Arthur the King — Movie Review

Arthur the King is the newest effort from actor and Las Vegan Mark Wahlberg and also stars Marvel (and Barbie) standout Simu Liu. The film recounts the true story of adventure racer Mikael Lindnord and his and his team’s encounter with the titular stray dog while on a world championship race in 2014.

First and foremost, Arthur is the star of the film. Wahlberg and Liu are capable shepherds who move the movie along with dialogue and plot points, but perhaps unsurprisingly, the dog brings home the bacon. Any time he isn’t onscreen, as an audience member, you’re wondering where Arthur is.

It makes sense, then, that some of the relationships between the humans in Arthur the King are stilted and ill-conceived. There are established plot threads and full characters that are abandoned or, at best, left half-baked. This doesn’t damage the experience, as the humans aren’t really what we’re here for. It’s the dog, and the dog is cute. A warning to audiences: if you are sensitive to cute animals in peril, Arthur the King is chock full of it, so prepare yourself.

It’s hard to muster a profound take on Arthur the King. We have a perfectly serviceable and enjoyable family-friendly adventure with the rough edges sanded down enough to make the final product acceptable for general audiences. It’s not treading any new cinematic ground, but it’s abundantly clear that’s not what the filmmakers intended to do. In as much, Arthur the King succeeds in being a satisfying “based on a true story” tale, which is all it needs to be.

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