The Kid Who Would Be King - Movie Review
The Kid Who Would Be King
Plot: A band of kids embark on an epic quest to thwart a medieval menace.
Cast: Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Tom Taylor, Rebecca Ferguson, Patrick Stewart
Director: Joe Cornish
Certificate: PG (mild threat, scary scenes, violence, language)
Runtime: 119 minutes
Release Date: Friday 15th February 2019
Initially, I had planned for this review to feature on my YouTube channel but seeing as my throat decided to stop working leaving my voice sounding like I've been a chain smoker since the age of twelve, Joe Cornish's new film will have to settle for a spot on this blog instead. Now it should be noted that I am yet to consider myself a fan of Cornish's. I found Attack the Block utterly infuriating full of detestable characters and from the trailers, my expectation for this reimagining of the Arthurian legend was close to rock bottom.
So whilst The Kid Who Would Be King is leaps and bound better than Attack the Block, I'm still hesitant to say that I've been converted to a Cornish fan. His latest film is a mildly interesting adventure romp that will likely entertain kids rather than the adults forced to accompany them. It's the sort of film that an eight year old will leave the cinema claiming that it was the best film they've ever seen and promptly forget about within the span of a day. Taking place in modern day London, Alexander Elliot (Serkis) is a typical kid in secondary school. He's finishing off science projects, hanging with his best friend Bedders (Dean Chaumoo) and finding himself bullied at the hands of the conveniently named Lance (Taylor) and Kaye (Rhianna Dorris). However, when Alex pulls a sword from a stone situated within an abandoned building site, his life is forever changed and destiny reveals itself. Cornish writes and directs the film and it's clear he's taking inspiration from Chris Columbus' early Harry Potter films approaching the concept of young children finding themselves in fantastical life and death situations. Fiery demons rise from the ground and in one scene reminiscent of Harry, Ron and Hermione discovering the Philosopher's Stone, Alex and his friends are snarred within Morgana's (an eerily spooky Rebecca Ferguson) vines which are some of the films strongest moments even if they may be a little too intense for younger viewers. Unfortunately, this is the only time Cornish embraces the silliness of this material and instead, restricts it to a safe and unoriginal story that failed to resonate with me.
Plot: A band of kids embark on an epic quest to thwart a medieval menace.
Cast: Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Tom Taylor, Rebecca Ferguson, Patrick Stewart
Director: Joe Cornish
Certificate: PG (mild threat, scary scenes, violence, language)
Runtime: 119 minutes
Release Date: Friday 15th February 2019
Initially, I had planned for this review to feature on my YouTube channel but seeing as my throat decided to stop working leaving my voice sounding like I've been a chain smoker since the age of twelve, Joe Cornish's new film will have to settle for a spot on this blog instead. Now it should be noted that I am yet to consider myself a fan of Cornish's. I found Attack the Block utterly infuriating full of detestable characters and from the trailers, my expectation for this reimagining of the Arthurian legend was close to rock bottom.
So whilst The Kid Who Would Be King is leaps and bound better than Attack the Block, I'm still hesitant to say that I've been converted to a Cornish fan. His latest film is a mildly interesting adventure romp that will likely entertain kids rather than the adults forced to accompany them. It's the sort of film that an eight year old will leave the cinema claiming that it was the best film they've ever seen and promptly forget about within the span of a day. Taking place in modern day London, Alexander Elliot (Serkis) is a typical kid in secondary school. He's finishing off science projects, hanging with his best friend Bedders (Dean Chaumoo) and finding himself bullied at the hands of the conveniently named Lance (Taylor) and Kaye (Rhianna Dorris). However, when Alex pulls a sword from a stone situated within an abandoned building site, his life is forever changed and destiny reveals itself. Cornish writes and directs the film and it's clear he's taking inspiration from Chris Columbus' early Harry Potter films approaching the concept of young children finding themselves in fantastical life and death situations. Fiery demons rise from the ground and in one scene reminiscent of Harry, Ron and Hermione discovering the Philosopher's Stone, Alex and his friends are snarred within Morgana's (an eerily spooky Rebecca Ferguson) vines which are some of the films strongest moments even if they may be a little too intense for younger viewers. Unfortunately, this is the only time Cornish embraces the silliness of this material and instead, restricts it to a safe and unoriginal story that failed to resonate with me.
Having the fortune to be the son of the incomparable Andy Serkis, Louis Ashbourne Serkis is given the tough task of carrying this movie entirely on his shoulders, and for the most part, he succeeds. Sadly, the same cannot be said for some of his co-stars. I am not one to crush a child's dream but Alex's three friends that complete the Knights of the Round Table feel as if they are performing in a made for TV special rather than a Hollywood fantasy epic. Their comedic timing is uncomfortably poor and in places, seem to crumble under the pressure whenever Cornish's script attempts to give their characters suitable depth. However, there is some light to be found at the end of the tunnel in the form of Angus Imrie who portrays the younger incarnation of Merlin. Buzzing with frantic energy and clearly inspired by Matt Smith's rendition of The Doctor, Imrie lights up the screen and surprisingly, serves as a good match alongside Merlin's older form, played by Sir Patrick Stewart. Cornish also deserves credits for the handling of a very interesting political sub-context as the world is described as divided and a confusing place which, considering this film is aimed for children, is a fairly heavy and unexpected matter to be discussing. Thankfully, Cornish approaches this angle with the suitable professionalism and care to help explain to the younger generation that even though the news headlines we see are scary and intimidating, the world will eventually find a way to move on.
There is no denying that Cornish had the best of intentions with this film as can be seen through his real world tie-ins and enjoyable action scenes but unfortunately, it lacked an engaging story, likeable characters and enough excitement.
Luke's Verdict: 5.5/10
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