The Kid Who Would Be King

Starring: Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Denise Gough, Dean Chaumoo, Tom Taylor, Rhianna Dorris, Rebecca Ferguson, Patrick Stewart, Angus Imrie, Nick Mohammad
Directed by: Joe Cornish
Rating: PG
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
2019

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A group of kids band together to stop a medieval menace from attacking the world.

Review:

Tim: Although there were moments that bored me in Joe Cornish's The King Who Would Be King, I admit that happened because I wasn't the targeted demographic. It was actually refreshing to see an action/adventure fantasy epic aimed at younger audiences. I liked the accessibility of this film. It's the kind of movie I could see my four year-old son loving in five years. So, although I personally didn't love the movie, it does enough right for me to consider it a fairly solid movie.

Although many, many Arthurian legend movies have been made, I enjoyed the shifts here in the story. The movie is set in modern times and the heroes are all children. These helped differentiate this movie. Even though there's nothing knew about the Sword in the Stone, Merlin, or any of the magical shenanigans our protagonists get up to, it felt like an interesting twist on the old story. It was a nice way to pay tribute to the classic legend while telling a new story for contemporary audiences. It was fun to see the gleeful awe and astonishment the children experience as they start this new adventure.

I loved how this movie wasn't just focused on the visual effects and the fantasy elements. The movie tried to tell a relatable story about what it means to grow up, to find your place in the world. I loved how the characters contemplate what it means to have character and the rules to live by if you want to live a life of honor and integrity. The movie did a great job of delivering these messages in a way that never felt preachy. The lack of pontification while still delivering an important life lesson was impressive. I appreciated how director Joe Cornish balanced this. I thought the friendship between the heroes was interesting, especially as they start out in an adversarial relationship. It shares a good message of forgiveness and looking for the good in others.

The cast was fairly good. Louis Ashbourne Serkis was solid in the lead role. He hits this balance between naivety and courageousness that was needed for the role. I might not have loved his whole performance, but it's an earnest performance that works within the context of the film. Tom Taylor didn't really do much for me. His performance felt generic. Dean Chaumoo was decent, but he was too often relegated to the "best friend comedic relief" cliche. Still, I appreciated him more often than I didn't. Rhianna Dorris felt similar to Taylor. She didn't make much of an impression on me. Angus Imrie was fantastic in a scene-stealing performance as young Merlin. From the zany hand movements to his general aloof yet energetic demeanor, he was a joy to watch. I was pretty excited to see Patrick Stewart was playing "old" Merlin, and I was a little disappointed when I realized how small of a role Stewart actually played. And- this is the highest compliment I can give Imrie- Imrie's performance was so good that I actually didn't mind how few scenes Stewart had. Stewart is a great actor, but Imrie made us not miss him. That's high praise. I was really excited to see Rebecca Ferguson was Morgana, but she makes so limit impact on the film. She was fine, but it was surprising how ineffectual the role of the chief antagonist was.

Now, I've generally been fairly positive about this movie so far. The other side of the coin is that The Kid Who Would Be King might be great for its narrow demographic, but it demonstrates no ability to cross demographics. I could appreciate aspects of the film by tapping into my preteen male mindset, but I was pretty bored throughout the movie. I would have loved the movie when I was ten, but as an adult, it was too slow and predictable to be very engaging. It's not surprising to me that despite getting good reviews from critics, the film was a box office bomb. There really wasn't a compelling reason to see this movie. It was actually better than any of the trailers or advertisements made it seem. That leaves us in that weird place of simultaneously feeling optimistic that the movie was better than expected, but still not all that great regardless.

In the end, the movie might not have been targeted to me, but I could still appreciate the adventure and the life lessons this movie delivered. It's a positive movie with an uplifting message and that is very good for younger viewers to see. It was fun to see Patrick Stewart and Rebecca Ferguson, even if their roles weren't too exciting. Angus Imrie stole most of his scenes. When you add it all up, The Kid Who Would be King is a worthwhile film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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