''The Kid Who Would Be King'' is a 2019

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

film written and directed by

Joe Cornish Joseph Murray Cornish (born 20 December 1968) is an English comedian and filmmaker. With his long-time comedy partner, Adam Buxton, he forms the comedy duo Adam and Joe. In 2011, Cornish released his directorial debut ''Attack the Block''. He ...

. A British/American venture, the film stars

Louis Ashbourne Serkis Louis George Ashbourne Serkis (born 19 June 2004) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Alex in the 2019 fantasy adventure film ''The Kid Who Would Be King''. Early life Ashbourne Serkis was born on 19 June 2004 in Haringey, Nort ...

Tom Taylor Tom Taylor (19 October 1817 – 12 July 1880) was an English dramatist, critic, biographer, public servant, and editor of ''Punch'' magazine. Taylor had a brief academic career, holding the professorship of English literature and language a ...

, Dean Chaumoo, Rhianna Doris,

Angus Imrie Angus William Jake Imrie (born 2 August 1994) is a British actor. He is known for playing the character Josh Archer in BBC Radio 4's long-running drama serial ''The Archers''. In 2014, he won the casting agency Spotlight (Casting Services Compa ...

Rebecca Ferguson Rebecca Louisa Ferguson Sundström (born 19 October 1983) is a Swedish actress. She began her acting career with the Swedish soap opera ''Nya tider'' (1999–2000) and went on to star in the slasher film ''Drowning Ghost'' (2004). She came to in ...

, and

Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor who has a career spanning seven decades in various stage productions, television, film and video games. He has been nominated for Olivier, Tony, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Screen Actor ...

. The plot follows a young boy who finds

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...

's legendary sword

Excalibur Excalibur () is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. It was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. Excalibur and the Sword in th ...

and must use it to stop an ancient enchantress from enslaving the world with help from his classmates (and former bullies) from school. Distributed by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

, the film was released in the United States on 25 January 2019, and in the United Kingdom on 15 February 2019. Despite receiving positive reviews, the movie underperformed at the box office, with estimated losses for the studio ranging as high as $50 million. It was also the second to last film to be released by 20th Century Fox, before

the Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

took control of the studio as part of their acquisition of 21st Century Fox on March 20, 2019.

Plot

Alex is a twelve-year-old boy, just starting

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

in a

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

suburb. When his best friend Bedders is bullied by older students,

Lance A lance is a spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier ( lancer). In ancient and medieval warfare, it evolved into the leading weapon in cavalry charges, and was unsuited for throwing or for repeated thrusting, unlike si ...

and Kaye, Alex comes to his aid. Alex, Lance, and Kaye are given detention by the headmistress. Lance and Kaye plot to harm Alex. That night, the duo chase Alex as he heads home, but Alex hides in a nearby construction site, where he finds and extracts a mysterious sword embedded in concrete. Later showing it to Bedders, they discover that its markings identify it as

, the sword of

. Alex then playfully "knights" Bedders. The wicked sorceress

Morgana Morgana may refer to: People * Morgana Gmach (born 1994), Brazilian female rhythmic gymnast * Morgana King (1930–2018), American singer and actress * Morgana O'Reilly (born 1985), New Zealand actress * Morgana Robinson (born 1982), British c ...

awakens underground and sends her Mortes Milles demons after Excalibur. The next day, a teenager appears from inside

Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connectin ...

and presents himself at Alex's school as a new student. The boy reveals himself to Alex as the wizard

Merlin Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and le ...

, capable of aging backward, but will occasionally shift into his elder Arthurian form. Alex plans to return the sword, wanting nothing to do with ancient myths. That night, Merlin saves Alex from a demon and explains that he has four days to destroy Morgana, or she will enslave all of Britain. The Mortes Milles only appear at night and can only be seen by Alex and those he has knighted, but an upcoming total

solar eclipse A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of the Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six month ...

will enable her to emerge fully into the world. Alex realizes that these events parallel an inscribed storybook his estranged father once gave him. Alex concludes he descends from Arthur through his father and later recruits and knights Lance and Kaye, who fight beside Alex and Bedders, defeating three demons with a

car A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...

. Alex declares them a new

Round Table The Round Table ( cy, y Ford Gron; kw, an Moos Krenn; br, an Daol Grenn; la, Mensa Rotunda) is King Arthur's famed table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that e ...

. Merlin soon tasks Alex to find the entrance of Morgana's Underworld prison. Alex leads the group to

Tintagel Tintagel () or Trevena ( kw, Tre war Venydh, meaning ''Village on a Mountain'') is a civil parish and village situated on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall, England. The village and nearby Tintagel Castle are associated with the legends surroundin ...

, where he last saw his father. En route, Merlin trains them in swordsmanship. But when Morgana infiltrates the lesson, Lance betrays Alex and takes the sword for himself. Merlin barely saves them, and Excalibur is destroyed when Alex and Lance come to blows in a marsh. As Lance and Kaye start to leave, Alex calls upon the

Lady of the Lake The Lady of the Lake (french: Dame du Lac, Demoiselle du Lac, cy, Arglwyddes y Llyn, kw, Arloedhes an Lynn, br, Itron al Lenn, it, Dama del Lago) is a name or a title used by several either fairy or fairy-like but human enchantresses in the ...

, whose arm emerges from the water and restores the sword. Resolving their differences and rededicating themselves to the quest, the four overcome a horde of demons by luring them over a cliff. Arriving at Tintagel, Alex meets his aunt Sophie who tells him that his father was an alcoholic who abandoned Alex and his mother, Mary. Sophie reveals that it was Mary who inscribed the book, which enrages Alex, feeling his mother is a liar, and he has come a long way for nothing. Merlin stops him, telling Alex that Excalibur is not handed down by birthright, but by individual merit. Alex and his friends arm themselves, and Alex uses the storybook to locate the entrance to the Underworld. Alex challenges Morgana, who takes on a monstrous form and breathes fire, but Alex strikes her down, and the children escape. Believing Morgana is dead, Alex returns Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake, knowing that the police would likely confiscate it and makes up a story for his mother, who apologizes for her lie: she never told him the truth about his father or the book, because if he had known the truth to begin with, it would've made him more heartbroken. On the day of the eclipse, Merlin informs Alex that Morgana was merely wounded, and Alex realizes that he violated the

Chivalric Code Chivalry, or the chivalric code, is an informal and varying code of conduct developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It was associated with the medieval Christianity, Christian institution of knighthood; knights' and gentlemen's behaviours we ...

by lying to his mother. In desperation, Alex tells her everything that has happened, then stuns her by summoning the Lady of the Lake into the bathtub, where he regains Excalibur. At the school, Merlin enchants the faculty, and Alex knights the entire student body. During the eclipse, Morgana – in a huge, semi draconic form – appears with the entire Mortes Milles. The children fight back, using strategies combining medieval warfare with modern technology. Merlin casts a magic spell to pull Morgana from the world, and Alex

decapitates Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the i ...

her as she vanishes, dispelling all the demons. Alex, Bedders, Lance, and Kaye bid farewell to Merlin, who encourages them to become leaders. Alex once again returns the sword to the Lady of the Lake.

Cast

Production

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

on the film began on 25 September 2017 in London, and ended in March 2018. The film was shot in Cornwall,

Ark Putney Academy Ark Putney Academy (formerly Elliott School) is a co-educational secondary school and sixth form with academy status, located in the Putney Heath area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. History It was first established as Southfi ...

and at

Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden is an studio complex in Leavesden in Watford, Hertfordshire, in South East England. Formerly known as Leavesden Film Studios and still colloquially known as Leavesden Studios or simply Leavesden, it is a film ...

. The visual effects were provided by

DNEG DNEG (formerly known as Double Negative) is a British visual effects, computer animation, and stereo conversion studio that was founded in 1998 in London, and rebranded as DNEG in 2014 after a merger with Indian VFX company Prime Focus. The c ...

Rodeo FX Rodeo FX is a visual effects company involved in projects in the film, television and advertising industry. The company currently has studios in Montreal, Quebec City, Munich and Los Angeles. History Rodeo FX was founded in 2006 in Montreal, Ca ...

, Peerless and TPO VFX, and were supervised by Joel Green, Antoine Moulineau, Laurent Gillet, Marc Hutchings, Jack Hughes and Frazer Churchill.

Reception

Box office

''The Kid Who Would Be King'' grossed $16.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $15.4 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $32.1 million, against a production budget of $59 million. In the United States and Canada, the film opened in 3,521 theaters, grossing $7.3 million in its opening weekend, finishing fourth at the box office. The film opened on #7 when it was released in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. Following its initial performance, it was announced the film was expected to lose the studios around $50 million, taking into account its high marketing costs. The poor debut of the film was attributed to the medieval subject matter mixed with a modern context, which has had several flops in the past two years, including '' King Arthur: Legend of the Sword'' and ''

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...

'', and the difficulty of promoting a family film based on such material. In its second weekend, the film fell 42% to $4.2 million, finishing seventh.

Critical reception

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film has a "Certified Fresh" rating based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critical consensus reads, "''The Kid Who Would Be King'' recalls classic all ages adventures – and repurposes a timeless legend – for a thoroughly enjoyable new addition to the family movie canon." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, the film has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...

gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those at

PostTrak PostTrak is a U.S.-based service that surveys film audiences for film studios. History The service conducts surveys in the top 20 markets in the U.S. and Canada with the use of polling cards and electronic kiosks. A PostTrak report for a film a ...

gave it an overall positive score of 71% and a "definite recommend" of 46%.

References

External links

Official Site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kid Who Would Be King, The 20th Century Fox films TSG Entertainment films 2019 films 2019 adventure films American children's adventure films American children's fantasy films American fantasy adventure films Arthurian films Big Talk Productions films British children's adventure films British children's fantasy films British fantasy adventure films 2010s fantasy adventure films 2010s children's fantasy films 2010s children's adventure films Films produced by Eric Fellner Films produced by Tim Bevan Films set in Cornwall Films set in London Films set in Wiltshire Films shot in London Films shot at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden Films about dragons Films about trolls Films about royalty Films about witchcraft Films about wizards Films about shapeshifting Films with screenplays by Joe Cornish Working Title Films films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films 2010s British films