Rating: Summary: A wonderful interpretation of King Arthur. Review: This film is a wonderful portrayal of the most popular version of the King Arthur legend. The characters are reliable and definitely believable. I personally liked the way they portrayed the romance between Arthur and Guenivere. It showed the love and respect between them while still showing cause for her betrayal. They didn't portray her as a harlot just a woman who made a mistake and later tried to repent for it. I highly recommend this movie to anyone, but most definitely to any Arthurian Gurus out there.
Rating: Summary: Well worth seeing Review: Excalibur is a very clever film, in that it managed to remain true to Thomas Malory's excellent fifteenth century account of the Arthurian legends. His book "Le Morte d'Arthur" is a VERY lengthy collection of stories, not so much in terms of its volume, but in the amount of action that takes place. While Malory focused more on the knights of the Round Table and those associated with it, Excalibur focused on Arthur. John Boorman elegantly captured the essence of Arthur's story, Lancelot's betrayal, and the fall of Camelot. Constraints (likely in the budget) lead to some obvious technical weakness in the film, though that did not detract from the quality of the story. It is easily the best film adaptation of the original legends, and is not a "modern retelling," though it manages wonderful revisionist technique. All-in-all it is a great film, though admittedly would be enjoyed most by those with an interest in the legends. My vote (5 out of 5 stars) is enthusiastic, but qualified.
Rating: Summary: A unique film with a strong cast. Review: In my opinion this film is unique. It follows Thomas Mallory's "Le Morte D'Arthur" fairly accurately. This is something rarely achieved by other films focused on the genre. The casting is excellent, Nigel Terry portrays both the naive boyish Arthur and the elder statesman with great panachi. Helen Mirren makes for a convincingly evil Morgan Le Faye whilst the gorgeous Cheri Lunghi shines as Arthur's bride. Lancelot is convincing as he struggles with divided loyalties but the main credit for the film's success must surely go to Nicol Williamson as Merlin. The film attempts to portray a dark period of British history and this is convincingly portrayed in the atmosphere, costume and make up of the actors but by adopting a light hearted portrayal of a serious character, he manages to balance just the right amount of comic relief. Towards the film's conclusion the charge of the knights through the orchard to the sound of a choir singing the "Carmen Burmina" has to be one of the high points of British cinema.
Rating: Summary: Quite good. Review: In my opinion, the movie was very well written and directed. The actors were not the best actors but they were very good. I liked the way the story actually covered both the Christian and Pagan sides of King Aurthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Very good in the fantasy department. The costumes were beautiful. The soundtrack was excellent. The movie is good enough to watch over and over and still not tire of it.
Rating: Summary: The DVD is beautiful - one of the best Sci-Fi movies ever! Review: I have seen this movie roughly 50 times. It was only a week ago when I was able to watch the movie on DVD instead of my VHS tape, and let me tell you, it is an amazing difference! It was like seeing the movie for the first time! So clear and bright and crisp, like a DVD should be. It added even more to an amazing film.The music is what makes this film wonderful, and I especially like the acting, although others seem to think it is not acted well. I enjoy hard-lined Sci-Fi movies, and this is one of them....I hate junk and garbage like Xena, Hercules, or Dragonheart - all those really, really bad Fantasy movies...this one permeates the viewer with a "Wagneresque" taste, superbly acted by a superb cast. Gabriel Byrne plays an awesome Uther, Liam Nieson in his first film, and Patrick Stewart sports the bulging guns and actual hair! (well some hair) The movie takes liberty with the tales and history, but it is serious and moving, and conveys everything a good Arthur tale should.
Rating: Summary: DVD Reignites a classic Review: I loved this movie on its release almost 20 years ago...i have had it on VHS for years and watched it often. Now released on DVD, with the addition of a remastered soundtrack...Dolby Digital 5.1... and superb picture transfer quality..this film takes on new dimensions..although being an Arthurian purist I still cant forgive some glaring omissions, such as the Black Knight and of course Sir Galahad...the character of Sir Percival has to carry the bulk of the hasty conclusion to the film. The photography is stunning, the acting patchy: although Gabriel Byrne in an early career role is good...but the film belongs to Nicol Williamson as Merlin....it is one of cinema's finest performances from this rarely seen actor. I watched this DVD on a Toshiba SD9000 DVD PLAYER ....IT IS A REGION 4 PAL Version disc... I use a Yamaha RX-V995.Audio Video Receiver... and Aaron Main and surround speakers and sub woofer... It is an audio visual feast..the music is goose bump stuff. Enjoy
Rating: Summary: Good film. Review: Excalibur was a good movie but flawed. Some of the acting was very average as well as the screenplay itself. Never the less, John Boorman did a spectacular jod directing. Several scenes for very powerful.Including the final battle with Mordred. I also thought that the scoring was effective. This film may seem visualy dated now, but it does not matter. If you are a big fan of the Arthurian legend, this is a must see.
Rating: Summary: Almost five stars. Superb look and feel, GREAT music Review: This is a very lush telling of the Arthurian legends that was beautifully filmed in Ireland by John Boorman. The film creates a very rich vision of the middle ages and has some stunnning images, especially in the court and battle scenes. The center of the film is the rather goofy Merlin of Nicol Williamson; the acting is generally not strong in the film. The story tells itself mostly through images and some inspired choices of music (mostly Wagner -- the Ring, Tristan and Parsifal, with doses of Carmina Burana). It is very enjoyable, sometimes a bit silly, but mostly engrossing as the story is told pretty much in the form of a brightly colored, graphic comic book (some of scenes are really gory!). It is not a King Arthur for the purists. The DVD has a few extra features, including an interesting narrative by Boorman.
Rating: Summary: A great rendition of the tale, even if the armor is wrong... Review: Nobody can accept that Arturus probably wasn't going around in full plate armor, because it is really flashy and makes good cinema. Oh, well. Still, the story is done VERY well, with an amazing blend of sword and sorcery, much like the real thing. The lighting, sets, and characters are done very vividly, even if it surprised me to see Patrick Stewart in the middle of the Sword scenes. I just expect him to draw a phaser and take out the opposing forces, I guess. My wife loves Merlin. I have to replay his lines several times just to make her happy. Well, as they say, if the wife ain't happy, ain't nobody happy, so we replay a lot. Gotta love DVDs! They don't stretch like VHS tape!
Rating: Summary: Best King Arthur Movie Review: After watching this movie many years ago I was awestruck by it. Wonderful acting, brilliant action and storylines, and beautiful locales make this movie a must-see. Do yourself a favor and at least rent it.
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