The Kid Who Would Be King

By: Arlene Allen

From the title and trailer, you can tell The Kid Who Would Be King is a modern take on the infamous King Arthur tale The Sword in the Stone. In this latest incarnation Alex ( Louis Ashbourne Serkis) is a dweeby kid that can barely defend his best friend, Bedders (Dean Chaumoo). While running from the bullies, Alex comes across an old construction site….with a sword sticking out of a stone. Alex pulls out the battered blade and is convinced it’s Excalibur, the mythical sword described in the King Arthur book his father left him. Written and directed by Joe Cornish, The Kid Who Would Be King is an unexpectedly charming film.

It doesn’t take much to convince Bedders (who becomes knight Bedivere) that the mythology is true, especially as viewers quickly meet young Merlin (Angus Imrie), who turns into an owl when he sneezes. When he recovers, young Merlin has transformed and it’s Sir Patrick Stewart as the “original” Merlin who warns the boys that Arthur’s ancient enemy Morgana (Rebecca Ferguson) is awaking and it will take the boys, their friends and even their enemies (Tom Taylor and Rhianna Dorris) to stop her.

This is a fresh take on an old tale and respectfully done. One of the things I loved most about this film is that it takes itself seriously enough to avoid unnecessary crude language and scatological humor that seems to plague middle school grade aimed movies. It’s still a great deal of fun, but it comes from the adventure itself,which is edge of your seat exciting. The acting is great and, of course ,Sir Patrick Stewart – with hair – nearly steal the show.

At the heart of the film though are modern themes of isolation, bullying and family dynamic. I thought they never became heavy handed enough to draw away from the magic of the film. It’s a rare balance that very few kids movies achieve.  It’s also great in its diversity – not all of the children are white and the kids of color are every bit the hero as Alex. None of this feels forced; just as natural as the lack of potty humor. It’s impressive and the type of age appropriate movies we need more of.

The special effects are also quite good and never cheesy. Morgana, herself, is wonderfully done and by the time she grows out of her tangled prison to her full blown evil she is quite scary.  The scenery – shot in the UK around actual Arthurian landmarks (Stonehenge, Tintagel, Glastonbury) – is absolutely gorgeous. I confess to being a lover of the Arthurian legend myself and it was wonderful to see those landmarks and Arthur’s story explored so respectfully.

Kids and their parents will enjoy this film. It’s a movie  that I hope gets the hype it deserves. I’d hate to see this fall into the same promotional hole the absolutely fabulous The House With A Clock In Its Walls did. The Kid Who Would Be King is too good a film to miss.