are assigned a project on the Order of the Bear, they find that it's a group of people who believe that King Arthur will one day be reincarnated...and it's slated to happen soon. Allie can see where the people at her school fit into the Arthurian legend: Will is the King himself, and Miles is Merlin...but, will she convince them of their true destiny before it's too late? The Good: The movie starts out great; it brings together modern times and an ancient legend. Allie is a likable character, and so are Miles and Will. Hopefully, this telefilm will encourage its viewers to check out the original Arthurian stories. The actors do a wonderful job, and the sets are very nice. The Bad: Unfortunately, everything gets ruined in the last fifteen minutes. [spoiler]Instead of Will being King Arthur, it turns out that Allie--the movie's female lead!--is, whereas Mordred, Arthur's main nemesis, is a teacher who walks with a cane. Seriously, I know female empowerment has been a big thing on Disney Channel for a while, but, that's just nuts. Even the original Meg Cabot novel didn't have that ridiculous plot twist! A woman can't be a king; the definition of "king" is a **male** ruler! Sorry, but the climax messed up what could have been a great flick.[/spoiler] Content Concerns: Sex: Teenage couples kiss and hug; a girl cheats on her boyfriend, but not in a sexual way. Nudity: Allie's midriff is seen once. Language: Name-calling. Violence: Scenes of bullying; a fantasy battle that involves a jousting match. Drugs: None. Frightening/Intense Scenes: Scenes of bullying; an evil teacher; some emotional intensity. Other: Use of magic. Conclusion: Don't you just hate it when the last act completely ruins a movie? That's what happened here, though, and it did not make me very happy. I expected better from Disney Channel; maybe I should watch more of their sitcoms and less of their original movies from now on. Score: 4/10