Arthur the King knows the unbreakable bond between man & dog gives it a free pass and an added edge in everything it's doing, which it uses to full effect. It's very easy to get invested in with a plot propelled by forward momentum as the race takes up most of the run time and the struggle to save Arthur that follows only makes it more emotional and gripping.
Mark Wahlberg shows off a new skill by having a believable bond with his canine counterpart. He gets a good arc and is supported by Simu Liu, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Ali Suliman who makes for a strong core four. When Arthur joins it only gets better, and those earlier scenes where he's on his own are more impressive in some ways since all those lack human support.
Simon Cellan Jones directs with a fair bit of handheld camerawork to give it a sense of immediacy. Visually it's a little too grey but it's still nice to see so many natural locations and the zipline sequence in the middle stands out simply by being as tense as you'd expect. Kevin Matley's score saves the best for last, bringing the feels to ensure the ending is as lovely as possible.
