Krasnodar, RUSSIA – At first I thought Arthur the King was going to be a typical kind story with a dog in the title role. Although it did have a dog as one of the main characters, for me, the movie turned out not to be about the animal.
Arthur the King is an inspiring and empowering movie, one that will be watched over and over again, like Disney cartoons.
Directed by Simon Cellan Jones, it’s written by Michael Brandt and Swedish adventure racer Mikael Lindnord. The movie tells a true story based on Lindnord’s book, Arthur: The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home.’
Cellan Jones shows the lives, struggles and ambition of the athletes, played by Mark Wahlenberg, Juliet Rylance, Ali Suliman, Simu Liu and Nathalie Emmanuel.
In the film, Michael (Wahlenberg) gathers his team of capable racers, finds sponsors and flies to the Dominican Republic with an aim to win a 5-day race. The team is running, cycling, climbing and wading through the jungle when at one of the scheduled pit stops they meet an old ragged dog that traverses the path with the new acquaintances.
The canine, Arthur, saves the athletes’ lives, and they decide to keep it with them until the finish line.
Despite the script being rather plain, the footage was incredible and perfectly conveyed the dynamic mood of the race. It immersed viewers in the realities of running marathons in a wild and unpredictable jungle.
Sharp cliffs, impassable swamps, swift rivers, deadly precipices and dense forests of the Dominican Republic mesmerize and terrify.
Seeing the struggle of both, the audience becomes emotionally connected to the relationship between Michael and Arthur. The movie holds your attention til the very end because of the unpredictable plot twists.
Finally, the whole audience in the cinema was brought to tears – but happy ones.
Arthur the King is the movie that reminds us – we who are bogged down in the mundane and routine – about our dreams and the essential values of friendship, loyalty and kindness.
It is an eye-opener, a breath of fresh air and a big hug.
Coincidentally, as I walked in a park after the movie with my companions, a homeless dog tagged along with us.
We fed it like Michael fed Arthur and named it Arthur. It had been walking with us all the way and it made us feel like the movie was real.
Amina Urdukhanova is a Junior Reporter with Youth Journalism International.
