Movie Review: The Kid Who Would Be King

Movie Review: The Kid Who Would Be King                                                                              3-12-23

The Kid Who Would Be King is about a British boy named Alex, who is struggling with bullies at school. One night, Alex stumbles upon a sword in a stone, which he manages to pull out. When he shows the sword to his best friend Bedders, they discover that the stone actually belonged to King Arthur, the greatest king of all of England. The next night, Alex is nearly killed by a demon who’s after Excalibur, the sword he yanked out, but is saved by a new exchange student named Merton. Alex and Bedders discover that Merton is actually the legendary wizard Merlin, and he tells them that they must journey to Tintagel Island to find Alex’s father, defeat Arthur’s evil sister Morgana, and save England.

The Kid Who Would Be King has impressive visual effects and amazing production design, but I feel the film suffers from a story that drags on too long, confusing world building, and some unlikable characters. Two of Alex’s recruits in this movie, Lance and Kaye, are former bullies who don’t really like Alex, and one of them even lets his friends nearly get killed!

I know this may be a bit unfair, but look at how Hey Arnold portrayed their bully protagonist: Harold Berman. He may seem like a bully, but deep down underneath all that flab, he’s a big softy. Harold even sleeps with an alligator plush with a missing eye!

I also feel that the film underused the character of Merlin, a wise wizard who would help Arthur during his youth. I know Disney’s adaptation of The Sword in the Stone isn’t the most loved animated film overseen by Walt, but Merlin is one of the better aspects of the film. He may not be that good with his magic, but he can transform into different animals, shrink furniture so they can fit inside his carry bag, and even travel through time! Some could argue that Merlin is a bit of a predecessor to Genie in Aladdin, one of the funniest and most endearing Disney sidekicks of all time.

In conclusion, The Kid Who Would Be King is an okay film, but one I’ personally recommend. Because I’m not feeling so well while typing this, I won’t give this movie a rating, similar to how I did with Pixar’s Soul.