Rating: 
Summary: a stunning fantasy
Review: Okay- so I never read the book, but I love the Arthurian legends and this was much better than any other movie about the time period, namely "First Knight" and "Camelot".
The scenery and costuming was gorgeous and I was amazed at how accurately period living was portrayed. There are no 13th century knights in armor at Arthur's court and the swords aren't the huge 5ft long broadswords that came about 500 years after Arthur's time. Everything is so rich in accurate detail that it's hard to stop watching.
Aside from that, the acting is superb, especially for a made for TV movie. It's definately as good as "Gettysburg" and "Nuremburg" to name a few other landmark TV movies. The balance between action and drama is great and the movie doesn't seem overloaded with too much of either. The computer animated effects of Camelot and Avalon look very real and the musical score is haunting, though a little too modern for my tastes.
I think the only bad thing about the DVD is that there aren't many special features like interviews and behind the scene production work. But with a 3 hour movie on one DVD, it's understandable. Also, some of the plot is a little questionable as far as historical accuracy is concerned, but I suppose that's better explained in the book.
A great movie for fans of the time period or for a rainy Saturday.Update as of August 28, 2002- I just finished reading the book and now I like the movie even more than ever. True, a lot is missing, but it's like that with most movies that are ported to the screen. The book itself is longer than all three of Tolkein's Ring series combined and I for one am glad that they didn't try to follow the The Mists of Avalon too closely. It would have been overdrawn and boring like "The Fellowship of the Ring."
It is kind of disappointing that over 20 years of plot time is cut out of the movie, but it's more tragic when people die young and it keeps the plot moving along swiftly. Also, TNT probably can't afford to make a 12 hour epic that follows the plot inch by inch.
I don't know how Bradley would react if she were alive today, but I think the movie is MUCH more accessible to a wide variety of audiences than the book is. And I think that being able to convey Bradley's message (that all religions are one and the same and that love is blind) is far more important than literary accuracy.
With that idea in mind, the film is much like Christianity is in the book. It's a simpler explanation of things for simpler people.
Rating:
Summary: Mystical....Terrific Movie
Review: I saw this movie on TV. I have to say it was a terrific movie. So many elements that made it terrific: The music, the story, the outfits and the perspective of powerful women. The story is mostly told from Morgana's point of view, but it shows how three sisters who are very different from each other chose to live their lives. How their children deal with the changing times and their life choices. How they influence their environments, and how their old religion/belief is given a face lift. It is a beautiful tale and defintely a movie to add to your collection of movies.
Rating: 
Summary: The Mists of Avalon
Review: This film adaptation of the book of the same title starts out promisingly enough, but degenerates quickly into a mess of bland characterizations, boring events, sickly dialogue, unwashed hair and tatooed faces. Battle sequences are brief and not very inspiring, and the legends of Arthur are perversely treated despite a promising premise (the tale as seen through the eyes of its female characters). Arthurian legend is much more entertaining in the likewise made-for-television feature, "Merlin," which delivers in all the places that "The Mists of Avalon" failed.
Rating:
Summary: Love it
Review: I love this movie i saw it on Television and i fell in love with it it shows the days of king arthur through a womans view it is totally awesome!!
Rating:
Summary: Finally, no glitzy 16th century armor!!!
Review: All jokes apart, Mists of Avalon is a discreet adaptation of the main novel. But since we are not here to evaluate the written work, which undoubtedly is far superior, I do give it five stars for its standalone value. For the first time since I can remember, we get a coherent view into the otherwise mysterious world of Druids and High Priestesses of Avalon and their worries about the various cultural invasions and intrusions into their untouched world. On the visual side, this TV movie should be considered a winner: the costumes reflect the accurate period in which the story takes place. If you are looking for knights in their shiny armors, you're in the wrong place, and this is actually good, because there were none between the 6th and 9th Century A.D.
The only armor which could have eventually been seen was a long outdated Roman one... Now to the actresses/actors: they are all great performers who deliver memorable, strong performances and are all of a very high calibre. The storyline is subtle and is treated with respect. It winds up slowly to a crescendo that really culminates in a sort of an apotheosis only to slip slowly down to the inevitable end of a period, of a culture, of a belief and of the movie. But is the end really the end? I found the director Uli Edel, very competent, handling a very complex subject with finesse and light-handed "magic". Perhaps it's not a Historic movie, since it has to deal with very difficult figures to define, such as Merlin and Viviane, not to speak of Morgaine le Fey, but it attempts to bring them to us as true human figures, not as legendary heroes... They have feelings, worries and true emotions. In other words, what could have easily become another FANTASY movie has taken a life to itself and brings us a classic tale into a historic perspective. Some have criticized this movie as being a bad female perspective, sort of "feminist" version of Arthur's tale. I'd like to correct this. I am certainly not a friend of the feminist movement, but this is certainly not that.
Many tend to forget that in the old Briton and Celtic world, women had a very prominent role in society and as such were truly equal, if not superior partners with the male world. In as much, this movie is just honest with this issue and deals with it in a very fair manner. Of course, certain visual effects, like the Avalon which appears towards the end of the movie, are a bit rough to deal with, since one could very well see that it was just a matte. Not even a scale model, but a flat matte!!! Shame. But in my personal view, movies are made or destroyed by a story, actors and directors, not just by music or special effects. If such was the case, we could very well listen to an audio book or watch digital cartoons. Thank God there is still a human component in movie making and with it comes some good and glorious imperfection, which in turn, gives a job to so many people to gossip about. With all its flaws and imperfections, this movie truly deserves my appreciation and my five stars. I also believe it will entertain you as well if you're not out, constantly seeking perfection (which by the way, has always been an elusive and useless activity which mankind has always wasted its efforts in). My best wishes go to all those who contributed their talents to this movie, for whatever reason they did so.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Get Enough
Review: I watched the movie when it first aired and just truly LOVED IT!!
And was blown away by Juilanna and Anjelica. I loved Julianna Margulies in ER and Anjelica Huston what can I say, they were outstanding and awesome. The movie alone was great. I shared the movie with some other people and one of the ladies just went on and on about how much she LOVED IT as well.I've been trying to find it on VHS for a while now and I'm so glad I found it on Amazon.com. Thanks for having it and the other movie I was looking for Steal Big, Steal Little with Andy Garcia playing twin brothers another outstanding movie.
Rating:
Summary: An insult to a classic of fantasy literature
Review: If you loved this wonderfully written, feminist, intelligent book at all, please don't bother with the mini series. I was absolutely disgusted and appalled at the poorly written adaptation. I screamed and threw things at my TV the entire time. Poor casting, over simpified characters, and the removal of key events and players. Worse of all, the ending. The screenplay was insulting to pagans and christians to boot. If you've never read it, do yourself a favor. Don't buy this tripe, save your money and buy the book instead. You'll like it much more, I promise.
Rating: 
Summary: Shameful & Dissapointing
Review: I have read the book so many countless times and loved it that I got my hopes up when I heard about the made-for-tv-movie. There are just too many things that were not true to the story it was so so dissapointing. Igraine dies in the book, not a convent and ugh! I could just scream. Maybe its because TNT did it and it just couldn't give the full oohmph that a bigger studio could have, but mostly its just that the book was just a powerful twist on the Aurthurian Legend and the movie just reduces Bradley's beauty to drivel. If she had been alive right now she would've died. I gave it two stars becuase I liked the casting of Juliana Margulies as Morgaine. Even though she wasn't given very much to work with for character development.
Rating:
Summary: Wandering in the Mists - the writers got lost
Review: I hope Marion Zimmer Bradley made good coin for the rights to her amazing book, because the movie stinks. The costumes are great, the music is great, the acting is ok, but the adaptation is horrible. Morgaine is entirely changed in her focus and drive, which spoils the whole story. Your time and money would be much better spent on the book - It is amazing.
Rating: 
Summary: Great! So long as you haven't read the book
Review: I saw the mini-series when it was on TNT back in the summer and immediately fell in love with the magical retelling of King Arthur. In fact, I was so intruiged, that at the end of Part I, I ran to my computer, bought the book online and ran back to the TV to watch part I again. When I got the book, it took me a year to finish, not because it was long, but because I misplaced it several times. The book is incredible! So I had to buy the DVD of the miniseries. The day I got it, I ripped it out of its box and watched it immediately... I was dissapointed by how much the story sways from the book. I know that all retellings are that way, but I was dissapointed. And though I think they managed to get the overall spirit of Ms. Bradley's work, I really would not say they caught much more than that. Character development and background could have been better, and I didn't like this Mordred, but that is a personal opinion.
| 
