Some movies arrive at the wrong time. Others just need a second chance. That’s exactly what’s happening right now with The Kid Who Would Be King, the wildly charming fantasy adventure starring Rebecca Ferguson as the legendary sorceress Morgana. Years after flying under the radar in theaters, the film has quietly become a streaming favorite — and honestly, it makes perfect sense. (For North American viewers, it’s currently available on PVOD.)
Directed by Attack the Block filmmaker Joe Cornish, The Kid Who Would Be King takes the familiar King Arthur legend and gives it a glow-up for modern kids — without turning it into a cynical, joke-heavy reboot. Instead, it asks a simple but powerful question: What if being a hero had less to do with destiny and more to do with how you treat people?
The story follows 12-year-old Alex (Louis Ashbourne Serkis), a regular kid with no special powers, famous bloodline, or secret prophecy. He stands up to bullies to protect his best friend Bedders (Dean Chaumoo), even though he can’t actually fight. While running from trouble, he stumbles into a construction site and pulls a sword from a stone. Yep — that sword. Enter Merlin, played with chaotic, scene-stealing energy by Angus Imrie (with the legendary Patrick Stewart as the older version), who informs Alex that the evil Morgana is rising and that undead warriors are about to wreck the world.
How Good Is ‘The Kid Who Would Be King’?
Collider’s review stated The Kid Who Would Be King was a charming, clever reimagining of Arthurian legend that balanced fantasy adventure with timely, heartfelt themes. Rather than centering on destiny or royal bloodlines, the film focused on young Alex, an ordinary kid who proved heroism came from courage, empathy, and leadership. Cornish blended the magical with the modern, using Morgana’s looming threat as a backdrop for a story about unity in a divided world. The young cast brought warmth and humor, while Imrie stood out as an eccentric, scene-stealing Merlin. Though the film occasionally dragged and stumbled with a minor fake-out near the climax, its spirit, wit, and emotional sincerity made it one of the strongest family adventures in years. Fun without being preachy, it trusted kids to be the heroes of tomorrow.
“There are a few brief moments when the film drags a bit and an anticlimactic fake-out near the climax makes the film feel like it has to restart a bit to reach the end, but these are small qualms against one of the best kids’ adventure movies in recent memory. It’s a genre that has largely been abandoned as kids just head to PG-13 superhero movies, but it’s good that there’s a film like The Kid Who Would Be King for pre-teens who not only want to go on a fun quest, but will feel ready to take on a divided world as a result.”
The Kid Who Would Be King is on PVOD in North America.
Release Date
January 25, 2019
Runtime
120 minutes
Director
Joe Cornish
Writers
Joe Cornish
