The Kid Who Would Be King (2019) looked like it should be just my style: a silly, family-oriented updating of the Arthur legend, directed by Joe Cornish (Attack the Block and Ant-Man). Too bad...
It stars Louis Ashbourne Serkis (Andy’s son) as Alex, a twelve-year kid who is bullied in school by an older boy Lance (Tom Taylor) and girl Kaye (Rhianna Doris) - how nice, equal opportunity bullying. When they bully his chubby buddy Bedders (Dean Chaumoo), he tries to distract them and winds up in a construction site, where he finds a sword, embedded in a concrete pillar. Which he pulls out and puts the bullies to rout.
When Merlin shows up at school, he looks like a somewhat oversized and gawky kid - Angus Imrie, who has a sort of young Dr. Who energy. He explains all about the sword and Morgan’s coming back to conquer Britain, etc. (Same as Nimue in Hellboy?) So Alex knights Bedders (Bedevere) and Lance (Lancelot) and Kaye (Sir Kaye?), making his enemies into allies. And off they go.
The problems are: 1) it isn’t that exciting - maybe they toned it down a little for the kiddies? And 2) it isn’t particularly funny, although Merlin gets a few gags in. Also, he sometimes shows up in adult form, played by Patrick Stewart.
There is a subplot about Alex’s absent father and his lovely single mother, that I just didn’t care much. But it does sort of pay off when Alex summons the Lady of the Lake in their bathtub.
Shame really - Cornish seems to be able to direct kids well, and these kids had a lot going for them. Needed a better script, I guess.
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