The Kid Who Would Be King

A good knight in

- Nick Setchfield

Joe Cornish hides his inspirations in plain sight. Take Alex Elliott, the name of the 12-year-old hero of his latest film. Elliott’s a salute to the bike-flying protagonist of E.T. And Alex? Half a Scrabble hand away from Excalibur. Both movies took root in the imagination of the teenage Cornish and here’s the result: shining Arthurian myth bolted to Spielbergian suburban fantasy.

It’s a pointedly timely retelling of the legend. “People’s hearts grew hopeless and hollow,” intones the opening voiceover. “The country became lost and leaderless.” No, we’re not live from Leeds with this week’s Question Time – these words accompany a beautifully rendered animated sequence depicting the age of Camelot – but the parallels with modern times are soon rammed home. Cutting to the 21st century we see shuttered high streets and headlines declaring “GLOOM” in big, fun-killing letters. Perfect conditions for Arthur’s sorcerous half-sister, Morgana, to return and seize power – unless the true heir to Excalibur steps forward...