Excalibur

Rating:
Summary: Visually Stunning
Review: The film is magnificent. By far the best telling of the classical tales of King Arthurs' knights. If you loved the visuals on VHS version, you will be blown away by the DVD version. The colours are clear and pure and the 5.1 sound track is not to bad, although it could have been better.

Even if you already own a VHS copy, a DVD copy is well worth it.

Rating:
Summary: Best film rendition of the legend of King Arthur.
Review: If you grew up on traditional tales of King Arthur, or have read 'The Mists of Avalon' you will love this film. Not only is it faithful to the legend, the characters of Guinevere and Morgan Le Fay are portrayed humanly and convincingly. Helen Mirren plays a terrific Morgana, the film is laced with magic, windswept landscapes and excites the imagination. I first saw this film as a wee lad, and have never forgotten it. DVD is the perfect medium for this unique and magical film.

Rating:
Summary: Superb handling of the Arthurian mythos
Review: This is a wonderful film, truly the gold that lies beneath the dross that is cinema's usual maudlin and ridiculous handling of the Arthurian legends. The director knows his material well and handles it with respect. The film is, hence, much more gothic than romantic, an atmosphere enhanced with unusual lighting and wonderful music (primarily driven by Wagner's "Parsifal" and Orff's "Carmina Burana").

The director's commentary is enlightening, but one had best be prepared for a somewhat rambling style.

Rating:
Summary: The Best! 'Merlin' doesn't even come to 'Excalibur'!
Review: Unlike the movie _Merlin_, _Excalibur's_ filmmakers thought that a realistic delivery was appropriate for such a legendary subject which was evident in the adequately passionate acting. Rich storytelling, historically accurate, and full of energy is what makes _Excalibur_ the classic that it is. Compare that to the Excalibur wannabe(Merlin), which had overdramatic acting, showed no real passion, and detracted from my enjoyment of the movie. Contrary to _Excalibur_, noone ever smiles in _Merlin_ which had a very overdramatic story, lacked spirit, and somehow misses a magical, epic feel. _Excalibur_ is never far short of these components making it an enjoyment to watch time and time again. The costumes and settings in _Excalibur_ also had more of that 'medieval' feel which was contemporary to Arthurian times, whereas in _Merlin_ the costumes seem to come right out of a 60's Woodstock performance. If one looks closely, they will notice that parts of the set in _Merlin_ was recycled from the set of 'The Oddyssey', another Hallmark production! If you don't read books and think that the actors in the Blair Witch Project actually disappeared in real life(laughs! ) then _Merlin_ is for you. If, however, you are a learned individual who truly wants to learn about the Arthurian mythology, then by all means watch _Excalibur_!

Rating:
Summary: The Consummate Retelling
Review: Since I first saw this film at 11 years of age in 1980, I have been enthralled with it. I've owned the VHS version for years and have watched it many many times. The DVD version is masterful. Boorman's Cinematography is expansive, impressive, and soulful. The soundtrack could not have been arranged better. The actors deliver both subtle and over-the-top performances that are simply unmatched--every character is well developed and well written. Most fantasy films are terribly made, usually B-Grade or worse. This film is unsurpassed to date as far as this particular legend is concerned.

Rating:
Summary: Fair movie, great DVD
Review: I must say from the outset that "Excalibur" has never been one of my favourite movies. Though the visuals are undoubtedly spectacular, they are not enough, in my opinion, to offset the clunking script and Nigel Terry's lack of charisma in the lead role. Also, after "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" it's difficult to take any film about King Arthur seriously. That said, this DVD is still well worth owning. Sound and picture quality are both superb and it almost felt like I was viewing it for the first time. Best of all, however, is John Boorman's leisurely commentary. He obviously still holds the film close to his heart and his discussion of it's prolonged gestation is both candid and illuminating.

Rating:
Summary: Where are movies of this breed these days?
Review: Well, I find this movie incredibly inspiring. If you are a fan of this movie, then the commentary track with John Boorman will be of great interest to you!

He got a lot of fantasy right in this movie -- it left such an impression on me that I still remember almost the entire movie after seeing it more than 15 years ago. A classic for sure.

Rating:
Summary: Miraculous Technology
Review: Well the miracles of modern technology worked well for this movie. It is a true classic, and the digital remastering makes it truly spellbinding. If you can watch the first "Lady of the Lake" scene without going "Ooh" at the image, I'll be surprised.

There are some errors nonetheless. There's a spot between scenes where the disc pauses momentarily for some unknown reason, and some scenes look like they could use more touching up. The audio is for the most part well done, though there are times where it could be fuller. But let's remember this movie wasn't made yesterday, so we can't expect Matrix level image and sound.

All in all this movie is well worth getting on DVD, and is a vast improvement over the VHS version.

Rating:
Summary: Horrible cinematography.......B movie!
Review: I have read the above reviews and find it very hard to believe I watched the same movie as the others. I found it to be horribly filmed, with a B movie flavor!

Rating:
Summary: A superb movie about knights, battle, love and honor.
Review: Besides the obvious that this is an amazing movie, it's the soundtrack that really does it for me. It just adds to the richness of the characters and their storylines. The fight scenes are so much more intense hearing Wagner in the background.

Excellent acting job by Nigel Terry portraying Arthur at 16 all the way to his death as an old man at the hands of his only son. The rest of the cast was equally good including many newcomers such as Liam Nisson, Patrick Stewart, Helen Mirren and Gabriel Byrne. All very popluar actors today and they can all credit this movie as their stepping stone.

This movie has always been one of my favorites even when I had first viewed it as a young boy twenty years ago. To this day I still consider it one of the best.

SIR LAUNCELOT OF THE LAKE ABSOLUTELY RULES.