The Kid Who Would Be King

Name: The Kid Who Would Be King
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Family
Released: January 25, 2019
Duration: 120 min
Rating: 66
Cast: Angus Imrie, Dean Chaumoo, Denise Gough, Eileen Davies, Jake Greenlee

2019

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Generally favorable reviews based on 35 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 69 Ratings

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6.1	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 69 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: January 25, 2019 | PG

Starring: Angus Imrie, Dean Chaumoo, Denise Gough, Eileen Davies, Jake Greenlee, Joey Ansah, Keyaan Hameed, Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Mark Bonnar, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Nick Mohammed, Noma Dumezweni, Patrick Stewart, Rebecca Ferguson, Rhianna Dorris, Skye Sammarchi, Tom Taylor, Zak Holland

Summary: Alex (Ashbourne Serkis) thinks he’s just another nobody, until he stumbles upon the mythical Sword in the Stone, Excalibur. Now, he must unite his friends and enemies into a band of knights and, together with the legendary wizard Merlin (Patrick Stewart), take on the wicked enchantress Morgana (Rebecca Ferguson). With the future at stake,Alex (Ashbourne Serkis) thinks he’s just another nobody, until he stumbles upon the mythical Sword in the Stone, Excalibur. Now, he must unite his friends and enemies into a band of knights and, together with the legendary wizard Merlin (Patrick Stewart), take on the wicked enchantress Morgana (Rebecca Ferguson). With the future at stake, Alex must become the great leader he never dreamed he could be.… Expand

Director: Joe Cornish

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Family

Rating: PG

Runtime: 120 min

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Critic Reviews

100

The Playlist Kevin Jagernauth

Jan 12, 2019

The Kid Who Would Be King blows the dust off an old tale, and makes it invigorating and inspiring for viewers who will be forming their own round tables of world-changers for generations to come. Read full review

Sarah Ward

Jan 18, 2019

[An] earnest, entertaining and imaginative old-meets-new adventure. Read full review

Jordan Farley

Feb 11, 2019

It may not dazzle as much as Attack the Block, but Cornish’s second feature is a fun family adventure. Read full review

John DeFore

Jan 12, 2019

The action is lively and quick-paced, and then suddenly over — at which point the film gets to hammer down some of its more wholesome messages. Read full review

Emily Yoshida

Jan 26, 2019

The film builds to an anarchic set piece, in which a school full of rambunctious children defend the world from evil while the adults literally disappear off the face of the earth. It’s the closest thing Cornish comes to a real-life prescription for what ails us, and it goes down pretty well. Read full review

Movie Nation Roger Moore

Jan 13, 2019

Cornish relies on Western audiences’ memory of chivalry, swords in stones, ladies in lakes, “the Once and Future King” and Round Tables to deliver a dose of good clean fun — with violence and jokes and a social relevence so obvious even a child could see it. Read full review

Mick LaSalle

Jan 23, 2019

The young actors are adequate, but they’re not intrinsically interesting, so their interior movements hold no fascination. With that in mind, The Kid Who Would Be King should have been an hour long, but an extra 20 minutes, just to stretch it to feature length, would have been forgivable. But a full 120 minutes for this was just borderline crazy. Read full review

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User Reviews

HealingToolbox

Mar 18, 2019

SPIRITUAL MOVIE ALERT - Another authentically uplifting, professional movie unappreciated by critics. The film's title needs work. This is a Goonies-like movie addressing the negative, depressing world situation with a great deal of heart. Much better than I expected. Much better than itSPIRITUAL MOVIE ALERT - Another authentically uplifting, professional movie unappreciated by critics. The film's title needs work. This is a Goonies-like movie addressing the negative, depressing world situation with a great deal of heart. Much better than I expected. Much better than it needs to be in script and in all production departments. The young cast, and Patrick Stewart have an UNUSUALLY EXCELLENT SCRIPT to plug into. This melding of script and acting is not usually seen in this genre outside of he best of the Marvel movies. The script was either excellent to begin with; or, it was improved with the extensive pre-vis work. Script is a textbook perfect example of setting up and paying off narrative devices; and, of a littel ending followed by a big ending. Contrast this with the Mission Impssible movies et al, where 3-4 endings, even taken together often don't add up to much. Patrick Stewart alternates between two roles:
- The weak, aged Professor Xavier from Logan (great acting courage turned again to wonderful dramatic effect); and,
- A plucky aged cheerleader foil to the young untried characters.
One of very few excellent kids movies adults will enjoy equally.… Expand

2 of 5 users found this helpful23

manningn15

Nov 17, 2019

This is my favorite King Arthur movie, one of my of favorite movies of 2019, and one of my favorite movies of all time. The acting was excellent especially Angus Imrie, Louis Serkis, Rhianna Doris, Tom Taylor, Dean Chaumoo, Denise Gough, Patrick Stewart, and Rebecca Ferguson. The writing andThis is my favorite King Arthur movie, one of my of favorite movies of 2019, and one of my favorite movies of all time. The acting was excellent especially Angus Imrie, Louis Serkis, Rhianna Doris, Tom Taylor, Dean Chaumoo, Denise Gough, Patrick Stewart, and Rebecca Ferguson. The writing and story were outstanding. The visual effects were terrific. The makeup and hairstyling was superb especially on Rebecca Ferguson. The costumes were awesome especially on Rebecca Ferguson and all of the armor. Overall a great movie.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

hnestlyonthesly

Oct 7, 2019

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. f you’re like me, every time the trailer for KWWBK came out, you rolled your eyes and wondered out loud why it hadn’t gone straight to streaming in the land of forgettable originals, Netflix. For the last week, Wife had counted me out on seeing it altogether, so she was surprised when I elected to see this with her instead of going to see blonde Anne Hathaway in the self-inflicted career wound that it sounds like Serenity has become. But within the first few minutes of Star Wars references and generally adorable middle school embarrassments, KWWBK reveals itself for what it is: an unassuming, unexpected delight.

We’re doing things a little differently for the next few hours while I recover from a month of slacking on reviews. The past two weeks have been hectic, filled with moving boxes and late nights, so I’ve been letting things slide. At the suggestion of Wife, I’m gonna try to review backwards in hopes that it helps with recall.

As I sat in my seat, pleasantly surprised by how funny these child actors were and how, for the first time in months, AMC had remembered to use the correct aspect ratio for its screen (it forgot to turn off the house lights until someone asked, but you can’t get ’em all), I was transported to the time Wife and I saw the Rock play Hercules in what I still feel is one of my all-time favorite classical themed movies of all time.

I remember going into it thinking it would be a way to kill a couple hours before I had to go back to doing homework, and after the first few references to zombies, it became increasingly clear to Wife and I that this movie was so far away from taking itself seriously that it had actually found a way to start making fun of itself in the script with some reliability. It was only after we walked out of BWWBK that Wife looked it up and noticed that the actress who played Morgan, Rebecca Ferguson, was, in fact, also in that ground-breaking schlocky film from years gone past, Hercules.

Attack the Block director Joe Cornish proves that lightning can strike the same place twice. His deployment of lovable, charismatic young actors and a self-aware, snarky script with moments of sentimentality is the magic recipe for a great kids film. Older Brother said that he and his colleague loved the film, even if it was a little long, which scans pretty closely with what Wife said. Wife added that if you think about the two concepts that the film wants to build its story around, Alex’s quest to learn of his lineage and the structure of the three nights before a final confrontation, there wasn’t a lot that could be cut.

I like that the film didn’t try to shove the four kids and Merlin into a single cohesive group with a single storyline, but rather it tracked the relationships between the two older kids, Lady Kaye and Lance, and the two younger kids, Alex and Bedders, separately. The script let them wrestle with different childhood struggles at different stages of development. Merlin and Morgan have their own kind of kinship when they confront one another on the rooftop of the school–Wife recalls Merlin’s line, “This is their world not ours”–which simultaneously gives the young Merlin an implicit power spike, but also in some ways humanizes the villain and maps their struggle into an issue of generational change.

Morgana’s ability to toggle between a humanoid form and other more monstrous shapes was very satisfying for someone who prefers a humanized depiction of evil rather than a disembodied Sauron-type Enemy. Morgan’s vice in this film’s interpretation is so perfectly apt for the times: it’s not that she’s ruthless or callous or corrupt. It’s that she feels “entitled” to the throne. Her sense of privilege is a marker of her villainy.

Wife thought there would be more about the aftermath of the final battle, I guess in Stranger things style where the carnage at the school requires the kids to take responsibility for damage they didn’t necessarily cause.

The simple magic of removing adults at twilight worked really well, both of us thought. It allowed for the kids to do a lot of dangerous things that would’ve just bogged the audience down with logistical questions otherwise. Speaking of bogs, the bog scene was fun. As was the physicality of the trees in the training scene.

BWWBK restores my faith in the genre of kids films, shows that the emotional lives of children, as Mr. Rogers was wont to say, are just as complex as any adult’s. The film has something to say about the paralyzing sense of helplessness that comes from being a child in this period of doom and gloom, both political and artistic.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

alvindino

Mar 11, 2019

The Kid Who Would Be King will invite his audience to go back to enjoying the classic adventures of past history with the present settings without exaggeration. The film also presents a relaxing but meaningful and moral message through the journey of life from the perspective of children. SoThe Kid Who Would Be King will invite his audience to go back to enjoying the classic adventures of past history with the present settings without exaggeration. The film also presents a relaxing but meaningful and moral message through the journey of life from the perspective of children. So that this film is very suitable to be enjoyed with family, especially with children.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Voodoo123

Apr 14, 2019

+Great premise
+Excellent pacing
+Memorable adventure genre set pieces -Overall film budget isn't quite enough to do the idea (of this scale) justice -Lead actor is decent enough but feels like casting should've been stronger here I expected very little and this film delivers a LOT more!+Great premise
+Excellent pacing
+Memorable adventure genre set pieces
-Overall film budget isn't quite enough to do the idea (of this scale) justice
-Lead actor is decent enough but feels like casting should've been stronger here

I expected very little and this film delivers a LOT more! What it lacks in budget it makes up for in heart... Its a classic tale that reminds me of the dungeons and dragons cartoon mixed with a touch of time bandits for action adventure lark. Certainly not cinematic perfection, but none-the-less TKWWBK is a great film to watch with the kids.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

amheretojudge

Jan 28, 2019

And The Kid Who Would Rule.

The Kid Who Would Be King Cornish has made a delightful treat for the kids and the adults. This '70s textbook plot breeds the sincerity it had decades ago with a taste of the 21st century humor and ideologies. And this is something that we get fresh right out ofAnd The Kid Who Would Rule.

The Kid Who Would Be King

Cornish has made a delightful treat for the kids and the adults. This '70s textbook plot breeds the sincerity it had decades ago with a taste of the 21st century humor and ideologies. And this is something that we get fresh right out of the oven, since these teenage kids are dipped into this more practical world where everything has to be mocked and questioned. Filtering out those exact characteristics, Cornish polishes his story more and more as the characters themselves starts putting it into trial. The first act is rudimentary with spiraling out the usual introduction which personally I feel is his biggest bluff. Contradicting you in every step on rest of the film, this adventure that these brave kids have chosen to go through keeps giving you back enough reasons to be giddy up for more.

Aforementioned, the characters are well aware of the assumptions that film might lead you to, hence quoting Lord Of The Rings and Game Of Thrones and plenty other references it keeps the tone light and breezy. Cornish is still aware of the practicality of the storyline or how does it appear as a whole picture. And this is how he makes sure that his film is mythological, through all the exceptions are prophecies or their special characteristic.

For instance, the action is written maturely, it never jumps on a conclusion of the battle, it makes sure that the stakes are always the same and putting up such kids in the battle field requires lots of character insight to be developed. Lopping off all that work, Cornish is speaking behind the screen with notions that actually comes off as mumbo-jumbo in such genre but not in here; the rules set by Stewart plays a vital and probably the best part of the film. This prophecy-like plot kick in its middle act which is the smartest of all for it puts the king on a test that everyone was already in, circling back the humane part of the character.

As far as the performance is concerned the younger cast has done a decent work if not anything extraordinary. Stewart and Ferguson gets a scene to share where probably is the only point where they are completely themselves but the performance is surprisingly disappointing. The script is absorbing and gripping with its main asset being the characters that are three dimensional and are analyzed through and through; even after out team teams up, they still have to go through plenty of issues to fight as one.

Taylor who plays Lance, hence, gets one of the best role to play since it is the one with a complete cinematic arc. The background score and visual effects could have been a lot better but with good sound mixing and action packed sequences, it sails off smoothly on technical aspects. The Kid Who Would Be King has a king that we haven't seen before- at least not for a while- it is a triumph on civilizing that king and then make him rule along with his army or perhaps friends.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

PipeC

Apr 10, 2019

Why don't they understand that King Arthur belongs to the books?

We have gone from ageless classics such as "Camelot" by Joshua Logan, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones and "Excalibur" by John Boorman to insufferable "reimaginations" and lifeless adaptationsWhy don't they understand that King Arthur belongs to the books?

We have gone from ageless classics such as "Camelot" by Joshua Logan, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones and "Excalibur" by John Boorman to insufferable "reimaginations" and lifeless adaptations such as Stuart Gillard's "Avalon High," Michael Bay's "Transformers: The Last Knight," Guy Ritchie's "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" and even Otto Bathurst's "Robin Hood" — which features many of the ingredients that made Ritchie's film what it is.— Exactly in the middle of these two categories lays the latest effort as writer and director of Joe Cornish, which rethinks the timeless legend within a world of smartphones, homework, bullying and chicken wings; while simultaneously trying to condense a fantasy adventure à la Spielberg, a Disney Channel film and a subtle anti-Brexit commentary; of course, not everything works out.

First and foremost, "The Kid Who Would Be King" means an irrefutable improvement over shameful adaptations Hollywood has insisted on producing. 20th Century Fox's delightfully British new take is likely to be far from covering its production and advertising costs, but quality-wise, it does redeem and save Arthur from ending up, again, on a "worst of the year" list in the face of the failures/flops from studios like Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures.

After the reckless 2011 hybrid between sci-fi, comedy, and horror he used as his directorial debut, Joe Cornish jumps from playground to the most 80s fantasy, which is called Amblin. It opens with a didactic, gorgeously animated introduction to give some context about what sort of film we are about to see, enjoy and suffer in equal parts. Just like Spielberg, Cornish almost completely restricts parent prominence, using them uniquely as dramatic supporting vehicles. For this reason, Alex, played by Louis Ashbourne Serkis — son of motion capture pioneer Andy Serkis, — his bestie Bedders, portrayed by Dean Chaumoo, and bullies Kaye and Lance, by Rhianna Dorris and Tom Taylor respectively, are the story's eyes. Each one does a great job portraying his roles, especially Serkis, who with his tenderness and unbelievable drama range makes a short part of the film compelling. But when it comes to juvenile performances, Angus Imrie and his hypnotizing and elaborate hand gestures steal the show. It's a huge surprise to learn that stars Patrick Stewart and Rebecca Ferguson are here standing by the project; the former with quite short yet meaty appearances as adult Merlin, and the latter as Morgana, a female villain that even though Ferguson tries her best to deliver a credible, menacing antagonist, the script only makes her look like a one-dimensional cartoon figure that wants to take over the world. Brilliant moments are at a premium, but still, the film treasures some touches of brilliance. From clever commentary against controversial withdrawal Brexit to writing jokes adapting the well-known Arthurian mythology to the 21st century manners; from dazzling blockbuster-like set-pieces to pieces of training as imaginative as catching, Cornish manages to pull several easter-eggs and comical interludes off thanks to his careful, faithful writing and the professionalism and commitment of his actors portraying their roles.

As for the rest, "The Kid Who Would Be King" has the potential to become a headache for some adults, nonsense for some teenagers and for most kids an endless fascination. Due to its abusively drawn-out running time, many viewers could stand in a position of radical skepticism midway, not receiving equally the other sequences and narrative moments, which can get to be dull, boring and ridiculous if you don't get into it from the beginning. The film tends to use its purpose of kids entertainment as an excuse to produce visuals and narrative threads that don't work well. From ridiculous to boring, young Merlin's slapstick and Bedders' naive humor might not land so well for grownups, because it handles a kind of humor that even today's children don't understand it as children used to. "The Kid Who Would Be King" by Joe Cornish is not only a taste of its own medicine for majors that don't get tired of re-visiting existing IPs, but a production of British flavor severely diminished by an unnecessary lengthening of the events, a too mild treatment to resonate among today's audiences, some uninspired visuals and a story that fails to create interest for unlikely sequels. Those who grew up in the splendor of the 80s and 90s will certainly be willing to be carried along by the homages and easter eggs of the last century— for starters, the parallelism with films such as "The Man Who Would Be King" —however, those who, like me, belong to the new millennium will have a hard time trying to connect and stay connected with the idea for more than a quarter of an hour.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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