William Tell

It seems a bit of a stretch to think that this is going to end up as the first installment in a long-running MCU-style series of hard-edged escapist adventures loosely based on history. But stranger things have happened.

This old-fashioned tale of folk heroism and hardy underdogs benefits from solid performances and spectacular vistas, but it loses points for a sequel-baiting ending. 

The central narrative, however, is creaky and overfamiliar — this is where the film falls apart.

As William Tell, Claes Bang aims for stirring oration but ends up with something that sounds more like half-stirred word porridge.

It’s entirely ridiculous, but performed with absolute seriousness and the result is an innocent amusement.

The acting is a bubbling fondue of clashing styles... But with its golden mountain vistas and some sweeping Lord of the Rings-like camerawork, Will Tell does have a satisfying old-school sensibility.

... the technical elements are as-expected for a narrative of this scope and size, & the thematic elements are particularly poignant in a political era of similar tyrannical greed, [yet] "William Tell" largely falls flat due to its rote approach ...

Without a hint of humor, it doesn't lack a single cliché...[Full review in Spanish]

Some stirring old-school action sequences can’t plug all the holes in a formulaic script that takes some egregious historical liberties. Plus, the ending is ridiculous.

...a (too serious) bloody psychodrama that deconstructs the image of the hero... [Full review in Spanish]