FORGET everything you know about the myths and magic of the Arthurian legend - in fact, forget almost everything that you know about the stories of King Arthur and his knights.

This isn't a mystical tale of charmed swords and sorcerers - it's Braveheart with bells on.

King Arthur takes elements of some of the Arthurian legend, principally the characters involved, and - to use a made-up word that is becoming increasingly popular in the world of the movies - 'reimagines' them.

And why not? The Arthurian legends, that we are all familiar with to some extent, are themselves almost all little more than fairytales, stories that have changed over time as they have been retold, so why not change them again, to bring them to life for a contemporary audience?

In this version of the tale Arthur (Clive Owen) is a brave Roman soldier and his knights are Sarmatian - conscripted troops from the conquered people of the Roman empire.

Guinevere (Keira Knightley) is a Woad warrior who has been captured by some nasty Romans and is rescued by Arthur and co, not that she's a damsel in distress by any means.

Merlin (Stephen Dillane) is said to be a magician but never demonstrates these skills, instead being a Woad leader.

The retelling works very well and, unless you're a major fan of Arthurian legends, the deviations from the stories that we know probably won't bother you.

What the film should be called up on, however, is its internal discrepancies. This is a good film which, with a bit more time and care taken in the editing suite, could have been great.

The film lacks several of the short explanatory scenes that are necessary to explain what, exactly, is going on. For instance, one minute we see Guinevere in the thick of the battle then, when Lancelot (Ioan Gruffudd) comes to help her, she completely disappears.

There's also the question of why, if the Roman family that Arthur and his knights are sent to rescue, are so important to the Roman empire, were they living so deep in hostile territory. If you're someone who's inclined to pick holes in films, you will spend days after watching this saying, 'And another thing...'.

But nevertheless, this is a really enjoyable, epic movie. The characters are well-developed and all the principle characters are very well cast and their relationships, particularly between the knights, seem very real. There are plenty of great battle scenes and stirring heroic moments.

Guinevere is a real treat - a woman who is in no way treated as just a romantic interest but who gets into the thick of the action, yelling, spitting and fighting as much as, if not more than, any of the men.

King Arthur may not be the stuff of legends, but it's a great film, nevertheless.

RATING: 7/10