Black Knight
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: November 21, 2001 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
32
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 26 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
6
Negative:
15
Watch Now
Stream On
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Washington PostStephen Hunter
Lawrence is miraculous, as always. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
It has more hilarious throwaway lines than most comedies offer up as their best jokes, and it is consistently inspired, energetic and, most important, light on its feet. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Martin Lawrence finally gets to show what he can do as a screen comedian. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
It's a shrewd little comedy that uses good British actors to challenge its star, who rises to the occasion.
63
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Though the humor of Black Knight never quite achieves the giddiness of a Monty Python comedy, Lawrence creates a character more lovable than either Bill or Ted on either of their excellent adventures. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Lawrence, as always, exerts the appeal of a con man too lightweight to buy into his own con. He'd be funnier, though, if he didn't insist on being the only funny thing in the room. Read full review
50
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
It relies on short bursts of Lawrence's zaniness, punctuated by an occasional joke about stinking feet or vile breath. For his admirers, that will be plenty. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeJay Carr
It's hard to find the movie unpleasant, but it's hard to imagine it causing any strong reaction at all.
50
USA TodayClaudia Puig
We had hoped for just a funny movie, but instead we get some laughs and plenty of yawns. Read full review
40
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Too bad it's not so funny. Almost every gag in Black Knight feels forced and contrived, as if the movie is desperate to squeeze laughs out of us. Read full review
40
New Times (L.A.)Andy Klein
Goes by relatively swiftly and painlessly, despite the completely ragtag nature of its construction, but there is not an inspired moment in it. Read full review
38
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
The best thing about Black Knight is when it finally says goodnight.
33
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Isn't merely bad, it's utterly flavorless and the filmmakers are either too lazy or too cynical to even pretend there's a story behind Lawrence's 21st century homeboy shtick in 14th-century garb. Read full review
30
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
This time-travel scenario is by now shopworn, and the normally riotous Lawrence, a manic and gifted clown, is hamstrung in his efforts to eke humor from the anemic script. Read full review
30
TV Guide MagazineSteve Simels
The lame and apparently tacked-on ending (which seems to crib footage from 2000's "Gladiator"), suggests the rather terrifying prospect of a Roman-era sequel. Five words: Be afraid, be very afraid. Read full review
30
VarietyJoe Leydon
Arriving so soon after "A Knight's Tale" -- and the 25th-anniversary reissue of the classic "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," Black Knight is a textbook example of too much, too late. Read full review
25
New York PostJonathan Foreman
If this cheesy, cheap-looking update of "A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur's Court" had been co-produced by the Ku Klux Klan itself, it could hardly be more repellently stereotypical. Read full review
25
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
Dismal time-travel comedy that makes "Big Momma's House" look like "Citizen Kane." Read full review
25
Chicago TribuneMark Caro
But in the end everything comes down to Lawrence, who has yet to develop a truly distinct comedic sensibility. Read full review
25
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
It's fitting that Black Knight, the new time-travel movie with Martin Lawrence, should arrive at the start of the Christmas season, because the season gives us the perfect word to describe it: humbug. Read full review
20
The New York TimesStephen Holden
A movie that knows its audience. Its underlying philosophy might be: why try harder when this is all they expect? Read full review
20
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
Jamal (Martin Lawrence), starts trying to make the best of a bad situation, which becomes our job too. Read full review
20
Film ThreatMichael Dequina
Martin Lawrence can be hysterically funny. You'd never guess that from watching the remarkably wasteful endeavor known as Black Knight. Read full review
10
Village VoiceMark Holcomb
Suited only for unwitting under-twelvers (though even they may not outlast the midpoint evaporation of Lawrence's shtick). Read full review
0
L.A. WeeklyPaul Malcolm
"It's no longer funny, but he refuses to give up the joke." That just about sums it up except for the film's shopworn plot -- and its wretchedly cheap production design. Read full review
0
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
There's precious little to like about the witless and decidedly tedious Black Knight other than the fact that it's unlikely to generate a sequel. Read full review
More From This Movie

32 Critic Reviews

8.2 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL