What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 574-583-5121 or email cgrace@thehj.com.<doc-sep>@MarkMeszoros on Twitter Mark is a lifelong Northeast Ohioan and an Ohio University grad. Along with loving music, movies and television, he is crazy about sports and tech. Reach the author at mmeszoros@news-herald.com or follow Mark on Twitter: @MarkMeszoros.<doc-sep>“The Kid Who Would Be King” revitalizes the Arthurian legend for a new generation of film fans, with a family-friendly story as sharp as Excalibur’s blade. Director Joe Cornish grounded the alien-invasion genre with clever plotting and entertaining English youngsters with 2011's “Attack the Block” and does the same with epic fantasy with this clever “Kid” (★★★ out of four; rated PG; in theaters Friday), centering on an embattled schoolboy whose destiny is much bigger than he ever dreamed. Twelve-year-old Alex (Louis Ashbourne Serkis) feels out of sorts just in general – he still struggles with his dad leaving years earlier, and Alex and best friend Bedders (Dean Chaumoo) are frequent targets for bullying schoolmates Lance (Tom Taylor) and Kaye (Rhianna Dorris). One evening when chased by these two, Alex winds up in a construction area and finds a sword in a stone. He pulls it out, brings it home and wonders if it could be the same one King Arthur wielded in the story told in a beloved book Alex’s father left for him. Of course, it is, and the sword’s reappearance brings about a couple of other ancient players: The magician Merlin (Angus Imrie) strolls out of Stonehenge as a naked teenager and seeks out Alex to help him against the dark forces of sorceress Morgana (Rebecca Ferguson). What's ahead:10 movies we can't wait to see in 2019, from 'Captain Marvel' to 'Aladdin' Start the year right:10 January gems that came out in Hollywood's worst movie month Arthur’s half-sister has apparently been hanging out under London this whole time waiting for a cynical and leaderless world where she can rise again, and Alex and Bedders band together with reluctant pals Lance and Kaye to fight off Morgana and her horde of undead soldiers on flaming horses. While Alex pulls together warriors around his round (dining room) table, Patrick Stewart – an actual knighted dude – also shows up as Merlin’s older self. He doesn’t have that much screen time, though, and for once that’s not a bad thing. Imrie’s a crazy-eyed gem who gives “The Kid” much of its winning goofiness, with teen Merlin scarfing down fried chicken (for wizarding power, natch) and turning into an owl via body-shaking sneeze. Meanwhile, Serkis, baby-faced son of Andy, is just as integral to the story in conveying the film’s more heartfelt, earnest moments. The movie lands squarely in the same tradition of everything from “The Goonies” to “It” in having children save the day when adults just aren’t up to the task. And “The Kid” actually taps into the current political tumult, albeit heavy-handedly: There’s a whole scene with newspapers blasting “War” and “Gloom” in big-font headlines as well as frequent refrains that the world’s going to hell in a handbasket. It drifts too dreary in a few spots, and those, plus the two-hour runtime, might leave some little ones squirming before the fiery, action-packed climax. For any Camelot neophytes in the kid crowd, Cornish begins his movie with a very cool animated retelling of the myth, but then quickly leans into one of his core themes: If your legends just aren’t relevant anymore, perhaps a generation needs to write them anew. And with “The Kid,” that means a fun, empowering Arthurian update – and the best since 1981's "Excalibur" – with spunky youngsters using traffic signs as shields, a Lady of the Lake who hangs in a bathtub and a chivalric code that's just as relevant now as in medieval times.<doc-sep>I have always been fascinated by the Arthurian legends, from The Once and Future King to Over Sea Under Stone, from Pyle's illustrated classics to the classic film Excalibur. And not simply from media, I've enjoyed these tales from a historic perspective as well, wondered at the legends, and dreamed of someday seeing them come true. There will never be too many Arthur stories out there, or too many films using his mystique as a foundation, I for one simply can't get enough. The Kid Who Would Be King is a unique take on the old idea of seeing the king come again, but in the vein of a modern children's film that adults can still watch with their families. It's not the greatest take we'll see, but it sure is easy to enjoy, a smooth experience of fun and frights that starts 2019 off on a fine foot. Alex feels alone at school, with only one friend, and alone at home as well, with only one parent. He wishes he was special or had a special place in life, but he's beginning to feel that the whole thing might be a hopeless exercise in popularity and power, with your role predetermined and unchanging. He and his friend Bedders often run afoul of a pair of older kids, Lance and Kaye, who beat up Bedders and chase Alex. On one such occasion, he hides in a construction site, finding a strange sword sticking out of a stone, but pulling it out with ease. A new kid at school, calling himself Merton, tells Alex that he has been chosen as the hero of the age, that only he can defeat the evil Morgana, and that he will have to unite the kids, the school, and all of England in order to save the world. This kid is Andy Serkis' son, which seems random, but he's been doing voice-over work recently (Mary and the Witch's Flower, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle) and has done well, so now he's trying his chops at acting. He's fine, as are the rest of the cast members, but none of them stood out as spectacular, all of them sliding by on their cool accents and CGI battles scenes. Rebecca Ferguson and Patrick Stewart stepped in to lend their credibility, but the actor who stole the most limelight was probably Angus Imrie, young Merlin, who did a great job pushing the plot along and was fairly likable throughout. The cast worked together well as a team and played well off one another, creating a group you could root for to succeed whenever the going got hard. The film is reminiscent of The Mummy, if not as violent, but carrying the same action-adventure flair, with skeletons and magic and chases and escapes. Obviously this movie is directed more toward children, and my own found it to be exhilarating; watching them watch was half the fun for me. It's a little scary, a little exciting, a little funny, combining in many ways to be just good enough to enjoy, never too much to push the envelope and risk any chance of failure. I guess I'm saying that they played it a little safe, but maybe that also was for the kids, so that younger audiences weren't expected to follow the story around too many tricky bends. The fighting was fun, the actors were enjoyable, the morals were strong; I would recommend this family film to those who liked Goosebumps and appreciate that level of intensity and quality. Olie Coen Archer Avenue archeravenue.net<doc-sep>
Patricks Stewart and Louis Ashbourne Serkis in a scene from 'The Kid Who Would Be King.' Handout Alex Elliot and his friend Bedders were just regular schoolboys in Cornwall. Everyday they have to contend with bullies like Lance and his partner Kaye. One day, Alex encountered a sword stuck in a stone when he fell into a pit. He was able to pull the sword out, and realized he actually had the legendary Excalibur in his hands. The fabled wizard Merlin appeared to Alex in the form of an awkward nerd to warn him that the evil sorceress Morgana had been revived and she was going to take over the whole world with her army of undead soldiers. It is up to Alex (the one destined to be the new Arthur) and his schoolmates (his own Knights of the Round Table) to save the world. I liked the spunk of Louis Ashbourne Serkis (14-year old son of Andy Serkis) in the lead role of Alex, and Dean Chaumoo who was delightful in the role of Bedders. The two older teen actors -- Tom Taylor (whom we first met as Jake Chambers in "The Dark Tower" last 2017 with Idris Elba and Matthew McConnaughey) and Rhianna Doris -- had their moments in their roles as bullies who tormented Alex. Angus Imrie will polarize audiences in his dorky portrayal of the young Merlin. Watch more in iWantTFC The performances of the adult actors were even more kiddie than the kids, fully intentional I guess. I only knew two of the actors by name, and these were Patrick Stewart (who played the senior version of whimsical Merlin) and Rebecca Ferguson (who was unrecognizable under the make-up of the evil Morgana). They were made to deliver very cheesy and corny lines, it can be uncomfortable to watch, but they do so with all professional gusto. Of course, amidst the kiddie action and comedy (very British), there are important messages for the children who watched it. It encourage kids to follow their dreams (even to be a king, if you will) and they will be fulfilled, as long as you have goodness in your heart. It also advised the kids to follow the Knight's Code to avoid misconduct, to honor people you love, to always be honest and to stick to all your endeavors through to the end. As a whole, despite aiming to be "epic," this film by comedian-director Joe Cornish was quite juvenile in execution, in terms of the script, the humor and the special effects. It sought to revive interest in the characters of the Arthurian legend among the new generation of moviegoers, as summarized in the comics-style animated introductory scenes. You really have to turn on your inner child to enjoy this as it seemed to be geared for audiences below the age of 10 (in actual years or in terms of mentality). This review was originally published in the author's blog, "Fred Said."