Andrew Garfield's "thrilling" period drama is finally available to watch in the UK

The Uprising, a mammoth new period drama fronted by Andrew Garfield, has been out in US cinemas for nigh-on a month – and now, at long last, it's available to watch in the UK. The film, written and directed by Paul Greengrass, also stars Jamie Bell, Stephen Dillane, Tom Hollander, Cosmo Jarvis and Thomasin McKenzie.

Katherine Waterston, Dónal Finn, Woody Norman and Jonny Lee Miller also feature in the flick, with the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch and Matthew McConaughey both reportedly attached at various stages of its development.

Set in 1381, it dramatises the English Peasants' Revolt, and had the subtitle The Rise of Robin Hood when it was released Stateside, although the folkloric character is never mentioned in it by name.

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The Uprising has had polarising responses from critics, and currently has a 56% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with its audience score sitting at a slightly stronger 65%.

In a positive review, San Jose Mercury News said: "The Uprising alternates from thrilling to heartbreaking throughout and serves as another reminder that history is built on chapters like this, when power devolves into cruelty and tests the resiliency of the populace."

New York Times, similarly, called it "authentically gritty and satisfyingly bloody", while Vulture said it "gets your blood boiling nice and hot".

On the other hand, the Wall Street Journal criticised its "prosaic dialogue and barely imagined characters", and the Chicago Reader said the film is "as ideologically confused as it is dramatically inert".

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Speaking to Digital Spy, Garfield spoke of his passion for the project, saying: "As actors, storytellers and artists right now, we're looking to reflect our current times. That is, for me anyway, what feels most meaningful.

"Sure, it's 1381, but it feels like a long-distance mirror to our near tomorrow. I feel very, very concerned, like I think most of us do, about where we are as a society."

He's been so busy, he hasn't had time to see Spider-Man: Brand New Day just yet, despite previously playing the title character.

"I don't want to watch it on my TV, I want to watch it in the cinema, so I'm just waiting for that window. I will do it. I'm so excited to do it," he explained.

The Uprising is out now in the UK.

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Shaun is an Evening News Editor at Digital Spy, with over a decade of experience reporting on all things pop culture. He has written for outlets including Metro, Attitude, Huffington Post, The Mirror, Yahoo!, Pink News and Express Online, specialising in TV, movies, soaps, music and LGBTQ+ issues. He is also a BAFTA Rocliffe-winning scriptwriter, having written episodes of the soap Hollyoaks, the official Steps musical Here & Now and multiple Offie Award-nominated plays. He studied English Literature and Drama at the University of East Anglia, and will happily talk at length about Desperate Housewives to anyone who'll listen.