<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Film Review by Kam Williams<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Bullied\nSchoolboy Morphs into King Arthur in Modern Epic Fantasy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \tBritish\nschoolboy Alex Elliot (Louis Ashbourne Serkis) is the unlikeliest of\nheroes. After all, the pint-sized 12 year-old and his nerdy BFF,\nBedders (Dean Chaumoo), are bullied on a daily basis at Dungate\nAcademy. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tUnfortunately,\nAlex doesn’t have a father or a big brother to teach him how to deal\nwith his tormentors. His dad disappeared ages ago, leaving behind a\ncopy of \u201cKing Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table\u201d\ninscribed with a dedication comparing his son to the classic novel’s\nlegendary title character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tSure\nenough, life starts imitating art the day Alex summons up the courage\nto intervene when he catches a couple of cruel classmates, Kaye\n(Rhianna Dorris) and Lance, (Tom Taylor) torturing Bedders. Later\nthat afternoon, Alex yanks out a sword he finds stuck in a boulder on\na construction site, a feat reminiscent of how Arthur extracted\nExcalibur from a stone in accordance with ancient folklore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tNext,\na new transfer student, Merlin (Angus Imrie), encourages Alex to\nembrace his destiny as a latter-day King Arthur. Once convinced, Alex\nuses his sword to knight not only his buddy Bedders, but their for\nadversaries Kaye and Lance (aka Sir Lancelot). \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tWith\ntime of the essence, the four join forces with Merlin (aka Merlin the\nMagician), to defeat Morgana (Rebecca Ferguson) an evil, medieval\nsorceress bent on world domination. She comes equipped with a scary\narmy of flaming skeletons which the youngsters only have a few days\nto subdue to prevent a cataclysmic solar eclipse. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tWritten\nand directed by Joe Cornish (Attack the Block), The\nKid Who Would be King is an entertaining re-imagining of a classic\nepic adventure. Yes, it’s rated a tyke-friendly PG, yet it’s also\nwell enough crafted to enthrall young and old alike from beginning to\nend. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tA\nwholesome family treat with an inspirational message!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Excellent\n(4 stars)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rated PG\nfor action, violence, scary images, mature themes and mild epithets \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Running\ntime: 120 minutes<\/p>\n\n\n\n