While this might not be truly great cinema, it is at least a creative spin on Mark Twain’s Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court story. Also called Crusade in Jeans, Dolf Vega (Johnny Flynn) uses his mother’s time machine (who hasn’t done that at one point or another …) with the, er, truly laudable and altruistic purpose of going back to give himself another chance to correct a mistake after a disastrous soccer game. As far as plausibility goes, well, it doesn’t, but the movie is still interesting. Dolf accidentally sends himself back not to his soccer game, but to 13th century Europe. Doh! Upon arrival, he joins the infamous ‘Children’s Crusade’, an event which is largely apocryphal according to historians, but definitely makes for a good story. The script does have fun with culture clash, such as Dolf inadvertently teaching 13th century children 21st century slang. Traveling with a hoard of flower children 800 years before Woodstock, Dolf uses modern know-how to improve conditions for the pint-sized crusaders. I particularly liked the bit where Queen came to the rescue, singing ‘We Are The Champions’. Personally, I liked the movie Timeline better, which also featured a group of modern scientists transported back to medieval Europe. I can’t give this a rave review, but I really did enjoy it and it was a pleasure to see Stephanie Leonidas as she really looks, not made up as Irathient Irissa on Defiance. I appreciated the performance from underrated actor Benno Fürmann, playing itinerant monk Thaddeus. The exchange between Thaddeus and Dolf about faith is excellent. Also, my compliments on the period appropriate artwork depicting Dolf, as well as the evocative soundtrack. – BETHANY
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That’s right, Mom, show your kid exactly how to use the time machine because he won’t be tempted to use it or anything. (Emily Watson and Johnny Flynn)
And here he goes in an appropriately tech-y contraption.
The ‘making friends with the natives by giving them candy bars’ cliché.
Stephanie Leonidas as Jenne with Johnny Flynn as Dolf.
The top brass of the crusade, a medieval version of a publicity stunt.
All the little flower children – note the piously folded hands.
Transportation to the Holy Land or something else?
Monk Thaddeus (Benno Fürmann).
Photos courtesy of Kasander Film Company, Intuit Pictures, Marmont Film Production, Delux Productions, Village Roadshow, RacPac-Dune, 3 Arts Entertainment, Viz Productions, Warner Bros. Pictures and Focusfilm Kft (unless otherwise credited in clickable form)
Reviews by Bethany 