A Letter to the King review: LOTR and GOT rolled up into a neat, medieval drama…

Netflix’s new show showcases the depth of the streaming giant’s reach, especially in times like this. Tiuri; Dagonaut; Ardanwen; Unauwen; Lavinia; Evellian, etc. These are some of the names and places from a world created by Dutch author Tonke Dragt and based on his 1962 novel of the same name.

THE PLOT AND PLAYERS:

Amir Wilson AKA (Will from His Dark Materials), who establishes himself in the opening episode as resolutely the last person you’d entrust with a messenger job deciding the fate of kingdoms. Amir plays our underdog hero Tiuri, a young man raised by his powerful stepfather Sir Tiuri the Valiant (David Wenham) to become a knight, he proves to be feeble with a sword, unstable on horseback and generally possessed of a wounded, can’t-do attitude.

Sir Tiuri is so focused on getting his adopted son to knighthood that he even rigs a competition, ultimately causing him to be looked down upon by his peers. When Tiuri participates in sacred knight training with his fellow wannabe knights one evening, Tiuri goes rogue from the group to assist an old man pleading for help, one of the story’s first examples of a decent theme about the courage it takes to do the right thing.

But Tiuri finds himself responsible for an important letter, handed to him by a soon-to-be-dead man called The Black Knight (Ben Chaplin). We don’t know exactly what the letter says until later (and it becomes one of the less exciting Maguffins in recent storytelling history), but we know that it came from the menacing Prince Viridian of Unauwen (Gijs Blom), who just won a major victory.

The drama of “The Letter for the King” concerns three kingdoms—Evellian (where Tiuri is originally from), Dagonaut (where Tiuri was raised by his mother and stepfather), and Unauwen (where the letter must go).

A few quick plot-twists later and Tiuri is on an epic quest to ensure safe passage of the titular letter, joined by cynical rebel and fellow teen outcast Lavinia from Dagonaut named Lavinia (Ruby Ashbourne Serkis), who was originally intended to be married off by her father, (the mo-cap mastermind, Andy Serkis, in a fleeting appearance). They’re the main duo (along with the tenacious horse, Ardanwen) that travels with the letter to get it to the king, while being chased by Viridian’s Red Riders through the snowy mountains, onto a boat, and toward the kingdom of Unauwen.

The chasing pack of trainee knights develops a nice sitcom dynamic. And they have enough quirks and features to make them memorable – especially Jonah Lees’ Jussipo and Thaddea Graham’s Iona. Jussipo is the Jaskier of the group, an aspiring bard who plays the lute and sings when no one has asked him to.

Iona, on the other hand, is a fierce young warrior who is one of the few characters that straddles the line between good and bad. Iona’s ferocious demeanor makes her surprisingly intimidating, considering her small stature.

This is not, however, a dangerous or cut-throat show. In deference to the kids who it’s hoped will become fans, bad language is outlawed and there are none of the breasts and guts that are slathered across more ratings-hungry fantasy series like Game of Thrones or Black Sails. Sex and violence are present but nulled to the point of extinction.

On the villain front, Gijs Blom’s Prince Viridian is a formidable figure with some nifty magical powers, but he’s also pretty one-note as a character.

While Letter for the King’s story is unlikely to surprise you over the course of its six-episode run, series writer Will Davies (How To Train Your Dragon) is able to adapt Dragt’s novel into a likable tale thanks to its scenic New Zealand backdrops and a host of engaging characters you wouldn’t mind embarking on a quest with.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

At a brisk six-episode pace, The Letter for the King is able to do an impressive amount of world-building by implementing certain visual cues in the same way the Lord of the Rings trilogy did.

The show will certainly have an audience with younger viewers, especially if they don’t recognize pivotal dramatic beats, character details, or general plot directions, but, maybe not the adult audience. A solid outing and potential for another season of high-pitched drama.

3.5/5 STARS