Outlaw King / YMMV

Aluminum Christmas Trees: Robert the Bruce really was crowned by a woman. Kings of Scotland were traditionally crowned by a representative of Clan MacDuff, but the head of the clan was in enemy hands and underage. The Scots held an initial crowning without him, but re-did it a day or two later when Isabella MacDuff arrived to ensure that Robert was crowned by a MacDuff. Interestingly, her own husband was fighting on the English side.
Best Known for the Fanservice: News of Chris Pine's scene of full-frontal nudity caused quite a stir - indeed, even after the film was recut by 20 minutes following festival screenings reports made it clear that Pine's nude scene would remain in. Funnily enough, it's not due to a sex scene with Robert and his queen but during a rather sudden outdoor bath much later. Pine complained about a double standard, since his female co-star's nudity in said sex scene wasn't seen as newsworthy compared to his.
Complete Monster: Edward, Prince of Wales, is the sadistic son of King Edward I "Longshanks", who convinces his father to declare Robert the Bruce an outlaw. Sent by Longshanks to crush Robert's uprising, Edward razes numerous villages throughout Scotland, massacring countless innocents, while having his henchman Aymer de Valence slaughter Robert's forces, and threatens to execute de Valance should he fail to capture Robert again. Seizing control of Kildrummy Castle, Edward hangs and disembowels Robert's brother before slitting Lord MacKinnon's throat, while making Robert's wife and daughter watch as he kills them. When Robert's wife, Elizabeth de Burgh, refuses to annul her marriage, Edward places her in a gibbet (hanging cage), letting the rising tides potentially kill her. When Longshanks collapses while traveling to face Robert, Edward insults his father before he dies and defies his father's dying wishes, by having him buried in a country he hates.
Ensemble Dark Horse: Aaron Taylor-Johnson made quite the impression on critics as the battle-mad Black Douglas, particularly since he's almost unrecognizable from his most prominent roles such as Kick-Ass or Quicksilver.
Genius Bonus: Before the Battle of Loudoun Hill, Robert likens himself to a spider, and a lingering shot of a spider's web is shown. This is a reference to a legend which concerns Robert hiding out in a cave after a series of defeats. Just when he was ready to give up, he noticed a spider on the roof of the cave trying to build its web, failing twice, and succeeding on the third attempt, which spurred Robert to fight on against the English. A Deleted Scene actually depicted the legend, so it's an Orphaned Call-Back.
- Edward I is seen practicing shooting a bow in his courtyard, and where everyone else is wearing blue tunics, he's wearing a soft green coat that is different from the rest. It's highly reminiscent of the Steppe coat worn by Mongols. Edward actually came into contact with the Mongols while on the Ninth Crusade, where he made efforts into an alliance with them. The coat he's wearing suggests he had high respect for them and grew fond of their clothing.
Moment of Awesome: The battle of Loudoun Hill in the climax, where Robert's tenacity eventually pays off and where Edward II's overconfidence in his mighty cavalry is shattered by a ditch with wooden spikes, a muddy swamp and a few hundreds of very determined Scots. Among them, James "Black" Douglas going full Blood Knight is a stand out.
Narm:
- Historically accurate as it might be, the "By These Swans!" scene seems to have gotten a chuckle or a stunned silence from a good number of people. Then again, considering the fact that it was actually Longshanks who did this, it's still less Narmy than how it would have played out if they'd been 100% accurate. Can you imagine Stephen Dillane (or Patrick McGoohan if you're going by Braveheart) doing that? It's not even clear if the swans are still alive, being strangled to death, or already dead.
- The film makes the decision to insert a climactic duel between Robert and Prince Edward at the battle of Loudoun Hill, but since Edward wasn't even present at the battle historically, Robert can't kill or capture him without radically changing history. As a result, Edward just sort of wanders off after losing the fight, with Robert's men making no effort whatsoever to stop him.
One-Scene Wonder: A priest with a particularly melodious singing voice chants an Alleluia hymn in church,^note just before Douglas and his men slaughter the foes inside, having snuck in for the service. The contrast between "sacred and profane" is palpable.
Spiritual Successor: The historical events that are depicted here mostly come directly after those of Braveheart, some time between the execution of William Wallace in 1305 and the battle of Bannockburn (which concluded the latter film after a Time Skip) in 1314. Robert the Bruce became king of Scotland in 1306. Although Outlaw King aims at much less Artistic License – History than Braveheart.

YMMV / Outlaw King

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