115. The Kid Who Would Be King; movie review

THE KID WHO WOULD BE KING
Cert PG
120 mins
BBFC advice: Contains mild threat, scary scenes, violence, language

Sunday morning at 10.20am, where else would Mrs W and I other than in the cinema watching a children's movie?
The Kid Who Would Be King has apparently taken a fearsome pasting from critics in the United States where it was distributed ahead of its UK release.
It doesn't deserve such condemnation but I can see why it hasn't appealed to American audiences.
This film is as British as The Railway Children and there are details which I suspect would have those from other countries scratching their heads.
Joe Cornish's movie focuses on 12-year-old Alex (Louis Ashbourne Serkis) who has a geeky best mate (Dean Chaumoo) who is bullied at school even more than he is.
He is chased by two of his tormentors (Tom Taylor and Rhianna Dorris) on to a building site where he finds Excalibur, the Sword in the Stone, sticking in a lump of concrete,
Yes, it turns out that young Alex is an heir to King Arthur. That's the good news - the bad is that by pulling out the sword he has awoken Arthur's demonic nemesis Morgana (Rebecca Ferguson).
This becomes apparent after a very quirky new pupil enrols at school and turns out to be the shape-shifter, Merlin (Angus Imrie).
As said, The Kid Who Would Be King is a modern twist on an old-fashioned-style children's adventure story.
While it takes in serious elements such as bullying and an absent father, it sates the adventurous spirit of its young target audience with wizardry, special effects and a tale of derring-do.
And it has an amiable lead in Ashbourne Serkis (son of Andy) although he ain't no Harry Potter.
Indeed, I guess the latter point is why The Kid Who Would Be King flopped in the United States - audiences there might have been expecting magic on a Hogwart's level rather than this which is a good few notches down in terms of storytelling and action.
That's a shame because it is a fun if not too taxing ride which has a fair few giggles.

Reasons to watch: Nice update on the Arthurian legend
Reasons to avoid: Is a bit too quaintly British

Laughs: Three
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7/10

Did you know? There is much discussion around the originals of Excalibur. It appears in Thomas Malory's iconic work Le Morte D'Arthur but was originally introduced in Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain (1136 CE) as Caliburnus (or Caliburn).


The final word. Joe Cornish: "It's a movie I've wanted to make since I was 12 when I fantasised about being a filmmaker. I used to come up with all sorts of nutty ideas and paint the posters and paper my bedroom walls with them."

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