This article contains spoilers for “Arthur the King” (2024).

“Arthur the King,” a recently released film adaptation of Swedish adventure racer Mikael Lindnord’s memoir, stuns audiences with its fast-paced adventure sequences, themes of mental grit and determination and, most of all, the heart at the center of the production. 

The movie follows the real-life story of Mikael Lindnord — named Michael Light in the movie and played by Mark Wahlberg — a Swedish adventure racer aiming to win an international title. Light is the leader of his team during a 435-mile race in the Dominican Republic, and as the crew battles fatigue, illness and near-death experiences, he establishes a strong bond with a stray dog played by Ukai, a canine actor. 

Adventure racing is a team sport that focuses on navigating the difficult terrain of the wilderness, often for multiple days. The teams compete in different fields such as climbing, kayaking, hiking and running, often with less than an hour of rest between the tasks. 

Needless to say, it is a sport for the incredibly disciplined, with no room for sentimentality — or dogs. Yet as the movie moves forward alongside the team’s progress, the dog continues to inexplicably follow them, culminating in the turning point of their relationship when he saves a member of the team’s life by alerting him to a dangerous drop. From that point on, Light dubs him a member of the team: Arthur the King. Although they end up squandering the first-place title, the team becomes international media sensations after they decide to rescue their furry friend from drowning at the end of the race by pulling him into a kayak.

Although movies relying on the relationship between animals and their “found families” often come across as slightly saccharine, “Arthur” tows the line between action and emotion throughout its runtime. 

Both Wahlberg and Ukai deliver powerful performances, encouraging audiences to sympathize with their respective plights and their need for one another. Light feels as though his past failures as a racer will dictate his future; Arthur has a history of abuse and neglect that he is trying to recover from. The film develops each character throughout the movie in a very authentic and raw way, encouraging the audience to develop a deep connection with each character. 

Furthermore, the film provides almost nonstop action within the beautiful scenery of the Dominican Republic. Audiences are at the edge of their seats during a particular zipline scene, in which characters are forced to perform acrobatic stunts to avoid falling hundreds of feet into the jungle. This gripping scene features incredible acting from both Wahlberg and Nathalie Emmanuel, who plays Light’s teammate, Olivia, as they must fix a slowly collapsing cable line. Because it is such an emotional true story, the film effectively allows viewers to share the characters’ stress and deeply empathize in high-risk situations.

Yet occasionally, even Ukai’s acting is unable to salvage the film’s faults — particularly the poor plot development of the extraneous characters, such as Light’s family, who are almost criminally underdeveloped and one-sided. 

During the entirety of the film, Light’s wife expresses almost no opinions of her own, acting as a simple sounding board for her husband’s ambitions, which include using their family’s savings to finance a race that he loses. His father, who has done nothing but prioritize Light’s wife and daughter and give his son a job, somehow becomes the main antagonist in Michael’s life. These characters often come across as monotonous and bland, with director Simon Cellan Jones often solely focusing on Light’s borderline selfish desires as the cyclist “races” to egotistically compensate for his angst.

Nevertheless, despite the lack of distinctive plotlines for nonteammate cast members, “Arthur the King” is an incredibly impactful movie. Its fast pacing keeps audiences constantly entertained and invested, which culminates in a feel-good film about the relationships that bind us together.