When school boy Alex (Louis Ashbourne Serkis) stumbles upon Excalibur in a building site whilst escaping from some bullies it sets him on a path to save the world.

The Kid Who Would be King is the sort of film that sits perfectly alongside the likes of The Goonies. It’s about a group of imaginative kids, outsiders in their own ways that seek adventure, build friendships and have a lot of fun doing it.

The idea that Alex and his best friend Bedders (Dean Chaumoo) are able to set aside their differences and forge an alliance with their bullies Lance and Kaye (Tom Taylor and Rihanna Dorris) is a great lesson for children watching too. With their path to friendship not a simple one.

The role of Merlin is a dual one thanks to him switching between the forms of a young boy (Angus Imrie) and an old man (Patrick Stewart). This proves to be a master stroke for the film with Imrie providing numerous laughs and Stewart providing the gravitas. Morgana is suitably scary in the form of Rebecca Ferguson as well, adopting a sneering evil voice for the part.

There are some great visual flourishes too. The film starts with an animated history of the Arthurian legend, features some pretty great skeletal warriors reminiscent of Lord of the Rings Dark Riders and has fun with Merlin and Morgana’s abilities to transform. And the chases and battles are suitably exciting.

All in all it is great fun for all the family.