In the 2019 romantic-comedy film, 'The Knight Before Christmas,' by Monika Mitchell and screenwriter Cara Russell, the film follows the Knight Sir Cole (Josh Whitehouse) as he is transported from the medieval ages to present day in order to fulfill his destiny of receiving true love's kiss. Overall, the movie had great writing throughout, only to be left feeling let down by the plot and the cinematography. So, what went right and wrong here?
Well, let us start off with the plot of the movie because it's a simple premise that works okay. Although the plot of the movie is very unfocused and in which certain tropes and plots are reused from different Hallmark movies there is nothing inherently wrong about being predictable. After all, if it isn't broke, don't fix it right? Well, the problem I have with the Knight Before Christmas is simply the fact that there is no tension because of its traditional nature. For example, Sir Knight Cole has to fulfill his destiny before Christmas or else he will never be able to go back to the time from which he came. This premise alone is great but because I know prior to viewing that this is going to be a feel-good movie (as all Hallmark movies are) the tension is gone. But other than the plot being predictable, the pacing in the final 10 minutes of the movie is satisfying but questionable. Yes, Sir Cole gets back to his time period but all he does is go up to his brother after he was thought to have been lost in a winter storm to say, "Hi, I'm back, see you later." and comes back to present day to live happily ever after with the love of his life. It makes you really question why the plot of needing a kiss to come back was really a necessary plot device if he was only going to spend 5 mins to just grab his horse and say goodbye to the thing he worked towards for the entire film.
But other than my gripes with the structure of the story, everything else I thought worked fantastically. In particular, my favorite part was the comedy part of the rom-com, particularly Sir Cole and how he referred to present-day items using medieval terms. You would think that guy would learn how to say car instead of 'metal steed' considering how he immediately figured out how to use a remote. The continuity of the character role isn't always consistent but it is executed well since it leads to scenes that are very funny and/or adds to the romantic relationship between Cole and Brooke.
The lighting was great I liked how it was changed every now and then with more shadows to convey more intense emotions, and more light in the shots to convey happier ones which benefited the cinematography by allowing each scene to be viewed easily. Speaking of cinematography, I thought the movie could have used more varied scenes. For example, I think I counted 5 times throughout the movie where they are at the Christmas town and if they are not there they are back at Brooke's house. As a result, It got a little stale in terms of fresh environments.
The thematic content works well although like I said earlier, the composition of the movie is very traditional. Nothing really felt out of place except the Knight in the movie but since it was intentional it worked out to make the movie more appealing. These elements work well, I never felt like I cringed over poorly executed scenes.
Overall, the movie is good. The plot could have been less traditional and added more tension. The cinematography was great although nothing mind-blowing. Finally, the relationship Cole and Brooke have in the movie really builds up well throughout the movie only to be diminished with a lackluster and questionable ending.
Well, let us start off with the plot of the movie because it's a simple premise that works okay. Although the plot of the movie is very unfocused and in which certain tropes and plots are reused from different Hallmark movies there is nothing inherently wrong about being predictable. After all, if it isn't broke, don't fix it right? Well, the problem I have with the Knight Before Christmas is simply the fact that there is no tension because of its traditional nature. For example, Sir Knight Cole has to fulfill his destiny before Christmas or else he will never be able to go back to the time from which he came. This premise alone is great but because I know prior to viewing that this is going to be a feel-good movie (as all Hallmark movies are) the tension is gone. But other than the plot being predictable, the pacing in the final 10 minutes of the movie is satisfying but questionable. Yes, Sir Cole gets back to his time period but all he does is go up to his brother after he was thought to have been lost in a winter storm to say, "Hi, I'm back, see you later." and comes back to present day to live happily ever after with the love of his life. It makes you really question why the plot of needing a kiss to come back was really a necessary plot device if he was only going to spend 5 mins to just grab his horse and say goodbye to the thing he worked towards for the entire film.
But other than my gripes with the structure of the story, everything else I thought worked fantastically. In particular, my favorite part was the comedy part of the rom-com, particularly Sir Cole and how he referred to present-day items using medieval terms. You would think that guy would learn how to say car instead of 'metal steed' considering how he immediately figured out how to use a remote. The continuity of the character role isn't always consistent but it is executed well since it leads to scenes that are very funny and/or adds to the romantic relationship between Cole and Brooke.
The lighting was great I liked how it was changed every now and then with more shadows to convey more intense emotions, and more light in the shots to convey happier ones which benefited the cinematography by allowing each scene to be viewed easily. Speaking of cinematography, I thought the movie could have used more varied scenes. For example, I think I counted 5 times throughout the movie where they are at the Christmas town and if they are not there they are back at Brooke's house. As a result, It got a little stale in terms of fresh environments.
The thematic content works well although like I said earlier, the composition of the movie is very traditional. Nothing really felt out of place except the Knight in the movie but since it was intentional it worked out to make the movie more appealing. These elements work well, I never felt like I cringed over poorly executed scenes.
Overall, the movie is good. The plot could have been less traditional and added more tension. The cinematography was great although nothing mind-blowing. Finally, the relationship Cole and Brooke have in the movie really builds up well throughout the movie only to be diminished with a lackluster and questionable ending.