the kid who would be king: review & free printables

Looking for a fun family movie this weekend? We found a great one for you: The Kid Who Would Be King.

And I’ve got some cool printable quotes notes—and mini posters!—for you, too!

kid who would be king review and printables

The Kid Who Would Be King is a modern-day adaptation of the King Arthur story and the legend of the sword in the stone, Maddy, Owen, Cora, and I loved this film. It’s a fun mix of Goonies and Harry Potter.

Not only did we have a chance to see an advanced screening of this new film in NYC this month, but we also had the opportunity to interview some of the cast members. It was amazing.

Here’s the skinny. . .

The Kid Who Would Be King — Printable Quote Notes and Mini Posters

What’s this movie about?

The Kid Who Would Be King tells the story of Alex, who thinks he’s just another nobody, until he stumbles upon the mythical Sword in the Stone, Excalibur. He must unite his friends and enemies and, together with the legendary wizard Merlin, take on the wicked enchantress Morgana to become the great leader he never dreamed he could be. The film is written and directed by Joe Cornish and stars Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Dean Chaumoo, Tom Taylor, Rhianna Dorris, Angus Imrie, with Rebecca Ferguson and Patrick Stewart.
In theaters January 25th.

Now, the review—5 quick reasons you’ll love the movie:

1.) The movie’s story is great.

It’s action-packed and a new twist on an old tale. But it’s familiar enough that everyone’s super engaged.

I mean, doesn’t everyone secretly wish that they’d run across the Sword in the Stone or a letter from Hogwarts, or a Golden Ticket? Any time an “everyday character” finds one of these things, we’re in awe.

We want to follow the story to learn more.

We want to be right there with them.

We want to be their best pal, rooting for them along the way.

Check out the trailer:

2.) The lessons in this movie are important.

Strong messages prevail throughout the movie about the importance of standing up for friends, about honesty and integrity, about kindness, and the strength we have when we work together.

One of the first scenes shows Alex standing up for his friend, Bedders, who is getting harassed by the school bullies, Lance and Kaye. Alex bravely confronts his schoolmates, and eventually he makes these “enemies” into friends. It’s this group of four that sticks together through thick and thin.

3.) The actors rock.

Other than Sir Patrick Stewart—whom you totally know from Star Trek, The Family Guy, tons of voices in movies, and Excalibur, among a zillion other roles in productions—this cast was pretty new. But this group worked hard, and they delivered incredibly worthwhile performances.

We loved the young Merlin, played by Angus Imre. His energy and comfort on-screen was remarkable, and we loved his super-cool hand magic.

See an example here:

We had a chance to chat with Sir Patrick Stewart (who plays the elder Merlin), Louis Ashbourne Serkis (who plays Alex), Rhianna Dorris (who plays Kaye), and director Joe Cornish at our press event. They were delightful.

They answered questions from the small group of influencers, and our Maddy had a chance to ask her question.

She asked the panel which scene was the most difficult to film, and they came back in agreement: the scene where Alex, Bedders, Lance, and Kaye are fighting in the swamp was hands-down the most challenging.

4.) There are plenty of cool follow-up learning options with this movie.

Watch the movie with your kids and then have a go at reading some of these King Arthur inspired books:

King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, by Roger Lancelyn Greene
Knights of the Round Table (A Stepping Stones Book), by Gwen Gross
The Story of King Arthur and His Knights, by Howard Pyle
King Arthur (Myths and Legends), by Daniel Mersey
The Once and Future King, by T. H. White

5.) The movie works for the whole family.

It’s difficult to find movies that work for an entire family. I get that.

In my opinion, this movie works for late elementary-aged viewers on up. Be forewarned that some scenes were a bit scary. There’s quite a bit of violence and sword fighting, and several bullying scenes are hard to watch. The villain Morgana is super unsettling when we first meet her, as she’s part of this living, creeping tree. Later, she turns into a fire-breathing dragon. And her minions are skeleton-knights on horses. Gulp.

The story is easy to follow, and no doubt kids will immediately root for the main character, Alex and his buddy, Bedders. They’ll laugh hard at young Merlin’s antics, and they’ll be cheering on the young army of knights at the end.

Now? Go see the movie and download these cool movie quotes and mini-posters!

All you need to do is throw your email in the box below, and the printable will magically appear in your inbox!

*Cue my quick hand magic tricks!*

Check out even more photos and fun from our NYC Kid Who Would Be King experience by heading to my Instagram page and clicking on the NYC highlight:

Overall, it was an amazing experience, anchored by the viewing of a movie that really rocked.

Find out when the movie is playing near you, and head over now.

Official movie site: The Kid Who Would Be King
Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/KidWhoWouldBeKing
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KidWouldBeKing
Instagram: www.Instagram.com/KidWhoWouldBeKing
Hashtag: #KidWhoWouldBeKing

fyi: Huge and happy thanks to my friends at 20th Century Fox and CT & Co. for inviting Maddy, Owen, Cora, and me to the experiential press event this month and for covering my travel and expenses. As always, my opinions are all my own, influenced only by my experience as a parent and educator.

I always, always defer to the good people at Common Sense Media for reviews of books, movies, and programs I share with my kids, so I encourage you to check out the Common Sense Media review of The Kid Who Would Be King. (Bonus that it’s written by my dear friend Sandie Angulo Chen!)

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