Arthur the King

Thank you Lionsgate Home Entertainment for sending us a Blu-ray copy to review!

Arthur the King is based off of the true story of a pro adventure racer named Michael Light. Pro adventure racers traverse over four hundred miles on dangerous terrain in a ten-day time-span. For context, an Ironman competition is 140 miles. Michael has done multiple adventure races, but has come close and has never placed well. In 2015, his team was immortalized on social media for getting stuck in the mud. Realizing that's he's not getting any younger, Michael set his sights on a final race in 2018 which takes place in the Dominican Republic.

Pro adventure racers need a good team and a sponsor to cover all of the costs associated with training, lodging, and traveling expenses. While Michael is trying to secure funds and convince potential teammates to join him, the film changes focus to a stray dog in the Dominican Republic struggling to stay alive. There are many stray dogs there and many of them are not friendly. Some people take pity on this nameless dog while others kick and yell at him.

Michael does assemble a team and gets most of their funding from their sponsor, Broadrail. Due to their limited budget, this team won't have as much training as their competitors. During the race, team Broadrail meets the stray dog at one of their checkpoints. Michael takes pity on the dog and shares a meatball (or two?) with him. Two hundred miles later the team runs into the same dog again and Michael recognizes him. Again, the dog is fed and this time joins their pack as a mascot and an invaluable teammate. The give him the name Arthur. The fact that this dog can keep up with them throughout this race is quite impressive.

I'm not going to spoil the story, but I highly recommend watching this film. It does have some blood and some language (poop). The Lord's name is used in vain too. There is a scene at the dinner table where Michael's family is holding hands before eating. I am assuming they said grace. If you're looking for a film about an incredible journey, I highly recommend Arthur the King. It's available for $24.99 on Amazon.