With A Knight of the Seven Kingdom’s first season behind us now, it seems topical and appropriate to look back on another project that’s all about knights and jousting. Having just celebrated its 25th anniversary, A Knight’s Tale has gone on to become something of a cult classic. Incorporating rock and roll music, medieval jousting, and plenty of style, the film shouldn’t actually work, but overall, it really does.

Set in the 1300s, the film chronicles the life of William Thatcher (Heath Ledger), a squire for Sir Ector who has always dreamed of bigger and better things. But the laws of the land restrict the peasantry to their class, and so he and his fellow squires must live to serve. That is, until Ser Ector dies in a jousting tournament, one pass away from victory. With empty bellies, William impersonates his fallen master and wins the tournament. They could keep the gold and go home, but William convinces Roland (Mark Addy) and Wat (Alan Tudyk) to take the winnings to buy training gear. William is already a capable fighter thanks to years of squiring, so by impersonating a lord from an obscure land, he can enter future tournaments and change his lot in life. With the help of Geoffrey Chaucer (Paul Bettany), who forges the heraldry and lineage of Sir Ulrich von Liechtenstein, and Kate (Laura Fraser), a woman blacksmith living as an expat in France, they form a motley crew to become more than what they were given in life.

What you’ll probably notice right off the bat is how A Knight’s Tale says “screw it!” and plays by its own rules when it comes to the film’s soundtrack. The film opens with the tourney audience stomping and clapping in sync with Queen’s We Will Rock You, with herald trumpets doubling as Brian May’s electric guitar. Throughout the film, such music acts as Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, Eric Clapton and BTO can be heard. It’s wildly anachronistic, and it shouldn’t work, but it really does, and the film’s score finds ways to usher in some of the songs quite nicely, such as Bowie’s Golden Years during a banquet. It helps create a unique and memorable identity for A Knight’s Tale. Jousting is seen as pretty rock’n’roll, so why not lean into that with the soundtrack?

The cast, for the most part, also helps create charm and likability. Heath Ledger does most of the heavy lifting as William, a starry-eyed peasant with dreams of something better. He’s a bit arrogant, and a bumbling idiot from time to time, but never unlikeable. Rufess Sewell is also fantastic as Count Adhemar, forever Sir Douche in my books. He’s vile, gross, jealous, misogynist, and almost always cool and level-headed, which only makes his corruption that much more insufferable. Where the movie stumbles a bit is with Shannyn Sossamon as Jocelyn, William’s love interest. Stilted acting makes her scenes stand out more, and her character just isn’t very interesting or likable. Telling William to lose a tournament in the name of love is wild. That would be like asking an NFL quarterback to stand still and take hits over and over. Not only is there a lack of professionalism, but the risk of injury increases quite intensely. Most of her outfits also feel out of place compared to the other characters. She feels more in line with the style of the late 90s and early 2000s pop scene, very Spice Girls-inspired. So I get the anachronistic take, but since she’s the only one to dress like this, it feels out of place.

But A Knight’s Tale is, overall, a really fun movie. It’s got great music, memorable characters, and entertaining jousting. Count Adhemar is such a villain that it’s easy to root for William in his plight to take on the nobles. So if A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms got you craving for some more chivalry, then give this one a go!