The Kid Who Would Be King (2019 Film) Review
In "The Kid Who Would Be King," Alexander Elliot discovers the sword Excalibur in a seemingly abandoned construction zone. After pulling it from a stone, the wizard Merlin finds Alex and informs him that he must use the sword to thwart an age-old threat.
Louis Ashbourne Serkis stars as Alexander Elliot. Tom Tayler, Dean Chaumoo, and Rhianna Doris play Lance, Bedders, and Kaye, respectively. Together, they make up the Knights of the Round Table. Angus Imrie and Patrick Stewart play Merlin while Rebecca Ferguson plays the main antagonist, Morgana le Fay.
"The Kid Who Would Be King" was written and directed by Joe Cornish. The film was produced by Nira Park, Tim Bevan, and Eric Fellner. It was distributed by 20th Century Fox.
Overall Thoughts
Since Hollywood has made many adaptations of the well-known legend, at first, a modern reimagining of King Arthur seemed like a good way to make the story new once more while introducing it to potential new fans. Yet, as "The Kid Who Would Be King" progressed, the film revealed itself to be the dull and disinteresting interpretation that it truly is. In terms of character, the child actors deliver serviceable performances. The characters that they are playing, however, are a different story. Alex and his friends/knights aren't terrible, they're merely generic.
It's clear from his performance that Louis Serkis tried his best as the lead hero, Alex, but his line delivery often lacked true investment. Bedders, played by Dean Chaumoo, is merely the wimpy best friend. He had a few decent jokes, but his line delivery made the character annoying at times. The film doesn't provide much of a reason for you to care about him along with Alex's two other newfound friends, Lance and Kaye, who start out as Alex and Bedders' bullies. The film would have you believe that the two make a change of heart around the halfway point of the film, but I didn't believe that to be the case. Tom Taylor and Rhianna Doris, the two actors playing Lance and Kaye, proceeded throughout the film like nothing in their characters changed. Their attitude remained the same, making me disbelieve the supposed change made within their characters. While the child actors' performances are flawed, Rebecca Ferguson's performance is ridiculously bad. Without a doubt, she turned in a phoned in performance. It's full of mannerisms that will bore you because it's so pretentious. One can only hope that this isn't the kind of performance that Ferguson gives going forward in her career.
In the film, the only character who shines is Merlin, played both by Angus Imrie and Patrick Stewart. Stewart's part is more of an extended cameo, but whenever he popped up, the film's humor improved. Overall, it's Merlin who entertains the most. It is Imrie who brings the character to life for a majority of the film. Together, the two actors elevate the comedic value within the film as Merlin preforms magic in the most mundane way possible. While the somewhat goofy spell-casting shines for its comedic affect, the reason behind the decision lessens the need to see this film on the big screen.
It's clear from his performance that Louis Serkis tried his best as the lead hero, Alex, but his line delivery often lacked true investment. Bedders, played by Dean Chaumoo, is merely the wimpy best friend. He had a few decent jokes, but his line delivery made the character annoying at times. The film doesn't provide much of a reason for you to care about him along with Alex's two other newfound friends, Lance and Kaye, who start out as Alex and Bedders' bullies. The film would have you believe that the two make a change of heart around the halfway point of the film, but I didn't believe that to be the case. Tom Taylor and Rhianna Doris, the two actors playing Lance and Kaye, proceeded throughout the film like nothing in their characters changed. Their attitude remained the same, making me disbelieve the supposed change made within their characters. While the child actors' performances are flawed, Rebecca Ferguson's performance is ridiculously bad. Without a doubt, she turned in a phoned in performance. It's full of mannerisms that will bore you because it's so pretentious. One can only hope that this isn't the kind of performance that Ferguson gives going forward in her career.
In the film, the only character who shines is Merlin, played both by Angus Imrie and Patrick Stewart. Stewart's part is more of an extended cameo, but whenever he popped up, the film's humor improved. Overall, it's Merlin who entertains the most. It is Imrie who brings the character to life for a majority of the film. Together, the two actors elevate the comedic value within the film as Merlin preforms magic in the most mundane way possible. While the somewhat goofy spell-casting shines for its comedic affect, the reason behind the decision lessens the need to see this film on the big screen.
Sure, the film makes good use of its London, England setting, but the lack of any truly fantastical elements of the King Arthur story denies "The Kid Who Would Be King" of being a theatrical must-see. I suppose the undead skeletons looked good, but the majority of the CGI looks like that of a TV film, not a theatrical film. Morgana's dragon form looks particularly weak in design and function. It doesn't help that the script thinks too small as well. At the very least, the film has a genuinely effective moral, but it comes at the price of an interesting story. It adds nothing to the classic "Hero's Journey" and the script never knows how to properly pace itself. At a runtime of exactly two hours, the film certainly feels its length. At one point, while it would've been anticlimactic, the film felt like it was going to end, but then it went on for another half-hour. There's about a good ten to fifteen minutes that could've been cut to improve the pacing. As is, while a complete film, "The Kid Who Would Be King" does little with it's lengthy runtime.
Grade: C
In spite of an inspiring message and some clever gags, "The Kid Who Would Be King" is a bland and overlong take on the King Arthur legend.
The film may have glaring flaws, but if you want to see more mid-range family films like this in the future, go see "The Kid Who Would Be King." If you're a parent and are looking for a film to see with your kids, while they might enjoy it, you will likely be distracted by the film's problems. It's kind of a mixed recommendation, but then again, the movie is a mixed bag, so I suppose it fits right in.
Conclusion
That has been my review of "The Kid Who Would Be King." I look forward to hearing any thoughts you have regarding the film and/or my review. Do you plan to see it? Perhaps, you've already have seen it. In any case, share your thoughts in the comments below. Feel free to recommend a film for a future review. Thanks for reading, I'm Dallin, the Film Fanatic, and I'll be back again soon with another editorial.
Comments
Post a Comment