2 min to read
Arthur the King
How is Mark Walhberg's most recent movie?
The Good: Upon the start of the movie, you get introduced to the characters and the premise of the story, which I loved. Since the work was done at the beginning of the film, you already understood the characters, their motivations, and you got to see how everything was able to pan out, for good or for bad. Being a movie about a true story, this made it so much easier to get invested in the story and lives of those involved. Because they quickly and effortlessly show who everyone is and what they are like, the story is substantially much more personable and easy to follow.
Throughout the movie, you see the group tackle Adventure Racing. This was all shot mostly outside, having the scenes take place in real landscapes, having the actors be outside and appear as if they are actually doing the racing themselves. Because of this, the shots in the movie are beautiful, seeing luscious green landscapes and the vastness of the wilderness all in camera. Shooting the movie the way they did allowed the “adventure” portion of “Adventure Racing” to come to life.
I also really enjoyed the group dynamic throughout the film, but I think Simu Liu was the standout. Each of the actors played off each other super well. Even though each group member was a little cliche at times, I think it made the film extremely entertaining.
The Meh: The writing in parts of the movie was very poor. The one time that it really stood out to me and my wife was right before the start of the race while in the Dominican Republic. Michael is trying to motivate everyone to work hard and to encourage them about the hard work they had done prepping. RIght in the middle of the speech, Olivia (Nathalie Emmanuel’s character) just blurts out of nowhere, “my dad has cancer.” I understand that was an integral part about uniting the team, but the reason that a great building moment of energy, excitement, and team building was disrupted by an out of pocket comment still baffles me. Maybe that is exactly what happened in the actual story, but writing like this sometimes made the movie jarring at times.
Overall: I think this movie is simple, delightful, and perfect for a date night. It’s definitely not a “best picture of the year” contender, but it is full of heart, love, and adventure, making it an extremely enjoyable movie for everyone.
Rating: 4/5
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