The Kid Who Would Be King (2019) - Movie Review

Mythology is a funny thing.  The stories that get passed down through the generations, and the heroes and villains that occupy them, almost seem to buck against what we believe to be “truth”. The facticity of folklore has and will likely be argued for as long as we ourselves exist, but the effect that those tales can have on the human consciousness is very much factual. Tales like that of King Arthur, a British ruler and general whose echoed exploits have formed a hefty amount of British culture, not to mention providing the creative arts with some of its most instantly recognisable imagery.

But here's where things get a little trickier when it comes to tales of legend: Not everyone is going to view the legend through the same lens. Where some see Arthur as one in a collection of stories about heroes rising up against a great evil, others see Arthur as an example of nepotism at its worst. The idea that the land can only be ruled by someone who is destined to do so, chosen by otherworldly forces due to their lineage, their culture… their race. And in over the last handful of years, that very idea of only the chosen people being worthy of leading the populace has lead Great Britain down some less-than-ideal roads. And with this latest iteration of the story of Excalibur and its one true wielder, that is brought into the foreground.

Tapping into his usual wheelhouse of British youths going on fantastical adventures, writer/director Joe Cornish’s reframing of the story of King Arthur in the modern day is one built on a foundation of startling specificity. This is the first film I’ve covered that uses the word ‘strongman’ in its political context, that of a leader who rules by force, and it’s used to depict Britain as a place of darkness. A place of apathy, division and lacking in true leadership, only occupied by those who look out for themselves. And for Alex (played by Louis Ashbourne ‘son of Andy’ Serkis, in a weirdly meta form of nepotism at work), he is expected to change to fit the world as it is, as there’s no possible way that he could change the world himself.

The film as a whole works within the realms of most fantasy fiction made for general audiences, in that it shows the younger generation as the only ones capable of stopping the impending evil, either because the adults are unable to get involved or they themselves are the evil. It’s a form of empowerment narrative, meant to make kids think that they can set out and make the world a better place, utilising both the Arthurian legend and various other versions of the Monomyth from Lord Of The Rings to Harry potter as thematic precedent for that empowerment.

But more so than anything strictly political, although the film makes a lot of solid points along those lines (particularly with the idea of turning one’s enemies into one’s allies, rather than play into division tactics), it’s the way that the mythology itself is expressed that gives this film its best moments. It treats its own existence as another reimagining of an older story as a springboard to discuss why such stories are reimagined. Sometimes it’s for entertainment value and/or monetary interests, sometimes it’s to pay tribute to a potentially formative narrative, and sometimes it’s done as a means of pushing a particular ideal. Ideals like the aforementioned notion of lineage and heritage being the only markers for worth and leadership.

Tie all of this together: What the original story means to the British consciousness, the audience that this reworking is designed to appeal to, the influence that the story has had over pop culture, and the fact that tales are always being retold through different perspectives. What it all adds up to is a story that pays dutiful homage to the source material, yet reframes it to deliver a new mythology, one defined not by blood lines but by human courage and resilience. Where heart and deeds make the hero, not just external circumstance. Where a 12 year old boy, inspired by the chivalry of old, can unite friend and foe alike to stop a terrible darkness.

As someone who will always champion the formative powers of fiction, cinema in particular, I think this film has the capacity to do some real good. And not just because it will make people think twice before touching Cherry-Aid, ice cream or chicken nuggets.