The Kid Who Would Be King is a 2019 retelling of the classic King Arthur story set in the 21st century.
Are we sure The Kid Who Would Be King is a January movie? That month is usually known for the release of forgettable and terrible films, and this totally feels like it belongs in the summer movie season. Directed by Joe Cornish, known for making the highly entertaining R-rated flick Attack the Block, is now back with a family film titled The Kid Who Would Be King. As a modern day retelling of the King Arthur story, it totally works. It’s definitely going to appeal a lot to kids, but parents might also have a good time with it as well.
It stars Louis Ashbourne Serkis as Alex Elliot, and he’s a kid who gets bullied at school and misses his father. One night, he finds the legendary and mythical sword called Excalibur. As he successfully pulls out the Sword in the Stone, he now has the task of recruiting his best friend Bedders (Dean Chaumoo) and his bullies in order to form a new round table of knights and prepare for a battle against the evil Morgana (Rebecca Ferguson). With the help of a wizard named Merlin (Angus Imrie), Alex is training to be a great leader and hopefully save the world with his new allies. Sounds familiar? Absolutely. Is it fun? Oh yes.
Everyone in the cast does a good job in their roles, and you can tell they’re having a lot of fun. Serkis is extremely likeable as Alex, and he’s able to carry the film on his own from start to finish. He has a lot of character development as the movie goes on, and it’s cool seeing that. However, Imrie steals the show with his fun portrayal of Merlin. Whenever he appears on screen, it becomes a highly entertaining and memorable moment. While it’s unfortunate that he’s there for exposition for most of the time, his charisma is still brilliantly showcased thanks to his great performance. Ferguson is fine as the antagonist Morgana, but her character is just written to be a clichéd and underdeveloped villain that you probably have seen in other movies before. She’s not all that menacing, which shows that her presence doesn’t add a lot of intensity to the film.
The greatest thing The Kid Who Would Be King does is that it’s able to entertain to both kids and adults. Parents won’t be bored and annoyed while watching it, and that’s a good thing. While it shows that Cornish understands the target audience he’s supposed to appeal to, he still makes sure everyone in the theatre that sees the film has a great time with it. It’s undeniably predictable and cheesy at times, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s still a heartfelt and charming story about this kid who evolves from a typical nobody to a brave leader. It’s a great message for kids, and it’s hopefully something that will inspire them.
The Kid Who Would Be King succeeds at what it’s trying to do. It’s a great family film that will leave you smiling from start to finish, while still transforming an iconic story into something fun and heartfelt for the whole audience to enjoy. Note to film studios out there: THIS is how you do a movie made for kids.