Arthur The King Movie Review

Adventure Racing is a global sport. It’s definitely not something I would be up for, even if I were perfectly fit, but if you don’t mind extreme heights and mud, this could be for you. Learning about what these individuals do, together with their teammates, of course, was a bit daunting. It’s a task just watching them! ​

They’re very impressive athletes who run, kayak, ski, climb…, and almost everything involving movement, with planet Earth as their terrain. There are also rules they have to go by which makes their assignment even more brutal. They run through different climate zones and wind around in the Amazon. Crazy, am I wrong?? Anyway, point is, doing it once would be a hell of an accomplishment. Why would you want to do it again?!

Based on a true story, our protagonist is Mikael Lindnord (Mark Wahlberg). He has run this before and wants to try again. To win, though, not just race. The next race is 435 miles through the jungles and mountains of Ecuador. The cinematography is stunning.

Announcers tell the audience that Mikael’s the best at never winning because he always manages to come up short. “He’s his own worst enemy.” He desperately wants to prove them wrong. He wants to attempt this survival challenge again and not just be known as the guy that got stuck in the mud on his last try. So, encouraged by his wife, who tells him to go get some sponsors, he does just that, and he gathers his team together for another try. They’ll be going to the Dominican Republic for this race.

Leo (Simu Liu) is the most important as he has many, many followers on social media, which never hurts. Nathalie Emmanuel from “Game of Thrones” plays Olivia, who loves all things extreme. Her father does, too, and encourages her to go. And then Chik, played by Ali Suliman. Chik gets injured, which brings out a lot of drama in the film. Leo knows Chik isn’t ready and ends up wanting Mikael to admit he got them stuck. Olivia drops some news on Mikael that pushes the team to join together and try harder. Her father is dying of cancer and she wants to win for him. Tracking devices are on them so viewers on the sports channels can see where their favorites or loved ones are at all times. The jungle is first, and the team in this four-day fight falls quickly behind. They must get to their next destination as quickly as possible.

They soon realize that a dog with whom Mikael sweetly shared some meatballs is tagging along with them every step of the way. The poor thing is in bad shape—wounded and malnourished—but he has the strength to stick with the man who has probably been the only person who has ever been kind to him.

However, and luckily, he isn’t with them through a nerve-wracking scene on a zipline. They ignore a warning sign and try to use the maneuver to get a jump on everyone. Hold onto your seats for this moment. Arthur is with them on the trek when they try another shortcut that isn’t on the map. For some reason, Arthur is barking like he’s rabid as the team moves through their chosen path. Turns out, he saves Leo from certain death. When they get to the next area, they’re at the halfway point. Time to rest. The team worries about their canine companion, realizing he’s in bad need of a vet. He can’t proceed, and they can’t worry about him when he’s this ill, or they won’t win. He’s a liability.

What happens from this point on is so loving and heartwarming that it’ll curl your toes. A stray who has never been noticed, let alone seen and loved by everyone on social media, has more people ending up rooting for him than anyone else at any point. The movie is so sweet, but it’s not long before they find out this furry friend isn’t long for the world. He has never had a home before, and it doesn’t appear as if he ever will. I’ll let you see what happens next, but I do recommend this for all families to watch together.

There are real photos of Arthur and the gang at the end that will pull at those heartstrings.

Be sure to watch and to look up the Arthur Foundation.