The Uprising (2026) Review: So Uninspiring You’ll Want To Stay Seated
The Uprising is a historical film based on the Peasants’ Revolt, which took place in England during the reign of King Richard II in 1381. Andrew Garfield takes to the muddy streets in protest as Ploughman, a fictionalised character who becomes a figurehead for a revolt sparked by the rising poll tax.
Historians, don’t bother. You’ll spend two hours picking out all the inaccuracies and giving people the history lesson this movie failed to deliver, while everyone else weighs in on the ridiculousness of this bloated, messy and pointless film. Despite a few rousing calls to arms that manage to produce goosebumps and stand as a testament to his acting chops, even Andrew Garfield, the one light in this medieval tunnel, couldn’t save it.
The role of Ploughman is filled with as much depth as the tool he’s named after. As the man responsible for the first wave of defiance, his reasons for flipping a table and marching on the king are weak, especially when he’s surrounded by men with much better reasons to stand up and fight. As a character, Ploughman has nothing to lose and nothing to gain, so throughout the film, you’re left wondering why he didn’t just go home and mind his own business.
Fear not, characterisation and motivation aside, The Uprising still has plenty of other flaws. From unbalanced audio levels to mumbling actors with accents seemingly ripped from The Testament of Ann Lee, it’s a miracle you can work out what’s going on at any given moment. Thankfully, the bizarre use of reality TV-style crash zooms only makes matters more baffling.
The Uprising is a disappointing, mangled mess that even Garfield couldn’t save. There was a blip where the movie was marketed as a Robin Hood origin story; before that notion was soon backtracked due to an angry internet mob. It highlights a lack of focus on what this film was meant to be. On the otherhand a more paranoid person might suggest the film was deliberately made so uninspiring to discourage anyone from taking inspiration from history, especially in these economically uncertain times. We’ll never know, but we can say that one rebellion the filmmakers have succeeded in enticing is against the movie itself.
Rating: 1/5
Did you bother with The Uprising?