The Kid Who Would Be King
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: January 25, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
66
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 35 Critic Reviews
Positive:
26
Mixed:
8
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The PlaylistKevin JagernauthJan 12, 2019
The Kid Who Would Be King blows the dust off an old tale, and makes it invigorating and inspiring for viewers who will be forming their own round tables of world-changers for generations to come. Read full review
88
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Chandler LevackJan 18, 2019
Viewers will be entranced by Louis Ashbourne Serkis, son of Andy Serkis. He’s one of the greatest child actors to grace the screen in some time, whose golden lion-hearted essence shines through even when facing indecision and doubt. If perfect casting is looking for the one actor who can pull the sword from the stone, Cornish has found the Webster’s definition of a hero. Read full review
85
Paste MagazineOktay Ege Kozak Jan 23, 2019
The Kid Who Would Be Kid hits the family classic trifecta: Spectacular fun for kids and adults, full of important themes, and a rebellious attitude in regard to the wide range of things grownups are messing up. Read full review
80
Little White LiesJake CunninghamAug 16, 2022
Like The Last Jedi, The Kid Who Would Be King isn’t concerned about legacy or predecessors, it’s about personal belief regardless of who came before you. Read full review
80
Total FilmJordan FarleyFeb 11, 2019
It may not dazzle as much as Attack the Block, but Cornish’s second feature is a fun family adventure. Read full review
80
EmpireNick de SemlyenFeb 4, 2019
More proof that Cornish is a wizard at re-energising tired tropes.The characters are a delight, the action sequences thrum with invention, and when it’s funny, it’s very funny indeed. Read full review
80
Film ThreatBobby LePireFeb 4, 2019
Joe Cornish has pulled off a fantastic feat- a children’s fantasy adventure that balances the drama, action, and humor perfectly and will keep an audience of any age entertained through its entire runtime. Read full review
80
The AtlanticDavid SimsJan 24, 2019
The film hums with energy anytime Merlin is on-screen, but even when it’s in the hands of its very sweet preteen ensemble, it’s a lively watch. Read full review
80
Screen DailySarah WardJan 18, 2019
[An] earnest, entertaining and imaginative old-meets-new adventure. Read full review
75
New York PostReed TuckerJan 24, 2019
Cornish, who hasn’t directed a film since the excellent 2011 teens-versus-aliens movie “Attack the Block,” has created a movie with the goofy charm of 1980s kids adventure flicks, such as “The Goonies” or “The NeverEnding Story.” It’s gentle — and almost completely bloodless. Read full review
75
Original-CinLiam LaceyJan 24, 2019
The movie, with its misfit ensemble of kids, is an ‘80s throwback and a fitfully clever update on the King Arthur story. Read full review
75
ConsequenceBlake GobleJan 23, 2019
The Kid Who Would Be King is a reliable family film, and Cornish polishes old tropes with fresh eyes and a sense of clever imagination. Read full review
75
The Associated PressLindsey BahrJan 23, 2019
A surprisingly delightful film full of action, heart, a crazy-haired Patrick Stewart (as “old” Merlin) and a few genuinely good gags. Read full review
75
USA TodayBrian TruittJan 23, 2019
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.” Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comSimon AbramsJan 22, 2019
Cornish's gift for working with child actors is still apparent, as is his knack for dynamic action set pieces. The Kid Who Would Be King is not, in that sense, everything that it could have been. But it is fun where it counts and that's realistically what matters most. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineDerek SmithJan 20, 2019
Joe Cornish’s film is vigilant in its positivity and hope for the future at nearly every turn. Read full review
75
IndieWireDavid EhrlichJan 12, 2019
Joe Cornish’s long-awaited and largely delightful follow-up to “Attack the Block” is a unicorn of a children’s fantasy movie: It’s imaginative, it’s heartfelt, and it never feels like it’s trying to sell you anything more than a measure of hope for the future. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Emily YoshidaJan 26, 2019
The film builds to an anarchic set piece, in which a school full of rambunctious children defend the world from evil while the adults literally disappear off the face of the earth. It’s the closest thing Cornish comes to a real-life prescription for what ails us, and it goes down pretty well. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangJan 24, 2019
The occasional creakiness of the narrative machinery is largely dispelled by Cornish’s flair for brisk, energetic action and his ability to keep the journey flowing from one mini-adventure to the next. Read full review
70
The New York TimesBilge EbiriJan 24, 2019
The action is creatively staged, without ever getting too intense or scary for young viewers. And the script balances humor, pathos and wish fulfillment as it portrays Alex’s rise from mopey dreamer to confident warrior, without overdoing the mythic portent. Read full review
70
TheWrapMonica CastilloJan 12, 2019
The Kid Who Would Be King is a charming story of fantasy, pop-culture references and myth-making. It’s a movie with the playful camaraderie of “Goonies” and a few elements from ’80s sagas — like “Labyrinth,” “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” “The NeverEnding Story” and “Legend” — where young people go on character-building adventures. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeJan 12, 2019
The action is lively and quick-paced, and then suddenly over — at which point the film gets to hammer down some of its more wholesome messages. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMatthew MonagleJan 23, 2019
A bit of action, a bit of humor, and a whole bunch of teachable moments. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJan 25, 2019
Superficiality is The Kid Who Would Be King’s greatest weakness. It skims along the surface, always taking the obvious path, never courting interesting possibilities, and trumpeting trite messages about friendship, truth, and belief in self. Read full review
63
Washington PostPat PaduaJan 23, 2019
Still, the movie has a kind of optimism that is reflected in the new generation of English thespians in its young cast: Imrie is the son of actress Celia Imrie, and Serkis is the son of actor and filmmaker Andy Serkis. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreJan 13, 2019
Cornish relies on Western audiences’ memory of chivalry, swords in stones, ladies in lakes, “the Once and Future King” and Round Tables to deliver a dose of good clean fun — with violence and jokes and a social relevence so obvious even a child could see it. Read full review
60
The GuardianCath ClarkeFeb 14, 2019
None of the young stars shine as John Boyega did in ATB, but this movie is sentimental in all the right places, and impossible to dislike. Read full review
60
Time OutPhil de SemlyenJan 25, 2019
It falls short of enchanting but it's never less than fun and likable. Watch it through the eyes of your inner teenager and you’ll have a blast. Read full review
60
VarietyPeter DebrugeJan 12, 2019
With its retro-video-game score and “Goonies”-style gang of misfit characters, the movie plays like a throwback to Spielberg-produced adventure films of the ’80s. And yet, the premise feels wobbly at best. Read full review
58
The Film StageVikram MurthiJan 21, 2019
The Kid Who Would Be King’s arrhythmic pacing proves to be a liability, particularly in the homestretch when Cornish establishes three separate endings and decides to power through all of them Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyJan 14, 2019
Might be smarter that the average live-action kids’ movie, but it’s hamstrung by a lack of visual imagination and a generic script. Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternJan 24, 2019
Details like these are delightful. So is the notion of Stonehenge as a transport hub to another temporal plane, and the spectacle of Alex and his dauntless cohorts in tin armor they’ve bought in a souvenir shop. What’s destructive, and eventually benumbing, is the kitchen-sink clutter of fantasy, reality, wish-fulfillment and glib enchantment. To say that the film lacks simplicity would be an oversimplification. Read full review
50
Arizona RepublicScott CravenJan 23, 2019
The modern interpretation of King Arthur will entertain young viewers, eager to follow a story that doesn’t require Merlin’s magic to see where it’s headed. Read full review
40
The Observer (UK)Simran HansFeb 21, 2019
I’m a huge fan of Cornish’s 2011 debut Attack the Block, but this film isn’t nearly as energetic or enjoyably wacky as its predecessor. In fairness, it’s pitched at a considerably younger audience, but at two hours it drags; less patient children may struggle. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleJan 23, 2019
The young actors are adequate, but they’re not intrinsically interesting, so their interior movements hold no fascination. With that in mind, The Kid Who Would Be King should have been an hour long, but an extra 20 minutes, just to stretch it to feature length, would have been forgivable. But a full 120 minutes for this was just borderline crazy. Read full review
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