The Atlantic

In <em>The Kid Who Would Be King</em>, Arthurian Legend Meets Harry Potter

Joe Cornish’s fantasy-adventure film is a delightful, modern take on the popular “chosen one” narratives that have long dominated storytelling.
Source: Fox

At the beginning of , Britain is inexorably divided. What has sown such chaos in the country? It’s unclear, but the newspaper headlines scream about war, impending catastrophe, and a future even more doomed than the present. Reading this, you’d be forgiven for thinking Joe Cornish’s new film is a sober piece of nonfiction, but it’s actually a delightful modern fantasy: a recasting of classic Arthurian myth via a group of middle-school adventurers. In , Britain’s turmoil can be undone only by

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Atlantic

The Atlantic4 min read
Hayao Miyazaki’s Anti-war Fantasia
Once, in a windowless conference room, I got into an argument with a minor Japanese-government official about Hayao Miyazaki. This was in 2017, three years after the director had announced his latest retirement from filmmaking. His final project was
The Atlantic7 min readAmerican Government
The Americans Who Need Chaos
This is Work in Progress, a newsletter about work, technology, and how to solve some of America’s biggest problems. Sign up here. Several years ago, the political scientist Michael Bang Petersen, who is based in Denmark, wanted to understand why peop
The Atlantic5 min read
The Strangest Job in the World
This is an edition of the Books Briefing, our editors’ weekly guide to the best in books. Sign up for it here. The role of first lady couldn’t be stranger. You attain the position almost by accident, simply by virtue of being married to the president

Related Books & Audiobooks