Movie Review: ‘Arthur the King’

The Mark Wahlberg-starring movie is based on Mikael Lindnord’s memoir of adventure racing and meeting his canine buddy, but meanders more than it runs.

(L to R) Simu Liu as Leo, Nathalie Emmanuel as Olivia, Mark Wahlberg as Michael and Ali Suliman as Chik in 'Arthur The King.' Photo Credit: Carlos Rodriguez.

In theaters on Friday, March 15th, ‘Arthur the King’ is the latest movie to be based on a true-life tale that throws all you might expect in about endurance, endeavor, sportsmanship and the love of animals, but slips into a few too many easy plot and emotional pitfalls.

Burdened with the fact that you’ll surely know the outcome even if you don’t the original story, the movie doesn’t offer up enough that feels fresh for the journey –– beyond the sweet lead dog, of course.

Does ‘Arthur the King’ Win the Race?

(L to R) Ali Suliman as Chik and Mark Wahlberg as Michael in 'Arthur The King.' Photo Credit: Carlos Rodriguez.

As ‘Shakespeare in Love’ reminded us, audiences love a bit with a dog. And ‘Arthur the King’ certainly has lots of heart-tugging bits with a dog. So if you can’t resist a true story that includes charming canine action, then the movie delivers.

The problem lies in the other areas –– though the story of Mikael Lindnord (Mark Wahlberg’s character is renamed to Michael Light) boasts plenty of challenge and struggle, the movie never quite finds a way to make you care about the man the way it does about the dog (and the canine companion doesn’t enter the picture until much later than you expect, despite his own brief initial storyline), meaning you might feel like you were sold a bill of goods, slogging your way through some very predictable team building and early race stages before you get to Arthur.

Script and Direction

Mark Wahlberg as Michael in 'Arthur The King.' Photo Credit: Carlos Rodriguez.

Written by Michael Brandt (‘Wanted’, ‘3:10 to Yuma’ ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’) based on Mikael Lindnord’s story, the movie, despite an already impressive narrative, feels the need to layer on plenty of Hollywood schmaltz. There’s the sweet, understanding wife (herself a racer, though retired) and daughter who track our hero’s progress from the home front. The arrogant former teammate who returns to help and whose social media/status obsession is both a hindrance and a help. An older colleague whose health issues slow the team, and a character whose ailing father encourages her to join the team despite her desire to stay behind and care for him.

When you have a predictable story, you need layers, but the ones that the movie chooses simply make it seem that much more cliched. And in keeping with a Hollywood-ized version of a true story that aims to leave you feeling happy and not conflicted, it naturally sands off some of the thornier elements, such as the controversy around Arthur being adopted and brought back to the States, whereupon a family claimed that Lindnord had effectively dognapped their pet (it all worked out for the best).

And the direction of Simon Cellan Jones, who worked with Wahlberg on Apple TV+’s recent movie ‘The Family Plan’, doesn’t really do much to help matters. Though he has some beautiful jungle backdrops for his characters, and a built-in story to cheer for, the overloads the movie with unearned sentiment and moments that will come across as less than authentic and far from original.

Even with the racing elements, the movie seems to wander more than it zips along (even with an actual zipline as part of the plot), and when the score goes into “inspirational overload” it’s more likely to make you sigh than cheer.

Still, there’s enough pleasure to be found, especially in the charming doggie moments and the interesting real-life racing elements –– adventure specialist Bear Grylls helps you keep track of what’s happening, offering the benefit of his experience, even if it does sometimes come across as watching a Twitch feed of someone playing a video game more than news coverage.

Performances

(L to R) Nathalie Emmanuel as Olivia, Mark Wahlberg as Michael, Ali Suliman as Chik and Simu Liu as Leo in 'Arthur The King.' Photo Credit: Carlos Rodriguez.

Wahlberg is largely on autopilot here –– as the adventure racer, he’s pretty much exactly what you expect from the actor, with little room for nuance. But his low-key charisma works for an endurance athlete, and he at least looks the part. That said, you’re never really in doubt that he’s going to succeed (on the dog adoption front, if nothing else).

As Leo, Simu Liu manages to walk the tricky tightrope of seeming smug without being unlikable. The Instagram-happy character is a solid addition to the team, and Liu juggles his initial cynicism and later bond with Arthur effectively.

Ali Suliman plays Chik, an old friend of Michaels, and a savvy navigator with seven world championships under his belt. But now, suffering with old injuries, he’s not sure he wants to jump back into the racing world. You can guess what actually happens just by reading this character summary, but Suliman at least brings real personality to role and plays well off of Wahlberg.

Nathalie Emmanuel is somewhat lumbered with the role of Olivia, the daughter of an ailing climbing legend. There’s not much to chew on here for the actor, who nevertheless does what she can. But at times she’s reduced to being someone Wahlberg has to rescue or simply fading into the background.

And the less said about wife Helen (Juliet Rylance) and daughter Ruby (Cece Valentina), who could be cardboard cut-outs for all the actual character they have. Both actors are fine, but they’re such nothingburger roles you feel for them.

Final Thoughts

(L to R) Simu Liu as Leo and Mark Wahlberg as Michael in 'Arthur The King.' Photo Credit: Carlos Rodriguez.

While it mostly has to rely on its canine star rather than its humans for its pleasures, ‘Arthur the King’ does have some lush backdrops and an interesting world in the adventure racing sphere.

It’s just a shame that it falls down every single cliché cliff possible at the same time.

‘Arthur the King’ receives 6 out of 10 stars.

Arthur the King

"An unexpected encounter. An unlikely bond. An unforgettable adventure."

PG-131 hr 47 minMar 15th, 2024

Showtimes & Tickets

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What is the Plot of ‘Arthur the King’?

Over the course of ten days and 435 miles, an unbreakable bond is forged between pro adventure racer Michael Light (Mark Wahlberg) and a scrappy street dog companion dubbed Arthur. Based on an incredible true story, ‘Arthur the King’ follows Light, desperate for one last chance to win, as he convinces a sponsor to back him and a team of athletes (Simu Liu, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Ali Suliman) for the Adventure Racing World Championship in the Dominican Republic. As the team is pushed to their outer limits of endurance in the race, Arthur redefines what victory, loyalty and friendship truly mean.