The Uprising First Reviews: Andrew Garfield Elevates A Mixed Historical Epic

The Uprising is a historical thriller, written and directed by Paul Greengrass. The film stars Andrew Garfield and features an ensemble cast of actors such as Jamie Bell, Cosmo Jarvis, Thomasin McKenzie, Tom Hollander, and Woody Norman. The story unfolds in England during 1381 and draws its inspiration from the Peasants' Revolt following the aftermath of the Black Death. The release date of the film in theaters is set for September 10, 2026.

In this movie, an anguished farmer finds himself in the middle of a rebellion against an oppressive rule. Greengrass captures the period in all its urgency, while Garfield injects emotion into the story. However, making a connection between the rebellion and the Robin Hood myth turns out to be one of the film's flaws.

The Uprising Movie Details

The film has a runtime of 128 minutes and is rated R for violence and bloody images.

The Uprising Story Overview

In this film, 1381 year old England is in post-plague period when the survivors have to endure poverty, oppression and heavy taxes and are dissatisfied with the situation due to lack of freedom and low wages despite the lack of laborers. Anger builds up to the point of open rebellion. Ploughman (Andrew Garfield) is a simple farmer who lost his family members to the plague and continues working the field and trying to survive in the society where commoners are oppressed.

After imposing a new poll tax on the workers, Ploughman and other people decide that they have been waiting for too long and organize a march to London where they want to talk to King Richard II (Woody Norman). Some of the prominent people of the rebellion include John Ball (Jamie Bell) and Wat Tyler (Cosmo Jarvis), while the King's royal advisers are trying to deal with the situation and gain some time.

Some conflicts among the revolutionaries themselves also appear because they do not fully understand what they want to get. The rest of the movie is devoted to further development of the rebellion and the difficulties of people who are against the ruling regime.

The Uprising Review: Powerful Ideas, Uneven Execution

The Uprising begins promisingly, creating a solid background of medieval English life and making the consequences of the plague, poverty and taxes obvious to the audience without having to go into all the historic details. Moreover, Paul Greengrass has succeeded in bringing the elements of contemporary life into his medieval plot – making the film discuss the problems of social injustice, politics and people fighting against an establishment that has lost their respect and trust.

Unfortunately, the problem with characterization appears here. The lack of development of several of the main characters makes them rather symbolical characters of the revolt, thus, reducing the effect of some dramatic moments of the film. The worst mistake is made at the end of the film when the connection between the medieval plot and the famous legend about Robin Hood turns out to be rather forced.

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Andrew Garfield Steals The Show

There’s no doubt about it; Andrew Garfield has got to be the greatest thing about the film. Ploughman, portrayed by Garfield, shows a man suffering from grief, anger and yet a glimmer of hope of someone who was least expecting to get involved in an uprising.

Garfield's empathic nature makes it quite easy for us to understand why anyone would follow his character around. He does not go ahead to depict Ploughman as a hero-warrior. Rather, he comes across as a regular person thrown into a very unusual situation. The roles of Jamie Bell, Cosmo Jarvis, and Thomasin McKenzie have also been well-played. Woody Norman stands out as the young King Richard II, giving a somewhat bizarre contrast to the youth of the king.

Action And Visual Appeal

The medieval setting of the movie appears quite dark and gloomy. The deserted fields, muddy landscape and run-down villages give the impression that the country is recovering from the massive casualties. The cinematography done by Pål Ulvik Rokseth contributes to making the movie rather realistic and down-to-earth.

Greengrass uses his trademark technique of filming with the handheld camera. It is especially effective when shooting battle scenes; the shaking camera gives the impression that one is right in the middle of the action. Nevertheless, such technique can be very annoying while filming non-action scenes; the quick movements of the camera make some difficult scenes even more confusing.

What Are The Weak Points?

• Forced Ending
• Thin Characters
• Uneven Execution
• Shaky Camerawork

Is The Uprising Worth Watching?

Watch it if you:

• Like historical epics
• Enjoy Andrew Garfield
• Prefer gritty action
• Enjoy rebellion stories

Skip it if you:

• Want historical accuracy
• Dislike shaky camerawork
• Expect deep character arcs
• Prefer straightforward storytelling

Final Verdict

Overall, The Uprising is an entertaining historical movie with a decent leading role and exciting action scenes. With his vivid depiction of an ill society with plague, poverty, and an unloved elite, Paul Greengrass succeeds in establishing a believable world, which is complemented by a superb emotional performance of Andrew Garfield.

Unfortunately, this historical drama is not entirely consistent with the initial setup. Some work could be done on developing the characters and politics of the society, and the link with Robin Hood in the end was completely redundant. However, despite these flaws, the outstanding cast and fight scenes can make the viewing of this movie worthwhile for historical movie lovers.

Rating: 3/5

Overall, The Uprising is a mixed but engaging historical epic that works largely because of Andrew Garfield's performance and Greengrass's handling of the action, even though its final act weakens the overall impact.

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