by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
Who is ready to join a coven? King Knight offers up a fun, light group of witches who are surprisingly open and accepting… except if you used to be a cool popular kid. What seems to be a loving coven of like-minded individuals starts to unravel when the truth about their fearless leader is revealed. This comedy proceeds to deliver a story of self-discovery and a journey towards accepting oneself.
What a strange take on a witch story? Writer-director Richard Bates Jr. delivers this fun romp full of enjoyable and quirky characters. The film’s structure is not the strongest, but it does its best to piece together the moving pieces. Its early scenes use a combination of montage of minimal animation to introduce the cast of witchy characters. This approach may be clunky and filled with consistent exposition dumps from voiceover, but it is a fun way for our protagonist to introduce the rest of the members of the coven. At least the audience is given some time to either learn to like or dislike the members of the group. The action begins when our leader, Thorn (Matthew Gray Gubler), goes off to attend his high school reunion. This second act is clunky as he goes on a strange hallucinatory walkabout while the rest of the cast cuts in the argument about throwing him out of the coven. Bates is finally able to find his footing with a crazy fun reunion in the third act.
With some awkward and clunky storytelling, is Bates able to convey what he wants in his story? First off, the humor is a bit hit or miss. The hallucinations are weird and distracting, but the general banter between the characters is a fun time. The message of the film is where the real heart is. Each character (including Thorn) needs to find their way in terms of loving themselves for who they are, but also accepting the others despite their past. That is the film’s real struggle. Should Thorn be punished for his past or specifically from hiding it from his friends due to fear of the judgment? We can all relate to this message, which allows us to connect with these characters.
What about this cast and their characters that they bring to life? Gubler leads the way with a charismatic performance as Thorn. This is a role that Andrew Garfield could channel (if this was a bigger film that could grab his attention). But Gubler (of Criminal Minds fame) does a fine job. The real live wire of the cast is Thorn’s partner Willow portrayed by Westworld alumna Angela Sarafyan. She is spicy and charismatic, while being loving and sometimes angry. The rest of the coven crew are a variety of fun and quirky. A shoutout should go to Twin Peaks alum Ray Wise for his hallucinatory presence, and to Barbara Crampton, who gives a bit of an unhinged performance as Thorn’s mother.
Is this quirky and weird little comedy worth your time? Bates Jr. may struggle to make this narrative really come together in a meaningful way, but overall, it is a fun time. There are jokes and gags to enjoy and a good strong message to latch onto. I would not be opposed to enjoying some more weird adventures with this quirky coven of witches.
Grade: C
You can follow Shane Conto on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd