Rating: 
Summary: My 14 Year Old Daughter Said:
Review: "That was SOOO STUPID!" after this ended, and I have to pretty much agree with her. Granted, there are those who will enjoy Merlin, particularly those who can take it without regard to the legend of Arthur as it's been recorded and told so often before, and those who enjoy a certain campy silliness in their mythology. I prefer mine straight up--it's not a question of the "facts", but of the tone. For me, the legend of King Arthur is a serious tale, rich with meaning for us even today--the sealing of Arthur's fate when he unknowingly sleeps with his sister, the love triangle, the quest for the Holy Grail, the conflict between paganism and Christianity, Mordred's fratricide--these are not trivial things, and for me, the movie Merlin trivialises most of them, along with the personal conflicts between the characters. I simply couldn't take Queen Mab's demise seriously at all--it was laughable, and surely not intentionally so. For me, Excalibur is the best filmed version of Arthur; The Mists of Avalon was a terrific book but not a good film--there's an example of an author doing a wonderful version of altering the tale to make something new but respectfully retaining the character of the original. Even the musical Camelot retained the tragic nobility of the tale.
This film does not treat the legend so respectfully. The outline of the story is retained, true, and the focus is shifted in a way that might well have worked, much like it is in The Mists of Avalon; but campy elements are added--a talking horse, a gentleman's valet of a demon, and the atrocious overacting of Helena Bonham Carter and Miranda Richardson, to say nothing of Sam Neill himself. Add in some wacky camera work, and weird, weird voices for the women, and the slope to failure becomes steeper and ever slipperier. The 'special effects' are none too special--lots of disappearing in a puff of smoke with an obvious camera edit--and this adds to the campiness. But the final ignominity is that Merlin himself gets a happy ending completely uncharacteristic of the Wagnerian tragedy--it's as if none of his efforts to unite England really mattered after all. It seems so very casual, as does his vanquishing of his nemesis Queen Mab, by--get this--forgetting her. Unless you like this sort of quasi-comic treatment of the classics, you're best advised to do as Merlin did Mab, and simply forget this one.
Rating: 
Summary: magical
Review: A fun magical mystical movie. If you are looking for realism, you won't find it here. Lots of interesting visual effects. Lots of magical spells. Fairies, griffins, a talking horse, a gnome, a wicked sorceress, an ethical wizard. Lots of FUN! Well done!
Rating: 
Summary: "Another wasted effort" doesn't know their Merlin mythos!
Review: A review complains about the extra characters in Merlin and complains that they do not exist in Arthurian Mythos well frankly there are dozens and dozens of Arthurian myths, legends and even myself who has been reading Arhtur myths for over 20 years has not read them all so I doubt they can have as well.
And interestingly enough they are actualy completely wrong about one of those characters. Nimue was most certainly a major portion of Merlin's life she is the woman who trapped Merlin in a spell of sleep and prevented him from helping Arthur before he dies. She was Merlin's lover in some tales and his nemesis too in others so obviously that other reviewer really doesn't know their Arthur mythos.
And here is the thing, folks should not compare this to the film Excalibur...Excalibur was about ARTHUR this film is called MERLIN people!!!
This is a wonderful film using element of Merlin's legends and making up a few new ones. This is a piece of fiction just like every thing else written about the wizard so how can it possibly be wrong when there is no Merlin nor is there one true text about his life. TH White wrote about Merlin differently than the old myths and legends as did John Steinbeck and Sir Thomas Mallory are their books then not worth reading? OF course not.
THERE IS NO ONE TRUE ARTHURIAN TEXT! It is myth and legend and the story can be told anyway a film maker or writter wishes. That is what creativity is all about not to copy someone elses story but to create your own vision.
This is a fabulous film well acted, directed and told and I've enjoyed it for years. Sam Neil is definitly an interesting version of Merlin..while I have a stronger liking for Nicol Williamson's Excalibur Merlin I still very much enjoy this one. And using Queen Mab from celtic myths and legends which some of the older Arthur tales sources are from was very creative.
Rating:
Summary: Good entertainment
Review: All of you need to read the book The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Characters in this movie are named in this book that may not be familiar to those who think in strict male dominated "Arthurian legend" terms.
Rating:
Summary: War of light against darkness
Review: Britain is in trouble, as multiple conflicts between warlords and thanes tears the island apart. The savage Saxons are engaging in their raids into the island, and the evil Witch Queen, Mab (Miranda Richardson) , embarks on a holy war to keep the Pagan `Old Ways' ascendant and to prevent the triumph of the `new religion' Christianity.
She uses her foul sorcery to create a type of Immaculate Conception whereby a young woman is impregnated without a father, and the child, Merlin, is to be her tool.
Merlin grows up as a peasant lad, meets up with the beautiful Lady Nimue (Isabella Rosselini), rescues her from quicksand and they fall in love. He is then sent to Mab, where he is pressed into service as an apprentice of the Gnome, Frick (Martin Short), a very witty and amusing character.
When Mab kills the kindly old woman who has brought up Merlin, Merlin vows to use all his powers to defeat Mab and her evil forces, and so the powers struggle between good and evil is put into place.
The story is an enchanting one of fairies and gnomes, dragons and lots of swords and sorcery. It is essentially also a struggle between the forces of paganism and those of Christianity, as the evil set in motion by Mab is a battle against the Christian faith. That is why Mab backs the heathen tyrant Lord Vortigan, against the Christian Prince Uther Pendragon, who has brought his troops back from Brittany to battle Vortigan for the crown. Merlin, who longs for Britain to be freed of Vortigan's tyranny supports Uther Pendragon. And so the battle between the forces of light and dark continues.
It is Merlin who selects Uther's son, the young Arthur for the task as new King , and guides him to the throne , becoming chief advisor and mentor to the young king.
It is within this struggle that the Knights of Camelot search for the Holy Grail, which Nimue (a devout Christian) explains was the cup used by Jesus of Nazareth, and was brought from Israel to Britain by Joseph of Arimathea.
Sam Neill is brilliant as Merlin; he adds force and charisma to the role.
All the misery and destruction here has Queen Mab behind it, as she, like the serpent in the Garden of Eden, is behind the treachery of Morgan La Fey (Helena Bonham Carter) (who is more a pathetic character than evil in this version) and the birth of the vicious and extremely evil Mordred . She also facilitates the adultery between Lancelot and Arthur's Queen Guinevere. It is also Mab who throws Nimue to the dragon causing her to be cruelly disfigured.
Mab sees all of this as justified in her war against Christianity and says `the end justifies the means.' This is the argument used by all evildoers , such as the Marxists , together with their Islamist allies, in their war to destroy Judeo-Christian civilization.
It is four hours of pure intrigue, beautifully done, and not to be missed, for any lover of fantasy and Arthurian Legend.
It is a stunning tale of the eternal battle between the forces of light and of darkness.
Rating:
Summary: Merlin: a refreshing visit to the Arthurian Legend
Review: First, I didn't like the latest version of King Arthur. Pulling out the VHS of Merlin proved refreshing; the sweet in contrast to the bitter. The VHS, I rated three stars, I added another star as the DVD would included added features not included on tape.
The good news is that Merlin consolidates a number of variations in the legend to provide a linear story.
The bad news is this is a story that has to be watched in one setting, and with attentiveness: in other words w/o distractions. Too many little items link the story together.
The magic is represented through good special effects, although there are more background characters then explained in the plot.
If you want the legend; you will want Merlin in your collection.
Rating:
Summary: THE MAN WHO WOULD BE WIZARD
Review: I found this Hallmark TV version of the King Arthur legend quite enjoyable and extremely well done. So many original "tics" were added to give the characters their own weird personalities. For instance, Miranda Richardson's gravelly voice; Helena Bonham Carter's unique speech impediment; Martin Short's chameleonic changes; and a vast array of fairies, wood sprites and unusual effects. The dragon even looked like a pencil drawing from medieval times. Overall, though, MERLIN is magically presented, with a wonderful score, some beautiful cinematography and a droll sense of humor..and if the happy ending veers away from the legend, so be it. Who says you have to do everything the same way to make it work. Sam Neill is a fit and convincing Merlin; Short and Richardson are simply outstanding, Richardson's Mab a venomous portrait of evil; Bonham Carter is piggishly seductive; Isabella Rossellini doesn't have a lot to do, but her vanity and love for Merlin seal her doom; Paul Curran is a gentle manboy as Arthur; Jason Done seethes arrogance and impotence as Mordred; and Rutger Hauer has his first "legitimate" non b-movie role in some time and does well.
The movie is a fantasy, reminiscent of the old Ray Harryhausen Sinbad and Jason movies; I really found myself liking it a lot.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie, one of my favorites!
Review: I loved this movie, and it's one I come back to and watch over and over again! It's not the first story about Merlin, but it's a great one! So much better then 'First Knight'. If you're pagan you'll appreciate Queen Mab! And if you love good acting, good special effects, good storyline, and good endings you'll love this movie! I'm really surprised this movie hasn't been more promoted! It's probably because ignorant people don't understand the Old Ways and this movie is a turn off for those stingy few who don't believe in magic...
Rating:
Summary: Only the best movie ever!
Review: I own this film and I'm glad to!! Such an excellent film. My favorite actress/character was Miranda Richardson playing Mab. The graphics were absolutely excellent. The story was amazingly compelling. I just thought this movie was positively wonderful. I have nothing but great things to say. Only that I wish I had bought the DVD so I could see the deleted scenes. Sooo good!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Fun and epic retelling of the Arthur legend
Review: I remember liking this when it first aired as a mini-series on NBC in 1998. My recent reading of The Mists of Avalon (and the inevitable compare/contrast-a-thon with the TNT mini-series version of that book) as well as a recent viewing of the 1981 Excalibur movie, prompted me to buy the DVD.The Arthur legend in itself is a rich story filled with plot twists, intrigue, manipulation, deceit, religion and magic. And, in my limited experience with the legend, no two stories are exactly alike. The Merlin mini-series, told from the Wizard's point of view, is a very enjoyable version of the legend that keeps you interested. The acting is mostly first-rate. I was particularly surprised and pleased by the performance of...Martin Short(!) as Queen Mab's sidekick, Frik. Frik appears in several guises throughout the film, each played with gusto. The only detractions were Morgan Le Fey's (Helena Bonham Carter's) forced lisp and Queen Mab's (Miranda Richardson's) scratchy voice. Was that part of the legend? The writing was well done...way better than Excalibur (Excalibur's corny Arthur: "We shall all sit in a circle as equals...why, I shall build...a round table!" Merlin's less-corny Arthur: "Let this circle be a symbol that we are all equal."). Some parts were a bit slow, but the splash of humor here and there adds to the overall fun of the film. The special effects are great because they are mostly subtle and don't upstage the actors or the story. I particularly liked the bits with Frik's turn-around-costume-changes. Overall, this epic overview of the King Arthur legend is lots of fun...and family fun at that!
|
