SummaryOver the course of ten days and 435 miles, an unbreakable bond is forged between pro adventure racer Michael Light (Mark Wahlberg) and a scrappy street dog companion dubbed Arthur. Based on an incredible true story, Arthur the King follows Light, desperate for one last chance to win, as he convinces a sponsor to back him and a team of at...
SummaryOver the course of ten days and 435 miles, an unbreakable bond is forged between pro adventure racer Michael Light (Mark Wahlberg) and a scrappy street dog companion dubbed Arthur. Based on an incredible true story, Arthur the King follows Light, desperate for one last chance to win, as he convinces a sponsor to back him and a team of at...
Obviously, being a dog lover goes a long way toward one’s enjoyment of Arthur the King. But even if you’re not, you won’t be able to resist this canine thespian who manages to convey a world of information merely through barks. And he doesn’t even need those.
I loved Arthur the dog . It is a heartwarming and inspirational family film based on a real courageous dog named Arthur. It pulled at my heart strings . It shows that family and friendship is more important than money or winning
Literally one of the best films I’ve seen lately! It’s filled with suspension,emotion love dedication, and you can just see and feel that this movie comes from the real story
Mark Wahlberg leads a good ensemble cast while sweetly interacting with Arthur the dog, and it’s cute and heartwarming, with the film doing exactly what it aims for.
This true-life tale about perseverance, compassion and second chances cuts right to the quick. While it doesn’t stray from a predictable path, the journey is rarely dull, making our travels and these characters’ travails feel worthy of the big screen.
The film, “based on the incredible true story” that happened in 2014, is an efficient, fun but by-the-numbers movie that has the distinction of being shot on location in the Dominican Republic, which looks quite lovely onscreen.
I should have been more affected by Arthur the King because, after all, “Old Yeller” conditioned my generation to erupt in tears whenever a dog’s fate looks dire. And yet, all I saw were the familiar gears churning underneath.
There are no gambles in this crossbreed of sports movie and doggy drama that dutifully — and lazily — stays on course from beginning to end. Heartstrings are tugged, dogs are adored and it’s all inoffensively inspirational.
It's a sports-related movie, but what do you expect? The inclusion of the dog in this movie, based on a true story, is also brilliant as well and proves that dogs can be just as smart as humans. As well as Mark Wahlburg, the cast did a great job as well. It didn't made me cry, but it touched my heart. Really worth watching.
IN A NUTSHELL:
The story is about an adventure racer who adopts a stray dog he names Arthur. Together, they participate in a high-adventure endurance race.
Already, the movie has won “Truly Moving Picture Award” at the Heartland Film Festival.
The film was directed by Simon Cellan Jones. Writing credits go to Michael Brandt based on the book by Mikael Lindnord.
TIPS FOR PARENTS:
Some Spanish is spoken without subtitles
Some profanity
We see a wounded dog
THEMES:
Weakness
Suffering
Choices & consequences
Survival
Selfishness
Teamwork
Pushing yourself to be better
THINGS I LIKED:
I’ve been a huge Mark Wahlberg fan for many years. He does an excellent job in this, although I wanted to shave his face the entire time. Ha ha I love that he has been selecting a lot of inspirational, family-friendly movies lately. He also served as one of the producers of the film. I also love that just a couple of weeks ago, he made a video with the actor who plays Jesus in The Chosen to get Catholics excited about beginning Lent and preparing for Easter.
The rest of the cast was fantastic too and includes Nathalie Emmanuel, Simu Liu, Michael Landes, Ali Suliman, Juliet Rylance, Rob Collins, and more.
The title is intriguing and made me want to know more about the story before I watched the movie.
The movie poster instantly shows us that both characters are scruffy fighters.
We don’t get to see Bear Grylls, but we hear his voice as the race announcer.
Fun fact: “Peligro” means “Danger” in Spanish.
I admire those who run endurance races. It looks like total torture to me!
Really great sound effects.
We learn about the Athur Foundation, whose mission is to save animals in need. Inspiring!
You WILL cry.
When the movie ended, the audience clapped. After the press screener, I heard a woman say, “That was one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time.”
There is a villain, of sorts, but he’s also a likeable guy.
Impressive cinematography by Jacques Jouffret.
Keep watching during the final rolling credits to see pictures of the real people involved in the events of the story.
THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:
Fair warning. If you get vertigo with heights, you’ll need to close your eyes a couple of times. One scene is when some people rock climb on a mountain in Oahu, Hawaii. Another is on a zip line in the Dominican Republic.
It’s hard to see what’s going on in the night scenes when it’s raining.
This was a wonderful movie that I would recommend to anyone who is an animal lover and a fan of underdog stories. It's got everything you could hope to see in a racing land adventure - with risks and danger at every corner; it keeps the pulse up and the stakes are high for the entirety of the film once they get into the race itself. When you see all that Arthur endures and the bond that forms between him and Mikael along with the other teammates - it makes your soul sing with hope and wonder at the willpower of this dog and how he serves as a living mascot for the rest of the team. Mark Wahlberg did a fantastic job acting the part of Mikael but when I saw he also produced I was thrilled because the execution of every scene and how it ties to the love and courage of an amazing dog was beautifully delivered.
Corny and awful. And if you read the Wikipedia site about the dog, it looks like the original story of a stray dog is actually pretty shady and he may have been taken from a poor rural family in Ecuador