Fantasy action movie titled “The Kid Who Would Be King” directed and screenwritten by Joe Cornish was released Jan. 25. The main character, 12 year old, Alexander Elliott, portrayed by actor Louis Ashbourne Serkis, attends a private school named Dunbridge Academy. His best friend Bedders, portrayed by Dean Chaumoo, also attends the academy.

The action arises when Alexander finds a sword in a block of concrete at the construction area. He returns back to his home with Bedders to discover the meaning of the sword and why it was there. After Alexander decides to keep the sword, mysterious events begin to happen, and that is when Merlin, portrayed by, Angus Imrie arrives. Merlin then tells Alexander of the position he has to fill in order for Britain not to fall into the clutches of villain Morgana.

This version of the Arthurian tale puts a fun, adventurous modern twist on this particular genre of fiction. The movie ties in valuable lessons of loyalty, commitment and friendship. The age group for the movie fits a younger age range, but audience members of any age could enjoy it, that is if one is a fan of fantasy worlds.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie from its intricate sets to the costumes. The movie soundtrack has a wide range of genres from older rock songs to popular alternative songs. The effects were second to none and extremely creative.
Some of the popular songs featured in the soundtrack are Hall of Fame, Scream and Shout, Radioactive, Secrets, How to Save a Life, Counting Stars, Good Life, Drive By and Demons.

The soundtrack includes many modern day artists and bands such as OneRepublic, Maroon 5, The Script, Pink and Imagine Dragons. To fit the movie and its more modern themes, the costumes are your everyday basic school uniforms. It does still have that medieval tie towards the end with the final battle between Alexander and Morgana.

For this specific type of movie, it is good to have a new underlying variable, since most of the Arthurian movies are always medieval themed. Having this new twist on such an old tale is refreshing and incredible to see how far this story has grown and changed throughout the years.

Contact Anna Baustert at [email protected]