Netflix films often seem to pop out of nowhere it seems, which makes sense a little. Since Netflix doesn’t HAVE TO convince you to watch a movie, would be a waste of resources for them to do much about it. When it became clear to me that The King was about King Henry V of England, I wanted to watch it immediately. Henry V was one of the most successful kings England ever had, and ironically we see less movies and TV shows based on successful kings.

The film is actually based on William Shakespeare’s plays based on the lives of King Henry V and his father King Henry IV. The story starts with King Henry IV dying of ill health. While he isn’t at “death’s door” just yet, it becomes obvious that England will have a new king. While Prince Henry is estranged from his royal father, he soon becomes the clear heir apparent to his father’s Lancaster legacy and the next king from the House of Plantagenet.

Henry becomes King of England soon after, but it won’t be an easy reign. He wants to make peace with his father’s enemies, both in Europe and internally on the British isles. But it seems that peace won’t be on the menu for long. An assassin from France is caught and he claims to have been sent by King Charles VI of France, to kill the new king.

And soon King Henry restarts to the Hundred Years War started by his great-grandfather King Edward III of England. His biggest foe (since Charles VI was very mentally unstable as a king or general) is the French prince and Dauphin, Louis. The very distant cousins will clash in a terrible battle, but severely outnumbered, can Henry win this battle? Or will he run back to England as a pathetic loser?

I actually liked The King a good bit. Though I wished they casted an older actor as Henry V. While Henry V wasn’t “old”, I imagined Henry V more as a man. It is a bit weird seeing a “boy” as a warrior king. There are a lot of historical inaccuracies, but while I don’t really know the Shakespeare plays well, it seems William Shakespeare is to blame. I thought the acting and story was pretty good, but I thought the final battle could have been better.

Score: B