Tanya’s Score: Okay-and-a-half*
Rated: PG
Starring: Gollum’s son; Captain Picard
Plot: When 12-year-old Alex (Louis Ashbourne Serkis) finds a sword in a stone, he sets into motion a plan to defeat a band of medieval villains.
Tanya’s Verdict: This one started off strong but somewhere in the middle of this two hour movie, things started going dull for me. Pretty soon I was full-on napping, waking up here and there to catch some fight scenes.
Even so, The Kid Who Would Be King has many hallmarks of a good family film: much of the action revolves solely around kids, it stresses the importance of friendship and respect, and there is the medieval element for those who enjoy that sort of thing. I don’t normally go for that medieval stuff – so I figured that was my problem. But my son – who does typically enjoy medieval stories – was bored as well (although he enjoyed the fight scenes – and there are plenty of those).
Two problems I had with the film: there is a somewhat interesting sub-plot suggested regarding Alex’s absent father but the storyline hits a dead end; as much as the young star tried, he just couldn’t carry this film on his shoulders. I found his singular facial expression and tone of voice wearisome.
There are a few scary scenes, but otherwise The Kid Who Would Be King is a forgettable, run-of-the-mill movie.
*Four score descriptions: Sh**; Okay; Good; Great