Arthur the King (2024)

“Arthur the King” stars Mark Wahlberg, Simu Liu, Juliet Rylance, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ali Suliman, Bear Grylls, and Paul Guilfoyle. Released on March 15, 2024, the film has a team captain befriending a stray dog.

The film is directed by Simon Cellan Jones, who also directed films such as “Some Voices”, “The One and Only”, “The Queen’s Sister”, and “On Expenses”. It is based on the 2016 book Arthur - The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home by Mikael Lindnord. In specific cases, the unexpected bonds can result in life-changing accomplishments. One such example is another reason why man’s best friends are the most loyal companions on the planet. After witnessing the box office soaring to life thanks to “Dune” and “Kung Fu Panda”, we’re now heading into another slow weekend consisting of low-budget movies that may or may not appear on everyone’s radar. Of course, I am counting the ones appearing in theaters that looked like they could’ve gone straight to streaming instead. However, that doesn’t mean one of them didn’t capture my interest. The one I’m referring to is another feel-good movie depicting a minor yet inspiring accomplishment involving a person and a dog. You can never have enough of those to make us see the goodness of the world we live in, especially when dogs are involved. Does the film succeed in making this story as wholesome as the bond between man and canine? Let’s find out.

The story centers on Michael Light (Wahlberg), an adventure racer and captain of his racing team whose stubbornness cost them another race. Three years later, Michael and his team, including influencer Leo (Liu) and rock climber Olivia (Emmanuel), compete in the World Championships in the Dominican Republic in hopes of achieving their first victory. During the event, Michael encounters an injured stray dog, to which he gives some of his meatballs. As a result, the dog follows Michael and his team for the remaining race. When they discover the dog’s impressive knack for traversing around dangerous obstacles, Michael and the team adopt it as their guide, which they name “Arthur”. What follows is a race-against-the-clock trek through the endurance course that leads to a bond that’ll change Michael’s life forever.  

The plot in “Arthur the King” was inspired by Mikael Lindnord’s discovery of the stray dog, Arthur, during the 2014 Adventure Racing World Championships in Ecuador. This miraculous accomplishment was retold in several media, including an ESPN documentary and Lindnord’s memoir. It also spawned the Arthur Foundation, which ran from 2014 to 2018 and endorsed the LOBA (Organic Law of Animal Welfare) law, establishing animal welfare standards across several contexts. The first time I heard of this accomplishment was from the movie’s marketing, which impressed me with this inspirational story. Then again, I’m always impressed with any thought-provoking real-life event I was introduced to, so this isn’t all that surprising. Regardless, its concept, along with Mark Wahlberg, was enough for me to see how and why it deserved to be told as a film. Plus, I’m a sucker for dog movies, if you don’t know that already.

“Arthur the King” is another film that provides the heart and charm of its themes and characters but also attempts to deliver a compelling narrative around them. Most feel-good movies succeed in displaying this combination, while others falter in balancing the sentimental appeal with quality, with only the tenderness carrying their weight. While it may be easy to accomplish based on audiences’s demand for inspirational content, it’s a bit challenging to win over everyone with its feel-good vibes regarding the execution. So, where does “Arthur the King” stand? Well, it’s somewhere near the edge of greatness, but not by much. While it struggles to maintain the story’s emotional core throughout its runtime, the movie is a charming and unsurprisingly inspiring adventure drama that’ll likely warm the hearts of sports fans and dog lovers alike. It is also the latest collaboration between Mark Wahlberg and director Simon Cellan Jones, following “The Family Plan” last year. I managed to watch that film with my family, and even though I didn’t review it, I thought it was just okay. It didn’t do much for its formula, but it wasn’t without some moments that kept me from switching to another streaming service.

Fortunately, “Arthur the King” proved to be a welcoming improvement over Apple TV+’s action comedy about a father who’s secretly an assassin. The main reason for this is Jones’s attempt at providing dramatic heft into its fact-based tale. Instead of focusing on the combination between action and comedy like in “The Family Plan”, Jones provided a consistent tone that’s dramatic on some occasions while offering a sense of levity and heart that didn’t feel too out of place. I would say that “Arthur the King” may be one of the most light-hearted teen-rated movies I’ve seen. But, of course, since the film involves adventure racing, it does have a few moments that may frighten younger viewers. It’s far from groundbreaking regarding its pacing and inability to delve deep into its storytelling, but for a guy who helms television movies, Jones didn’t do too badly with this balance. 

Then, you have the film’s screenplay by Michael Brandt, whose track record with collaborator Derek Haas has been hit-and-miss so far. The “3:10 to Yuma” remake and “Wanted” were the only gems in their filmography, but everything else wasn’t that great. “Arthur the King” sees Brandt writing the script without Haas for the first time, and it’s…actually passable. It follows a similar pattern to the other fact-based movies, especially ones involving dogs, but it does its job well in faithfully displaying the story through its characters. “Arthur the King” depicts its heartwarming messages involving teamwork, perseverance, and selflessness amid the friendship between a man and a dog. These things apply to Michael Light, whose obsession with achieving his first win cost him the trust between himself and his team. The Dominican Republic race gives Michael a shot at claiming that glory, but Arthur’s persistence through the harshness of the country makes him realize what he should really be fighting for. It doesn’t delve deep into its themes much, but it’s serviceable regarding its healthy balance of humor and soul.

Like the adventure racing teams portrayed onscreen, the cast made a solid team effort to carry the movie’s heartfelt weight on their shoulders, including Wahlberg. Mark Wahlberg is often seen as a decent actor if the concept is just as good as his talents. Sure, he’s been in more movies than he can count, but his presence occasionally compensates for their quality, even the bad ones. “Arthur the King” proved to be another film that fully realizes Wahlberg as a dramatic actor. While his performance as Michael Light wasn’t Oscar-worthy, I can easily say it’s one of the most wholesome performances he delivered in his career. Simu Liu was also decent in his role as Leo, and Juliet Rylance had some good moments as Helena, Michael’s wife. I’m also glad Nathalie Emmanuel is getting more work outside the “Fast & Furious” movies. Her performance as Olivia showcased her as a solid addition to the lineup, even if she was constantly overshadowed by Wahlberg and Liu.

Overall, “Arthur the King” is a worthy fact-based drama that endures most of its flaws to gain a cinematic victory. It doesn’t rule as much as the actual King Arthur in terms of its narrative structure. However, like the feel-good movies before, the film packs enough heart and charm into its storytelling to provide a decent dose of entertainment for the genre. With its enjoyable cast, serviceable direction, and a screenplay that combines its cliches with heartfelt characters, the movie is good enough to take home the silver medal. People who enjoy watching inspirational movies and dog-related content would likely enjoy it as much as I did. However, if you prefer a fact-based movie that’s meaty in quality and story, you might not find it in this one.

B-