amal Walker (Lawrence) is just a regular guy going about his maintenance job at a medieval-themed amusement center when he spies a golden amulet at the bottom of the castle's dilapidated moat. Reaching
out to grab it, Jamal inadvertently plunges head first into the murky water. He emerges in a truly medieval world, complete with horses, knights, castles and kings.
Initially, Jamal believes he is at Castle World, a rival amusement center that is threatening to put his employer out of business. He informs the guards at the castle gate that he is from South Central, specifically Florence and Normandie. Mistaking him for an expected messenger from Normandy, the guards allow him to enter with much fanfare.
The king (Kevin Conway) receives Jamal, asking him when the Duke of Normandy will be arriving to take the princess' hand in marriage. Presuming the whole thing to be an improvisational exercise, Jamal plays along. Pleased with the news of the duke's arrival, the king treats him as an honored guest. It isn't until he witnesses a live beheading that Jamal realizes the truth of his situation.
Before he knows it, he is drawn into a rebellion led by a beautiful courtier named Victoria (Marsha Thomason) and a dissolute knight named Knolte (Tom Wilkinson). Victoria informs him that King Leo murdered his predecessor and stole the throne from the now-exiled queen. The rebels want Jamal's help in restoring the queen to her rightful place, but he is enjoying the royal treatment too much to become involved.
It all comes to an end, however, when the real messenger arrives from Normandy and the king discovers his licentious daughter in Jamal's bed. When the rebels rescue him from execution, he finally joins their cause. While they prepare to attack the castle, he teaches them about modern fighting tactics, and they teach him the value of honor in return.
Same shtick, different century
While there hasn't exactly been a dearth of time-travel movies recently, the concept of adding a racial element to the formula is full of intriguing possibilities—all of which have been squandered in this hackneyed comedy from executive producer Martin Lawrence and director Gil Junger. Lawrence mugs his way through an unoriginal script with so many flimsy and inexplicable developments that it inspires laughter in all the wrong places. Audiences may find themselves laughing at the film, rather than with it.
Granted, a lighthearted genre comedy is perhaps not the best forum for social commentary, but to acknowledge the racial differences—one character, the villainous knight Percival, continuously calls Jamal a moor—and yet not deal with them is half-hearted and simply lazy storytelling. The potential for exploring an original aspect of history has been cast aside here in favor of an abundance of slapstick and the same fish-out-of-water humor that has been seen time and again in movies like this.
Additionally, the story itself is rife with plot holes big enough to drive a horse and cart through. It is never explained how Jamal is mystically transported to the Middle Ages, and no one seems to question his modern dress and mannerisms when he gets there. His eventual romance with Victoria is obvious from the start, given that she is the only other non-white person in sight. Her reason for being at the castle in the first place remains a mystery.
Only die-hard fans of Lawrence's comedy may find something to like in Black Knight—such as the big musical sequence where he orchestrates a rousing rendition of Dance to the Music from a group of medieval performers. Like the rest of the film, it stretches the limits of believability, but admittedly it is a fun scene and Lawrence clearly seems to be having fun in it.
