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United Kingdom, United States · 2019
Rated PG · 2h 0m
Director Joe Cornish
Starring Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Dean Chaumoo, Tom Taylor, Rhianna Dorris
Genre Action, Adventure, Family, Fantasy
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When Alex accidentally pulls a mysterious sword out of the concrete at a construction site, its markings identify it as Excalibur. But, by pulling it from the stone, Alex awakens the evil sorceress Morgana. Alex must create new Knights of the Round Table and embark on an epic quest to thwart the medieval menace.
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by
Viewers will be entranced by Louis Ashbourne Serkis, son of Andy Serkis. He’s one of the greatest child actors to grace the screen in some time, whose golden lion-hearted essence shines through even when facing indecision and doubt. If perfect casting is looking for the one actor who can pull the sword from the stone, Cornish has found the Webster’s definition of a hero.
Joe Cornish’s long-awaited and largely delightful follow-up to “Attack the Block” is a unicorn of a children’s fantasy movie: It’s imaginative, it’s heartfelt, and it never feels like it’s trying to sell you anything more than a measure of hope for the future.
Joe Cornish’s film is vigilant in its positivity and hope for the future at nearly every turn.
The A.V. Club by Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
Might be smarter that the average live-action kids’ movie, but it’s hamstrung by a lack of visual imagination and a generic script.
The Hollywood Reporter by John DeFore
The action is lively and quick-paced, and then suddenly over — at which point the film gets to hammer down some of its more wholesome messages.
The Playlist by Kevin Jagernauth
The Kid Who Would Be King blows the dust off an old tale, and makes it invigorating and inspiring for viewers who will be forming their own round tables of world-changers for generations to come.
The Kid Who Would Be King is a charming story of fantasy, pop-culture references and myth-making. It’s a movie with the playful camaraderie of “Goonies” and a few elements from ’80s sagas — like “Labyrinth,” “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” “The NeverEnding Story” and “Legend” — where young people go on character-building adventures.
With its retro-video-game score and “Goonies”-style gang of misfit characters, the movie plays like a throwback to Spielberg-produced adventure films of the ’80s. And yet, the premise feels wobbly at best.
Cornish relies on Western audiences’ memory of chivalry, swords in stones, ladies in lakes, “the Once and Future King” and Round Tables to deliver a dose of good clean fun — with violence and jokes and a social relevence so obvious even a child could see it.
Screen International by Sarah Ward
[An] earnest, entertaining and imaginative old-meets-new adventure.