Tristan & Isolde

Kevin Reynolds directs a Dark Ages soap opera reminiscent of the forbidden love triangle between King Arthur, Lancelot and Lady Guinevere. Circa 600, the Romans have withdrawn from England, leaving a torn nation of feuding English warlords under the suppressive rule of a Celtic king. In a jumble of royal politics and greed, the English knight in the film’s title dies. Cast into the water in a ceremonial funeral, only to arrive on the Irish banks, Tristan (James Franco) is coincidentally nursed to health by his enemy’s daughter and future love (Sophia Myles). From then on, contrived instances of mistaken identity, sword fights and power struggles ensue, all in the name of love—and minimal Hollywood entertainment.