The Kid Who Would Be King

The premise of a child unexpectedly finding their way into a fantasy adventure was big and overused in the pre-2000s films but struggles to standout in the post-2000s era. That's not surprising considering how formulaic they are: a protagonist with family troubles finds a mystical MacGuffin that propels into a journey to save the world, goofy shenanigans ensue, a group is formed with misfits and/or bullies, they remedy their parent problems, and a lesson is learned. There comes a difference between the great memorable ones and those that are either terribly made or just feel safe and unmemorable. This brings us to The Kid Who Would Be King, which was written and directed by Joe Cornish (Attack the Block). The marketing campaign for this felt underwhelming but standard for something that would be released in January (aka the graveyard for movies left to being forgotten, for better or worse). It was released to a positive critical reception but hasn't had much buzz, which makes sense since the past 2 years saw films such as Robin Hood and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword try to modernize mythology. I was curious about this to see if it would become a delightful January gem like Paddington 2 and left it underwhelmed by a fantasy feature holding itself back.

Plot: The story follows the protagonist who finds himself with the responsibility to save the world from an ancient enchantress after lifting up the mighty sword Excalibur. The first act of this shows plenty of strong promise in how it sets up the players and plot pieces that would shape up in a familiar but somewhat fresh fashion. The way it brings up the Knights Code as moral guidance for the group to follow is treated with a respectable manner. Having some beautiful shots of the grasslands in England adds nice scenery to the shenanigans and the life lessons it contains are memorable in such a divisive period. There are a good handful of moments that show the potential it could achieve if the consistency was there.

However, the biggest problem holding this back is how the writing feels like it's playing with the safest gloves to the point where it doesn't take risks in having a little edge to grasp onto. In trying to get from point A to point B, anything that could have elevated the supporting roles to any importance is instead ignored and rushed in descriptions about them that has never been shown on-screen. The danger never carries any tension because it's pulling its own punches (not to mention the budget). Overall while it's respectful towards the mythology and has some solid moments, the writing fails to meet its potential in bringing something memorable to the genre and chooses to feel like a standard throwaway flick that overstays its welcome with a huge runtime.

Characters: The people to focus on are Alex (Louis Ashbourne Serkis) and Merlin (Angus Imrie). Louis is a very capable performer in this role as he carries most of it on his shoulders as this insecure hero (yes, he's Andy Serkis' son). Angus is the MVP out of the entire cast as this unique eccentric version of Merlin since his acting chops elevates the quality of the film whenever he's around. An honorable mention goes to Beddars (Dean Chaumoo) for his likable charm and chemistry he shares with the lead actor. Dishonorable mentions go to Lance (Tom Taylor) and Kaye (Rhianna Dorris) for not only the bad writing in their characters but also their lackluster acting.

Overall Consensus: The Kid Who Would Be King doesn't entice any excitement from its safe but phoned in script and tensionless conflict but has a couple memorable scenes and a few standout performances. ⭑⭑⭑1/4💻 Runtime: 2 hours PG

Reasons to watch it: You like any of the aforementioned actors and/or Joe Cornish. You enjoy formulaic predictable safe fantasy family movies. You want to see outdoors scenery of England.

Reasons to avoid it: You dislike any of the aforementioned actors and/or Joe Cornish. You are bored with formulaic predictable safe fantasy family movies.