Alex, a 12-year-old boy, and his friends fight an evil sorceress with the help of Excalibur, the sword of King Arthur, in a bid to save the world from her atrocities.Alex, a 12-year-old boy, and his friends fight an evil sorceress with the help of Excalibur, the sword of King Arthur, in a bid to save the world from her atrocities.Alex, a 12-year-old boy, and his friends fight an evil sorceress with the help of Excalibur, the sword of King Arthur, in a bid to save the world from her atrocities.
- Awards
- 3 wins & 3 nominations
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe phrase "The Once And Future King" is taken from the title of T.H. White's four book series of Arthurian tales, the first of which was used as the basis for Disney's The Sword in the Stone (1963). White derived his title from the inscription that, according to Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, was written upon King Arthur's tomb: "Here lies Arthur, king once, and king to be." It was White who first described Merlin as living through time backwards; an idea revisited by Joe Cornish in this movie.
- GoofsThroughout the movie they are counting down to an upcoming solar eclipse. Yet the Moon each night gets more and more full with it being completely full the night before the eclipse. A solar eclipse can only happen on a new Moon approximately two weeks away from a full moon.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Month in Movies: February 2019 (2019)
- SoundtracksThe Land of Make Believe
Written by Andy Hill and Pete Sinfield (as Peter Sinfield)
Performed by Bucks Fizz
Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment UK Ltd
Under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd
Featured review
Just because we've, essentially, seen it before doesn't mean it isn't good.
Let's be honest, we've all seen 'The Kid Who Would Be King (2019)' before. It's a kid-friendly, modern-day reimagining of an old legend entered around a 'chosen one' narrative and an ensemble of single-trait characters. That doesn't mean that it's without its merits, though. It may occupy a well-worn genre but it occupies it well, comfortably conforming to - and occasionally contorting - the conventions it knows so keenly. It also has a good amount of edge, self-censoring only through its central conceits, and, as such, it feels much closer to the fondly-remembered 'kid' films of yesteryear than most of the stuff being pumped out today (and not just because it's live-action). This actually makes it feel incredibly authentic as each moment seems to serve the story. Whether it's scary, funny, heartfelt or just plain action-packed, the flick always makes a point of staying true to itself, having an excellent understanding of its target audience in the process. Of course, this means that much of the piece is painted in pretty broad strokes. The humour is never really successful and the character-work is all incredibly basic. Still, it's appreciated. By the time the finale rolls around, you'll be invested in the characters and will actively want to see them succeed. Speaking of the finale, it's probably the best part; it's exciting, well-staged and uniquely large-scale. Unfortunately, it's preceded by a pace-killing 'fake-out' that's not only obvious but also just far too long. Without it, I feel the picture would have moved much more smoothly into its final movement and, generally, been all the more successful. It doesn't destroy the experience, though. Overall, the movie is a fun and well-executed entry into a widely-seen genre. It's, essentially, as predictable as it is enjoyable. It's not groundbreaking, nor extremely engaging, but it's entertaining enough to be worth a watch, especially - I suppose - if you aren't as familiar with its framework as I am. 6/10
helpful•138
- Pjtaylor-96-138044
- Feb 28, 2019
- How long is The Kid Who Would Be King?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Cậu Bé và Sứ Mệnh Thiên Tử
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $59,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $16,790,790
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $7,173,887
- Jan 27, 2019
- Gross worldwide
- $32,140,970
- Runtime2 hours
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content