As I am from the UK, my knowledge of George Washington is pretty much limited to when Bill and Ted were talking about him and also from playing Assassin’s Creed. In all seriousness, outside of him being the first president of the USA, I am ignorant about anything to do with George Washington. So why the heck did I decide to watch a biopic about his younger years? Well, we have YouTube to thank for this.
Where to Watch Young Washington
Young Washington was released on July 3, 2026. You can stream the film from Angel.com
The Movie Review: The YouTube Hook and an Unexpected Cast
Let me tell you, a good thumbnail goes a long way, and the thumbnail for the Young Washington trailer that I watched had Kelsey Grammer and Sir Ben Kingsley on it, two actors I really like. I also thought that it was kind of random that these two actors would be in a movie together. Once I pressed play, I realized that this was an Angel Studios production, and the trailer kind of gave the movie an Assassin’s Creed 3 look, and that got me excited to check it out.
The Premise: A Coming-of-Age Story on the Frontier
What we have here, as the title suggests, is the earlier days of the man who would become the first president of the United States. Look, I will not lie and act like I know all the ins and outs of this story because I don’t. However, as a coming-of-age story about a young man who is thrust into the Virginia Regiment and his key part in the French and Indian War, it was very entertaining.
Grounded Drama and Faith Elements
Just taking him as a character and as a man in this story, George Washington was a very easy character to get behind; the stuff with his brother was fantastic and did hit me in the feels. I know that, as this is an Angel Studios production, you may be wondering if it hits you on the head hard with its faith stuff. It is certainly here, but to be fair, it does play into his character and it makes sense.
Epic Battles on a Modest Budget
The battle scenes that I saw in the trailer, which made me really want to watch the movie, were very well done. This movie has a pretty modest budget, but the battles looked huge and epic; I have to give them a ton of credit for that. Also, while it may have been Sir Ben Kingsley and Kelsey Grammer who got me interested in the movie. The actor who plays George Washington, William Franklyn-Miller did a solid job here.
Uneven Pacing and Stretched Scenes
One thing I will say is that the pacing did feel a little off. The battles were super exciting, but there were some scenes where I felt the dialogue could have been cut in half and nothing would have been lost. To be fair, it is not a long movie, coming in at just under two hours, but you could have easily shaved 15 minutes off the movie, and I think that it would have flowed better.
Final Verdict: A Fun Historical Ride Worth Checking Out
Of course, I have no idea how historically accurate the story of Young Washington was, but as a movie, this was a good time, and I am glad I checked it out. The biggest compliment I can give it is that it made me want to replay Assassin’s Creed 3, and I actually learned that there is a sequel to Young Washington in development that will take place during the American Revolution. How will that George Washington shape up to the one I know from Assassin’s Creed 3?
