Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Arthur the King review says that even though latest the Mark Wahlberg project may not be an award-worthy film, the dog, as usual, saves the day.

Upfront, I’ll put out the reminder that I’m partial, susceptible and yes, hopelessly drawn to dog movies. Frankie Feldman is partially responsible for that. So yes, I will always cut them some slack. And yet…

I will acknowledge that some canine flicks are better than others. Mark Wahlberg’s Arthur the King is, well, middle of the road for the genre.

It’s not that the dog, a mutt named Ukai, isn’t a rockstar. He can and will melt even the most frigid heart. It’s the human characters that I didn’t find particularly engaging or believable, which is surprising, since Arthur the King is based on a true story, the book Arthur: The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home by Swedish author Mikael Lindnord.

The Americanized version of the protagonist is not nearly as sympathetic, although his lack of depth does add dimension to the story. Arthur the King not just about a human saving a dog. It’s also about a dog saving a human. That message is worthy.

Arthur the King review — The plot

Wahlberg plays Mikael, a character very loosely based on the author. He has an absolutely gorgeous, understanding and long suffering wife (Juliet Rylance) an adorable young daughter, and a beautiful home, yet he lives in misery.

It seems he just can’t get over losing the Adventure Racing World Championship three years ago, and is incapable of holding down a normal job or having satisfying relationships because of that.

The Adventure Racing World Championship, which I was completely unaware of until now, is an adrenaline junkie’s ultimate fix. For 10 days, teams of four traverse 435 miles over rugged terrain, running, kayaking, biking, mountain climbing, zip lining and camping (although sleep is apparently for wimps), with no outside support. They are very literally risking life and limb.

Let it be known that I have issues with events like this, which include climbing Mt. Everest. Risking your own life, time and finances, disregarding the effect it will have on your family, just to prove you can do it, seems absurdly selfish, irresponsible and egotistical to me. Grow up already and get a grip on what’s really important in life!

But disabled by regret is exactly where we find Mikael at the beginning of the film, and that’s intentional. If ever a guy needed saving…

Once Mikael cobbles together a team, begins racing through the jungle and notices a mangy mutt following along, the film heats up. The lengths they go to are astounding, and their relationships grow tissue toting poignant. From that point on, the tears will flow as torrentially as the rivers they cross together.

The third act makes the whole film worth watching, and redeems director Simon Cellan Jones, who also needed some saving after his last Wahlberg collaboration, “The Family Plan.”

It’s fair to say that most of the characters and dialogue lean towards the cliche. And a little more depth would have been appreciated. But once the humans turn toward saving the dog, the dog saves the humans…and the film.

Rated PG-13

1 Hour 30 Minutes

If this Arthur the King review encourages you to trot on over to your local cineplex and fetch a good family dog movie, get times and tickets at Fandango.com.

Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Arthur the King review says that even though latest the Mark Wahlberg project may not be an award-worthy film, the dog, as usual, saves the day.