The Kid Who Would Be King Review…

Culturedemndsgeeks recalls classic all-ages adventures. A movie with the goofy charm of 1980s kids adventure flicks, (The Goonies, etc) and The Kid Who Would Be King falls into that category and is a thoroughly enjoyable new addition to the family movie canon.

From left, Rhianna Dorris, Tom Taylor, Dean Chaumoo and Louis Ashbourne Serkis in “The Kid Who Would Be King.”CreditCreditKerry Brown/20th Century Fox

In 2011, the British writer-comedian Joe Cornish delivered a promising feature directing debut with “Attack the Block,” a wild, irreverent science-fiction action-comedy about an alien invasion thwarted by a gang of tough teenagers. That film, which also gave us the screen acting debut of the future “Star Wars” favorite John Boyega, was not a huge hit, but gained cult status over the years, prompting speculation about what its talented writer-director might do next.

It’s taken eight long, long years for Cornish to release another feature, and it may feel strange at first to see him at the helm of a modest children’s adventure about a modern-day King Arthur.

The Kid Who Would Be King directed by the charismatic, Joe Cornish still has the directors flamboyant, English-led story-telling, 

The film’s setup is simple. The meek 12-year-old Alex (Louis Ashbourne Serkis, son of Andy), is a noble and affable lad. His father is gone, but his mother is loving. He doesn’t take any guff from mean kids. He believes in telling the truth, being good, and not being a snitch. In adolescent development terms, he’s going through his ‘justice phase’.

But lo and behold, after being chased by bullies, Alex falls upon the famed Excalibur at a construction site.

Is he the true heir to the sword, and the next in line to lead the Round Table into the 21st century?

A Latin inscription on the weapon suggests that it may well be Excalibur, the legendary sword of King Arthur, although Jack and his best pal, Bedders (Dean Chaumoo), initially decide that’s a ridiculous notion.

Circumstances soon change. Flaming demons appear in the middle of the night and torment our bewildered hero. Out of the mists of Stonehenge emerges the rather odd-mannered young wizard Merlin (Angus Imrie), who enrolls himself at school under the name of Mertin. (“Greetings, fellow academicians,” he intones to the other kids. “I am a perfectly normal contemporary English schoolboy!”)

He then tries to convince Alex and Bedders that the world needs their heroism at this very moment, for a variety of reasons. For starters, the country seems divided, and political and social discord rule the land — a bit of real-life relevance the film doesn’t pursue much further. More urgently (and cinematically), Arthur’s mortal enemy Morgana (Rebecca Ferguson) is emerging from a centuries-long slumber, intent on enslaving humanity.

What ensues is a brisk, funny and entertaing children’s fantasy, with Cornish giving the story an entertainingly apocalyptic spin.

Children covered in armor drive “Mad Max”-style cars to combat the forces of darkness, while their school turns into total warfare.

NIGGLING PROBLEMS:

As for a wizard mentor, Alex and his pals will be guided by the greatest of all time: Merlin, himself. Although, for reasons that are never satisfyingly explained, the ancient sorcerer now spends most of his time as a gawky, sneezy teenage boy (Angus Imrie, whose snappy conjuring style and theater-kid aura help establish the film’s baseline kookiness). When he’s not a boy, he’s a frazzled Patrick Stewart or an owl.

WATCH OUT FOR:

Parts of his movie involve a crazed Patrick Stewart running around in a Led Zeppelin t-shirt (absolutely bliss.)

FINAL THOUGHTS:

The action is creatively staged, without ever getting too intense or scary for young viewers. And the script balances humor, pathos and wish fulfillment as it portrays Alex’s rise from mopey dreamer to the confident warrior, without overdoing the mythic portent.

Joe Cornish’s long-awaited and largely delightful follow-up to “Attack the Block” is a fun, epic, of a children’s fantasy movie, and perfect for the school holidays.

4/5 STARS