An inspirational and emotional true-life tale
You better get your hankies ready! Arthur the King is another movie about a man and his dog that has a fair few heartbreaking moments during its story. If you’re somebody who sobbed your way through Marley and Me, A Dog’s Purpose, and The Shaggy Dog (okay, you probably didn’t cry during that latter movie), you’ll likely need to wipe away a few tears while watching this one.
The movie stars Mark Wahlberg as Michael Light, an adventure racer who stumbles across a stray dog in a small village while taking part in an epic endurance race through the harsh terrain of the Dominican Republic. Michael takes pity on the abused hound and throws him some food.
This kind act has unforeseen consequences for Michael and his team, which they discover midway through their arduous trek. After encountering various setbacks, including a zipline crossing that almost goes perilously wrong, they discover the dog has somehow managed to follow them into the jungle.
Michael names the dog Arthur and reluctantly welcomes him onto the team. Together, they continue on with the race and experience more obstacles on their travels, including a steep drop that Arthur warns them about before they plummet to their doom.
As an adventure-survival movie, Arthur the King just about works, thanks to the camerawork of director Simon Cellan Jones (The Family Plan) who at times makes us think the actors within the picture are in real danger. The aforementioned zip wire scene is one such sequence, as we really do think Mark Wahlberg and his co-stars, Simon Liu (Barbie) and Juliet Rylance (The Artist’s Wife) are dangling hundreds of feet above the ground.
Such moments are quite exciting but as this is also a movie about a man and his dog, there is plenty of room for sentimentality too. This is especially true near the end of the movie when Arthur’s life is in serious danger. Michael, who has grown incredibly close to his canine companion by this point, is overwrought with worry when he thinks he might lose his furry friend.
The movie is based on Mikael Lindnord’s 2016 memoir “Arthur: The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home.” It’s not entirely true to real events – for one thing, Mikael is Swedish and not American. But while there is a lot of artistic license in the film, some scenes are true, such as Arthur’s decision to follow Michael into the jungle after being thrown some food. To find out how closely the movie follows the real-life story, check out our Ending Explained article (linked below).
Arthur the King is an inspirational and heartwarming movie about friendship, perseverance, and bravery. At times, it’s a little mawkish, as movies about dogs usually are. But thanks to a winning cast, a very cute dog, and several edge-of-the-seat moments of derring-do, you can hopefully forgive the filmmakers’ attempts to coax the tears from your eyes and profit the handkerchief industry!
Read More: Arthur the King Ending Explained
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Verdict - 7/10
7/10