Mark Wahlberg is not a rock-ribbed conservative, but he’s one of the few celebrities in Hollywood who appears to still possess some common sense.
He has moved his family out of California and has picked movies that are decidedly not woke.
And now, Wahlberg is back in theaters with an inspiring true story that’s just what Americans need to see right now.
Mark Wahlberg makes his return to the big screen with Arthur the King
America has entered the era of “everybody gets a trophy” where competition is frowned upon.
However, competition forces people to strive to be better.
And it comes with a lot of lessons.
Those lessons are the focus of Mark Wahlberg’s latest film, Arthur the King.
This true story is adapted from Mikael Lindnord’s Swedish adventure racing team’s incredible 2014 run in Ecuador.
While the movie changes some details like the names and nationality of the team and the when and the where the race happens, the events that take place in the film happened in real life.
And the story contains lessons that are ripe in current-day USA.
A review of Mark Wahlberg’s Arthur the King
The beginning of Arthur the King follows two stories.
One is an embarrassing race showing for Wahlberg’s character Michael Light.
Light tries to rebound and rebuild a team for an upcoming championship adventure racing contest.
Meanwhile, audiences also witness the struggles of a stray dog trying to stay alive on the streets of the Dominican Republic.
The two paths cross during the race and an incredible bond forms between the dog – later to be named Arthur – and Light.
Much like Light, Arthur has seen better days, he’s injured and limping, hungry and tired.
But despite his dire condition, Arthur refuses to leave Light’s side and runs the grueling race with the team.
It’s a story of commitment, work ethic, fighting through pain and setbacks and learning that winning can take different forms depending on what an individual needs from a victory.
Without spoiling where the team finishes in the race, everyone comes away with a new definition of “winning.”
For Light, he yearns to leave a legacy and prove that he’s a winner.
But Arthur teaches him legacy and victory don’t necessarily mean crossing the finish line first.
For Arthur, winning is finding companionship and no longer having to survive alone.
Another team-member learns winning means making family proud, another’s victory comes in the form of redemption and still another comes from real accomplishment – as opposed to simply scoring social media followers.
Wahlberg sticks to his woke-free roots
In a refreshing twist from Hollywood, there is no woke propaganda infiltrating the film.
One could argue changing the team from an all-white Swiss team to a very diverse American team is race swapping for diversity.
However, there is no leftist messaging in the movie about, “diversity is our strength.”
The race of the competitors is never mentioned either directly or indirectly.
The swap comes off more as a move to make the movie more relatable to an American audience than to push a Diversity Equity & Inclusion agenda.
Arthur the King remains apolitical while passing along a positive message to viewers.
Wahlberg hits another home run
Not only is Wahlberg’s latest offering free of woke indoctrination, it’s also a good movie.
Arthur the King takes the audiences on a thrill ride and a roller coaster of emotions.
At times you’ll be on the edge of your seat, at others you’ll be fighting back tears and still at others you’ll be jumping out of your seat with joy.
Wahlberg’s performance is stellar, connecting with the audience on an emotional level and really selling the character’s physical and personal journey along the course.
But Wahlberg wasn’t alone in the race and he isn’t alone in giving a fine performance in Arthur the King.
Nathalie Emmanuel, best known as Missandei from Game of Thrones, prominent international Arab actor Ali Suliman, and Simu Liu from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ring, all delivering outstanding performances alongside Wahlberg.
The story is well-written, and the movie is beautifully shot.
As a result, Wahlberg hits it out of the park yet again with Arthur the King and he does so while staying woke-free.
