The Wasteland Reviewer

Arthur the King (2024) Written Review

What do you get when you take an extreme sports movie and mash it together with a dog drama? A cute dog will certainly make anything better and that is the case with the true story of Mikael Lindnord and his unlikely stray dog friend. Our furry friend is the titular character of this new drama Arthur the King. Lindnord is an adventure racer who is trying to prove himself after an embarrassing exit from his last race. This film tells his story of redemption…kind of. 

What is the “kind of” for? Arthur the King struggles to define what the focus of the film is. You would think from the title that this furry friend is the real protagonist of the story. That might be true for the latter half of the film but certainly not the first half. This lack of focus leaves the audience feeling dissatisfied with some of the elements of the story. There is plenty of time in the first act of this film setting up Lindnord as an adventurer with plenty to prove along with his unlikely crew. There are sprinklings of Arthur in the first half (which honestly do a better job of building empathy for this pooch unlike any of the other characters). Unfortunately for Lindnord’s crew, they all become afterthoughts once Arthur takes center stage with Mark Wahlberg (Lindnord). 

Speaking of the characters, what type of investment does the audience get from the characters in the film? Wahlberg honestly does a fine job throughout, but Lindnord just comes off extremely self-serving throughout (even when he is making decisions “for Arthur”). Lindnord’s wife becomes barely a character going from adventure racer to overly supportive housewife within one-minute of screen time. Simu Liu’s character has a decent number of details to him, but he is also selfish and unlikable and there is only room for one such character. Nathalie Emmanuel’s character is boiled down to just having motivations based on her father’s wishes (not interesting or dynamic to say). Even the veteran racer, Chik, has just a hurt knee and little characterization. Arthur honestly is the most fleshed out and likable character, which is a problem when the film spends more than half its runtime focusing on the human characters. 

Does director Simon Cellan Jones bring anything special out of this familiar story? The first chunk of the film is weighed down with dialogue heavy sequences including some in front of noticeably horrible CGI backgrounds. There is at least a brisk pace to the film and there are a few thrilling moments in the race including a zip line sequence that just might be one of the best in the film. The film struggles a bit in tone as the third act leans heavily into melodramatic territory and delivers a series of false deaths for our furry companion. Too much of the film lacks weight and depth, leaving this more of a film going through the motions. The dialogue is not interesting or dynamic which makes many scenes feel too overly generic and familiar. 

Does Arthur the King do justice to the inspiring tale of Lindnord and his friend Arthur? Sure…but it does not make for a cohesive and engaging film. There are two films here and with the amount of time dedicated to Lindnord and his team’s race, that feels quite unsatisfying. The story of this poor stray dog certainly pulls on the heartstrings. This is a good vehicle for Wahlberg and he and the rest of the cast do their best to make the most of this middling sports/dog drama.