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"So what does King Arthur tell us about today?" asks Steve Lansingh (Film Forum). "Plenty. [It's] a movie steeped in modern (and quite American) sensibilities: The church is depicted as corrupt and unfeeling, but Arthur's faith in God is affirmed because it gives him personal strength. Guinevere is a fierce fighter and strong woman; the macho, tough-as-nails Bors finds he has a tender heart. The rest of the knights are reluctant warriors, not relishing danger but willing to follow their leader anywhere. Arthur believes in the freedom and free will of all people, although he is willing to slaughter those who don't agree with him. In short, the movie is every bit as admirable and frustrating, noble and deceitful, lovely and horrible as life in America is today."

Annabelle Robertson (Crosswalk) says, "Fuqua and … Franzoni bypass the ancient myths and create a new one fashioned after the spirit of our times—postmodernity—where do-it-yourself faith and feminism are the hallmarks. A disappointment on many levels, King Arthur consists of mostly fighting, all of it vicious and violent (though apparently not enough to warrant an R rating)."

Not all Christian film critics arrived at this negative opinion.

"It's refreshing to see King Arthur draped with such a convincing Christian heritage," writes Tom Neven (Plugged In). "Up until his pagan wedding, it's made plain that everything Arthur does is motivated by his faith. And while a few Christian figures are negative, it's clear from the context that they're corrupt, not their religion." He adds that the film "features many positive lessons on loyalty, courage and self-sacrifice."

"Franzoni is very clever in how he takes the elements of the legend and inserts it into this story," says Michael Elliott (Movie Parables). "Clive Owen has a commanding presence as Arthur. His character is driven by an overwhelming sense of morality and righteousness and he conveys strong charismatic leadership qualities that make it easy to believe that men would risk their lives for him. The rest of the cast form a fine ensemble."

A veritable "round table" of scowling mainstream film critics are criticizing the film as well.

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