'The Kid Who Would Be King' - Movie Review

A British children's movie about a modern day bullied young school boy who finds the sword Excalibur. The boy is Alex (Louis Serkis), and he soon finds himself reliving parts of his favourite book, the story of King Arthur. Together with his best friend and two of his worst enemies (like Arthur, Alex recruits his enemies to his cause) and a particularly loopy version of Merlin, they have to defeat the returned evil sorceress Morgana.

The movie is kind of crazy, a high production-values B-movie logic kids movie. That feels like it was conceived and executed in the 1980s (it came out in 2019). The kid actors were good, with Angus Imrie a particular stand-out as Merlin (... when he wasn't played by Patrick Stewart, long story). It's hard to be charismatic while delivering the most ridiculous lines in an already exceptionally ridiculous movie, but he managed it. The movie is overall thoroughly charming, despite being far too goofy for its own good.