Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Jumbled fantasy story has lots of iffy behavior.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Adventures of a Teenage Dragonslayer
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
12-year old Arthur is the leader of the "Knights of the Square Table," a collection of middle school outcasts who enjoy pretending they are medieval knights fighting dragons in and around the above-ground sewers outside of their subdivision. This makes them a frequent target of the school bullies, whose leader's mother (Wendie Malick) is the stern authoritarian principal of the school. But one day, while hiding in the sewers from firework-throwing bullies, Arthur meets Bart, a blue-skinned troll with the power to regenerate his body after injury. Bart finds Arthur because he knows Arthur, in spite of his nerdish exterior, is the one boy who can stop Darksmoke the dragon from returning to life, but Arthur must prove to his mother (Lea Thompson) that all of this is real, and, barring that, must find Shane Butler (Eric Lutes) -- the game designer of Elixirquest -- and show him that Bart and the potions they are making are quite real, and that they must stop those who seek to bring Darksmoke back to the earthly realm.
Is It Any Good?
Part King Arthur, part card game Magic: The Gathering, and part Harry Potter: If ADVENTURES OF A TEENAGE DRAGONSLAYER had picked just one of these to parody, perhaps this would have worked. But, on the other hand, there is so much bullying, disobeying parents, hotwiring vehicles, name-calling, and constant potty humor, even a story that was less of a jumbled mishmash of better-known fantasy stories probably would have worn thin within 15 minutes. The end result is puerile tween behavior and bullying with no consequences for their actions, combined with a confusing mess of a story.
To their credit, Lea Thompson and Wendie Malick make the best of what little they're given -- the former plays a single mom to Arthur, and the latter an over-the-top authoritarian antagonist of a school principal. Nonetheless, their talents fail to overcome the movie's myriad shortcomings. If kids laugh at this one, know that it's for all the wrong reasons.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Parents can talk about the negative behaviors of the kids in this movie. Why are these behaviors negative, and what should have been the consequences for their behavior, had this been "real life?"
How does this movie both celebrate and mock fantasy stories and gaming culture?
How is bullying treated in this movie?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : March 22, 2011
- Cast : Eric Lutes , Lea Thompson , Wendie Malick
- Director : Andrew Lauer
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Screen Media Films
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic )
- Run time : 85 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : Mild rude humor, language, and fantasy action.
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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