Arthur the King movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Arthur the King

This heartwarming movie based on a true story premieres on March 15, 2024.

To learn more about its screenings, check out @arthurthekingmovie

RATING: PG-13 (strong language)

LENGTH: 1 hour 30 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: A

IN A NUTSHELL:

The story is about an adventure racer who adopts a stray dog he names Arthur. Together, they participate in a high-adventure endurance race.

Already, the movie has won “Truly Moving Picture Award” at the Heartland Film Festival.

The film was directed by Simon Cellan Jones. Writing credits go to Michael Brandt based on the book by Mikael Lindnord.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Some Spanish is spoken without subtitles
Some profanity
We see a wounded dog

THEMES:

Weakness
Suffering
Choices & consequences
Survival
Selfishness
Teamwork
Pushing yourself to be better

THINGS I LIKED:

I’ve been a huge Mark Wahlberg fan for many years. He does an excellent job in this, although I wanted to shave his face the entire time. Ha ha I love that he has been selecting a lot of inspirational, family-friendly movies lately. He also served as one of the producers of the film. I also love that just a couple of weeks ago, he made a video with the actor who plays Jesus in The Chosen to get Catholics excited about beginning Lent and preparing for Easter.
The rest of the cast was fantastic too and includes Nathalie Emmanuel, Simu Liu, Michael Landes, Ali Suliman, Juliet Rylance, Rob Collins, and more.
The title is intriguing and made me want to know more about the story before I watched the movie.
The movie poster instantly shows us that both characters are scruffy fighters.
We don’t get to see Bear Grylls, but we hear his voice as the race announcer.
Fun fact: “Peligro” means “Danger” in Spanish.
I admire those who run endurance races. It looks like total torture to me!
Really great sound effects.
We learn about the Athur Foundation, whose mission is to save animals in need. Inspiring!
You WILL cry.
When the movie ended, the audience clapped. After the press screener, I heard a woman say, “That was one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time.”
There is a villain, of sorts, but he’s also a likeable guy.
Impressive cinematography by Jacques Jouffret.
Keep watching during the final rolling credits to see pictures of the real people involved in the events of the story.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Fair warning. If you get vertigo with heights, you’ll need to close your eyes a couple of times. One scene is when some people rock climb on a mountain in Oahu, Hawaii. Another is on a zip line in the Dominican Republic.
It’s hard to see what’s going on in the night scenes when it’s raining.

FUNNY LINES:

“It’s my team, Leo, but I’m going to give you a voice.” – Mikael Lindnord (Mark Wahlberg) “It’s going to be a loud one.” – Leo (Simu Liu) “It always is.” – Mikael Lindnord (Mark Wahlberg)
“My wife would be so mad at me if she knew I was up here right now.” – Mikael Lindnord (Mark Wahlberg)
“Are you going to be able to paddle with a dog?” (Nathalie Emmanuel) “It would be a lot easier if he were a chihuahua.” – Mikael Lindnord (Mark Wahlberg)