The Kid Who Would be King
Film
Review by Kam Williams
British
schoolboy Alex Elliot (Louis Ashbourne Serkis) is the unlikeliest of
heroes. After all, the pint-sized 12 year-old and his nerdy BFF,
Bedders (Dean Chaumoo), are bullied on a daily basis at Dungate
Academy.
Unfortunately,
Alex doesn't have a father or a big brother to teach him how to deal
with his tormentors. His dad disappeared ages ago, leaving behind a
copy of “King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table”
inscribed with a dedication comparing his son to the classic novel's
legendary title character.
Sure
enough, life starts imitating art the day Alex summons up the courage
to intervene when he catches a couple of cruel classmates, Kaye
(Rhianna Dorris) and Lance, (Tom Taylor) torturing Bedders. Later
that afternoon, Alex yanks out a sword he finds stuck in a boulder on
a construction site, a feat reminiscent of how Arthur extracted
Excalibur from a stone in accordance with ancient folklore.
Next,
a new transfer student, Merlin (Angus Imrie), encourages Alex to
embrace his destiny as a latter-day King Arthur. Once convinced, Alex
uses his sword to knight not only his buddy Bedders, but their for
adversaries Kaye and Lance (aka Sir Lancelot).
With
time of the essence, the four join forces with Merlin (aka Merlin the
Magician), to defeat Morgana (Rebecca Ferguson) an evil, medieval
sorceress bent on world domination. She comes equipped with a scary
army of flaming skeletons which the youngsters only have a few days
to subdue to prevent a cataclysmic solar eclipse.
Written
and directed by Joe Cornish (Attack the Block), The
Kid Who Would be King is an entertaining re-imagining of a classic
epic adventure. Yes, it's rated a tyke-friendly PG, yet it's also
well enough crafted to enthrall young and old alike from beginning to
end.
A
wholesome family treat with an inspirational message!
Excellent
(4 stars)
Rated PG
for action, violence, scary images, mature themes and mild epithets
Running
time: 120 minutes
Production
Companies: 20th Century Fox / Working Title Films / Big
Talk Productions
Studio:
20th Century Fox
