The Highlight of 'The Kid Who Would Be King' Is Merlin's Ridiculous Spell-casting Hand Motions

The Kid Who Would Be King is a children’s fantasy film that follows Alex Elliot (Louis Ashbourne Serkis), a 12-year-old fan of Arthurian legend, who stumbles on Excalibur, the very sword of King Arthur himself, in the middle of a construction site while fleeing from bullies one night.  As he learns soon enough, the evil enchantress Morgana (Rebecca Fergusson) is set to return during the upcoming solar eclipse, and he alone holds the key to stopping her.  With the fate of Britain hanging in the balance, Alex must assemble a new “Knights of the Round Table”, which is composed of his friends and enemies, and rally them to battle against Morgana and her undead forces.

This is an okay film.  It has very little to offer for older audiences, but it’s a silly adventure movie that younger audiences may likely take delight in.  And if adults manage to tap into the sensibilities of their inner childhood, they may get to enjoy this movie more than they expect to.

For me, the most notable part of this movie is probably Merlin, who is played by Angus Imrie (teenage form) and Patrick Stewart (older form).  He’s just so out-there as a character.  He’s not exactly hilarious, but much of the humor is hinged on him, and his goofiness merits amused chuckles couple of times.  I especially enjoyed how he cast spells, which involves some ridiculous Naruto-esque hand motions.

In the end, The Kid Who Would Be King is disposable.  Don’t get me wrong.  It’s not bad or boring.  Again, it’s okay.  It entertains.  It’s a wholesome, family-fun fare, and it can get endearing at parts.  But it doesn’t necessarily have a strong rewatchability factor.  It’s not something that will still be fondly remembered at the end of the year, let alone end up becoming a cinema classic.