Rating: 
Summary: A sham, a mockery and a debical...
Review: This movie was annoying at best. It hardly followed the plot of the book at all and even made up events (gratuitous fight scenes etc.), perhaps to add a little masculine 'punch' to this feminist classic. If you fully appreicated the depth of the original book you will be sorley disapointed with this poorley acted, and even worse directed film. Maybe one day artisitc justice will be done, though without Conan as the main plot contender I imagine it will be a long time before Hollywood and the rest of those money making grubers turn their attention this direction again. Don't waste your time and if you must, rent it before you buy it.
Rating: 
Summary: Who wrote the movie? Did they read the book?
Review: "The Mists of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley was one of the best books I have ever read. Sad to say, whoever wrote the script for the movie was not even close. The movie was horribly depicted and poorly interperted from the book. Unstandably so, the book was about 900 pages, but leaving out 60 percent of the characters and having people do things they never did is just poor script. I was so much looking forward to watching this movie after have finishing the book. Sadly I'm really diappointed. It was just poorly depicted from the book. 2 stars here.
Rating: 
Summary: Camelot & Avalon through a woman's eyes
Review: All through my life, the Camelot/Knights of the Round Table story that I knew of was focused on Arthur & the evil sorceress, Morgaine/Morgana. I knew they bore a child..but as to how, when & where, was not mentioned nor implied. The Mists of Avalon has the basic plot of Camelot but through a different point of view --- from the women's point of view. & though there may be some deviations/alterations (e.g. Morgaine's favorable character/nature), it complements some angles which were not clearly explained in the older/original version. Here, Morgaine is a loving & devoted sister to King Arthur. Through the manipulations of people close to her -- those with the noblest intentions & those fueled by greed, she & Arthur & the rest of the kingdom fell in a web of deceit, love, hate & pain. One of the few survivors at the end, she witnessed the death of paganism & the strengthening of Christianity -- which she has come to terms & learned to accept willingly.
Rating: 
Summary: Mark Lewis Jones--an appreciation
Review: God allowed this imperfect miniseries to be made so that the talents of Mark Lewis Jones might be better known throughout the English-speaking world. Vigorous physicality, intelligent eyes, red-orange hair and that textured Welsh brogue! Why haven't more American film directors taken advantage of the nuanced acting of this thoughtful, sexy native (and Royal Shakespeare Company veteran) of Wales? Until they do, we'll have to sustain ourselves with his seductive, swashbuckling, New Age-man turn as Uther Pendragon, and his roles as Crad in Solomon and Gaenor and Danus in the Shell Seekers. Goodness, he is fine.
Rating:
Summary: Bring On The Miniseries!
Review: While a literal adaptation of THE MISTS OF AVALON (novel) would be impossible, the production crew behind this TNT miniseries did a superb job. While some of the casting choices might have been better thought out, most of the performers do a better than average job in this retelling (or perhaps revisioning is a better word) of the Arthur / Camelot legend from the perspective of the women. The pacing is a bit slow at times (the curse of the any miniseries, especially considering the volume of source material), but there are several wonderful moments of palpable tension.
Rating:
Summary: If you loved the book, don't watch this movie...
Review: I have read the book so many times, and was so excited when I heard it was being made into a movie. I was also excited about the cast, which was excellent. I couldn't even get through the whole movie - I had to shut off the TV. The Mists of Avalon is a long book - and cuts certainly had to be made - but the movie also cut all of the soul out of the story, and turned it into such a comical shadow of the original. I'm not just a stubborn fan who doesn't want anything changed. This is simply a bad movie. If you are at all passionate about the book, you will be downright angry by this interpretation of it.
Rating:
Summary: Well cast, poorly written
Review: I was excited about the premiere of this one too, especially when I saw how well-casted it was. Everyone in this two-part miniseries is perfect for the part - except the writers. The first half follows the book reasonably well, with only a few problems. Then there's the second half, which omits every important aspect of the story. Particularly conspicuous is the absence of the Merlin succession story - Kevin Harper isn't even in the film! The old Merlin dies without the slightest inkling of why his character was important. The fairy world is also completely missing. Then there's the ridiculous ending to the Morgause subplot, an idiotic departure from the book. In all, this was a glorious idea, with a promising beginning, that comes crashing down to an ignominious failure.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting perspective on a classic tale
Review: It was refreshing to see an epic medieval movie that sheds a femenine perspective on a familiar story. Cinematically it was breathtaking. I wanted to live in Avalon. The actresses were all captivating, especially Anjelica Huston as the priestess Vivienne. I particularly enjoyed the focus on the religion of the Goddess as a generally positive force that (like everything else) was corrupted by those who desired power. Everyone who has read the Arthurian legends or has seen Excalibur should see this for a possible "other side" of the story. My one criticism was that the men playing Lancelot and Arthur were too Beverly Hills 90210. Seeing clean-cut Hollywoodish men just pulled me out of the medieval setting. The producers should have found some sexy but swarthy men who didn't detract from the authenticity of a time before electric razors...
Rating:
Summary: Mists of Avalon Movie Review
Review: I gave this movie 5 stars because I really loved it. Why did I love it? It has great actors, the scenery is beautiful, the costumes are GORGEOUS, the storyline is really good & it's loosely based on one of my favorite stories of all time. Now, I know that a lot fans feel that it was a bad representation of our beloved Marion Zimmer Bradley's book "The Mists of Avalon" but I don't feel that way. Yes, things were changed & yes, they left some stuff out but it's still a good movie. I read the book twice in the 3 years that I have had it & I ABSOLUTELY love it & I still feel that the movie was good. I look at it this way, a lot of people saw the movie without knowing about the book & later found out about it & read it. It helped bring even more fans to this already much loved author. Everyone wins, you get a great movie & a great book! Bottom line, if you're a die-hard fan of Marion Zimmer Bradley's work & you want the movie to be exactly like the book, don't bother with this DVD. If on the other hand, you can view the movie almost like a separate entity from the book, you'll love this DVD. The movie on it's own is great! Once you see it, buy the book & read it. You won't be sorry, I promise.
Rating:
Summary: An abomination and disgrace!
Review: I have read the MZB Classic "Mists of Avalon" and all the prequels several times over the last 10 years and have found it to be a refreshingly non-stereotypical portrayal of the themes and people who would later be calls "pagans." But with this film, Bradley is most likely rolling in her grave and her heirs should request a formal apology! The writers not only completely changed the book's story to suit their own marketing goals, but rewrote all of the Myths they are based upon to fit the modern hollywood "formula." The director's vision was more akin to "Zena" with garish, practically non-period costumes and armor and a ridiclous Avalon set which completly ignors all the concrete details that MZB gave very clearly. For example--where did it ever say that the initiates on Avalon shaved their heads? Avalon looked more like a garish buddhist monastery with all the women in yellow robes (not blue), make-up and jewlery. Old negative stereotypes of "Paganism" are trotted out and beaten to death--making the followers of the goddess either look like simpletons, or evil, power-mongering, manipulative witches. The film is chuck full of hollywood tricks and trite interactions with the standard cast of characters...in overdone make-up. To be fair, however, the christians are also made to look pretty foolish. Simply put--there is almost no depth worth noting in this movie. The only highlight is that Julianna Margulies makes a very good Morgaine and did her best with the material she was given. To cut it short--it was an abomination, a shallow, formulaic movie in it's own right, even without the book for comparison, and an offense to modern pagans like myself. If you think you are interested in this movie, just go read the book and enjoy...
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