DVD Corner

Arthur The King Blu-ray Review

“Arthur The King” needs more Arthur. 

Based on the memoir “Arthur- The Dog Who Crossed The Jungle To Find A Home” by Mikael Lindnord and adapted for the screen by writer Michael Brandt, “Arthur The King” is a combination sports drama, adventure movie and dog movie. The story revolves around Michael Light- a competitor obsessed with winning the gold in the adventure racing world championship which involves running, kayaking, biking and climbing. 3 years after his last failure, Michael assembles a new team (Broadrail) comprised of Olivia, Chik and Leo. Broadrail heads to the Dominican Republic where the latest event is to take place. During the competition, the team encounters a stray dog (who they later named Arthur The King) that miraculously follows them through the long journey. He even becomes a sort of unofficial teammate. What happens next? That would be telling.

On paper, “Arthur The King” is certainly a touching feel good story about teamwork, selflessness, and resiliency. The fact that this story/event went on to inspire an entire foundation- The Arthur Foundation for animal welfare is fantastic in and out of itself. As a work of cinematic art, “Arthur The King” feels like a very cheesy Hollywood take on the true life story. Truthfully, it’s deserving of so much more, but director Simon Cellan Jones really opts to go for a very safe, crowd pleasing route that relies far too much on a dry human element rather than focusing more on Arthur (who is barely in the movie at all in the first hour). Yes, there are adrenaline pumping moments (the zip line sequence in particular), but much of the time it feels like you’re watching an average episode of “The Amazing Race.” 

When Arthur does show up, the movie improves a little. Ukai (who plays Arthur) is certainly a memorable dog actor who wholeheartedly carries the movie. He even gets Mark Wahlberg to actually act. Prior to appearing on screen, Wahlberg looked rather bored and walked through the role of Michael. His scenes with Ukai were definitely the heart of the movie. Supporting cast members Simu Liu, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Ali Suliman are all solid in their parts. These are all pretty cut and paste characters so they don’t have a ton to do outside of the more physical elements.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.40:1 1080p. Grade: A

Audio Track: Dolby Atmos. Grade: A

Extras:
* DVD copy
* Digital copy
* 3 commentary tracks. One by director Simon Cellan Jones and author Mikael Lindnord, one by producers Tucker and Tessa Tooley and the third by producers Mark and Dorothy Canton.
* Theatrical trailer
* “Finding Arthur” is about the casting of Ukai the dog.
* “A Love Letter To Arthur” covers the real life story.
* “A Dog’s Journey: Making Arthur The King” featurette.
* “Best Friends PSA”

May 25, 2024 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Arthur The King, Arthur The King Blu-ray Review, Dog Movie, Mark Wahlberg, Simu Liu, sports movie