Merlin

Rating:
Summary: Merlin
Review: I feel that this movie is a very good movie because iam in to that magical stuff.

Rating:
Summary: Merlin
Review: Although "Merlin," the 1999 historic adventure starring Sam Neil, was originally made for TV, it creates a good depiction of the story of the wizard Merlin and his engagements with King Arthur, the Lady of the Lake, and other mythical characters from Medevil England. I suggest this movie because of it's good acting and story-line. However there is some cheap action and poor make-up.

Rating:
Summary: "Beauty is but an illusion."
Review: There has always been a story hidden deep within the past that has inspired a generation of fantasy authors. This story, wrapped in myth and exhausted by legend, has some of the most notorious characters ever remembered. The great King Arthur and his sister, Morgan la Fay. Galahad, Lancelot, Mordred, Guenevere, Merlin. We have heard their names since childhood, read their stories in books of fairy tales, heard whispers of them through epic productions. But never before has it been told in quite the same way... through the eyes of Merlin.

England lies in a bloodbath of cruelty and deception at the hands of tyrannical leaders, although Christianity has begun to spear the forces of evil, rising up a new generation of believers. Many of the mythical creatures of the "old way" of life fear for their immortal souls. For when the Christians have taken over and the pagan religion abandoned, they will be forgotten and fade into nothing. Queen Mab is the most powerful of these, the older sister of the Lady of the Lake. Desiring to bring into being a child, half-human half-magic that can help restore order among the dividing people, she creates Merlin.

In his happy childhood, he is raised by an old woman of the Christian order. She cannot stand against Mab's forces of evil, but cautions Merlin not to listen to the will of evil but to follow his heart. As he does... daring to choose the way of good and reject Mab's great plans for his future. But things never work out they way they've been planned. Mankind is weak in its lust for power, blood, and flesh. Mab will do anything to keep Merlin from succeeding in his quest to rid the land of evil and uphold justice. She will undermine Mordred, Lancelot, Arthur, Guenevere, and any else who dare cross her path. Merlin is fighting an evil foe who will stop at nothing. The battle has only just begun...

Merlin was produced by the same effects team that made The 10th Kingdom such a memorable experience, which is why none of the effects look fake or drawn. The costuming is gorgeous, and I must commend the makeup and costuming team in particular on two characters who presented a bit of a challenge. One is Martin Short as the mischievous little Flik, a gnome who shape-shifts (or changes forms). The other is Miranda Richardson as Queen Mab (and her sister the Lady of the Lake), a beautiful and yet terrifying woman who looks straight out of a Celtic legend.... pale-skinned, blue-eyed, and dark-haired.

Obviously, there are a lot of un-Christian elements in the legends of King Arthur and his round table. Adultery, deception, and incest, as well as violence and a great deal of magic permeate the plot. If one can view it only as a story and not truth, one will find themselves enjoying it at face value. As a Christian, I was bothered by some of the darker elements but pleased that Mab and the "old ways" were never painted as good.

I also appreciated some of the truth in Merlin...."Beauty is but an illusion; it does not last forever." The production has many delightful moments... several scenes with Mordred and "Auntie Mab" are especially memorable, Flik's romance with Morgan has a surprising element of selfless love to it, and the production has a happy ending. But for many families, the mixed messages of magic and the problematic content implications will keep Merlin lost in legend.

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie
Review: Great movie! I would recommend it to any of you Fantasy buffs.
I will note that it was missing something, I just couldn't pinpoint it. It didn't really effect the movie that much. I will rate this better then "Excalibur." A must get if you are looking for a good fantasy movie to watch on a rainy day.

Great for English teachers. No harsh language or nudity.

Rating:
Summary: Second to none except maybe FOTR
Review: Before I start Ranting about how much this movie rocks Let just say I am A Lord of the rings fanatic, but when I saw merlin I was thinkin screw LOTR (this lasted only a few hours after the film ended but still) It was that good!! the special effects are in some cases annoying (like when fast motion is used) and in others spectacular.Sam neil (starring as Merlin) gives a performance that would make even Anthony Hopkins jealous and Jason Done, a relatively unknown actor, does a good job as Mordred.If you've seen "The Oddysey" you'll notice alot of actors from that also star in Merlin."Merlin" takes the unique way of telling the Aurthinian tale from the title role's perspective and does an excellant job.Alot of people who love dissing this movie claim that "Excalibur" is Better Movie, and it is if all you like is pointless sex and fake battle scenes.If faced with a choice between "Merlin" or any other Aurthinian film pick Merlin

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Summary: Greatest, Magical Mini-series EVER
Review: This is a great movie. Sam Neill outdoes himself, and along with Martin Short's humer, this movie will just amaze you. For a tv mini-series, it has great graphics and a good story. I like to watch Excalibur just after watching Merlin. If there were more stars to be able to give rating for this movie, they would be added, it's just to good of a movie not to buy. The DVD version is a lot longer than on VHS, so go DVD to see the whole movie. Before I had a DVD player I bought this on VHS and loved it, and when I got DVD player , I also bought this in DVD format and was just shocked when I saw this with all the added footage. I was glued to my seat watching it again.

Rating:
Summary: Oh, the humanity!
Review: With over-used ideas such as the legends of King Arthur, filmmakers often have their work cut out for them unless they are willing to go the extra mile to be creative. The producers of Merlin are no exception, as they have failed miserably in that aspect. The performances are laughable to say the least. Sam Neill's wiseguy persona seemed out of place for the typically cold and reclusive Merlin. And just when things couldn't get any worse than Helena Bonham Carter's speaking with an annoying lisp, enter Martin Short. As Frik, he delivers line after line of irritating one-line inanities. The producers probably thought it was funny to employ racist jokes, but I sure didn't. What does dressing up in traditional Chinese garb, slanting your eyes and blurting out "Farro mee! Farro mee!" ("Follow me, follow me") in a mock Chinese accent have to do with sword and sorcery in medieval Britain? Absolutely nothing. With a script so trite and meaningless, it was perplexing that they didn't even bother
to go all out and have the Rockettes perform with Luke Skywalker in front of Macy's Camelot. Hallmark has done here to the legend of Merlin what they also did to the Bible in the horrible 1999 NBC mini-series "Noah's Ark". They turned it into a laughable Las Vegas nightclub act. Unlike its brilliant cinematic counterpart "Excalibur", Merlin plays like an awful made-for-TV movie because it happens to be just that- an awful made-for-TV movie.

Rating:
Summary: Undeniably the worst fantasy film ever made .
Review: Merlin is the worst fantasy film ever made hands down, even worse than First Knight. The original myths were very dark and violent. I can understand the toning down of the violence to make it more suitable for children, but was it necessary to sanitize it to the point of being nothing more than a nursery rhyme fairy tale? Even my kids were so bored by it that they fell asleep half way through the movie. Definitely not worth the price of a rental, not even on Dollar Day Wednesday.

Rating:
Summary: Why do they keep making bad Arthurian films?
Review: As the hype was brewing prior to its initial airing on NBC, I was really looking forward to watching Merlin and what seemed a promising addition to an almost non-existent collection of "good quality" Arthurian films available. High expectations can often lead to big disappointments, and such was the case here. The acting was horrible, the dialogue ridden with cliches/nonsense drivel, and the plot full of holes leaving the viewer with more questions than answers. Even an all-star cast of such legends as Sir John Gielgud, Helena Bonham-Carter, Rutger Hauer, and Isabella Rosellini couldn't save Merlin from becoming yet another casualty of the TV junkpile (`Journey To The Center of the Earth' should ring a bell). I blame this soley on the poor direction of Steve Barron, who blew a golden opportunity to right the ongoing injustice of one bad Arthurian film after another. Rather than taking time out to do the research, it appears that most of the screenplay was borrowed and put together from various Arthurian
films, most notably Disney's animated `The Sword in the Stone,', `Knights of the Round Table', and `First Knight'. Sam Neill and Martin Short were both also mis-cast for the title role and sidekick respectively, and it shows throughout the annoying banter between the two. It's like having a nightmare of watching a bad Abbott & Costello film, only worse. The only bright spots were Paul Curran, whose portrayal of a weak King Arthur was more an afterthought than anything else, and the talking horse whose voice I could've sworn was the reincarnate of Mr. Ed. The special effects and Jim Henson Muppet Shop also deserve mention, but weren't nearly enough to offset the absence of a plausible storyline and great acting as can be found in `Excalibur' and `Dragonslayer'. Chalk up another in a long line of mediocre outings from Hallmark Entertainment. 1/5 stars

Rating:
Summary: Forget the fact that it was made for TV! Just get it!
Review: There are three Hallmark mini-series that left a deep print on my heart. One of them is "Merlin", by Steve Barron (who already was a winner in my book after the hilarious "Coneheads"). The fact that it was made for TV may seem like a reason to underestimate this movie, but you'd be making a big mistake. "Merlin" is one of the greatest fantasy films ever made, and a worthy competitor for some of the genre's classics, like "Legend", "The Never-ending Story", or "Excalibur", its main influence.

"Merlin" tells the story of the most famous wizard of all, narrated trough the reigns of the first four Christian kings of England: Constant, Vortigern, Uther, and Arthur. Besides the obvious conflicts of men and their quest for power, there is another battle: this one between the new Christian religion and the Old Ways of Pagan magic, lead by Queen Mab. It is Mab who creates Merlin in an attempt to restore the power of magic to the world, but when her creation meets Nimue, the love of his life, he leaves it all behind in pursuit of his own dream: to find a good man who can heal the land, regardless of his religion. In the end, Merlin will find himself trapped between these two wars, and his human heart will be torn between the obligation he has towards his destiny and the possibility of getting away from it, seeking refuge in the arms of his true love.

Because of its 3-hour length, the move can really reach some substance with its characters. The cast is supreme, with 5-stars talents like Sam Neill, Isabella Rossellini, and Martin Short. All of them make their characters a treat. I specially love the character of Queen Mab, played by Miranda Richardson, who seems like a Pagan Mephistopheles, always whispering into people's ears. The special effects are beyond anything else I've ever seen for TV, and the director has some very interesting camera work, which gives this film an astonishing technical level, as well as great performances by the actors.

Now, for this edition, there are some features, but they're not all that great. They have a TV featurette, but it's so lame that you may want to skip it. I appreciate the bios and filmographies for the main stars, as well a the sort-of-history of the character Merlin. One thing bothered me, though: the DVD has an option for Spanish subtitles, but the translation is one of the worst I've ever seen in my life! Even I could have done better!

But this doesn't change my opinion for the movie. You should get it, because it surely is a jewel worthy of any decent fantasy collection.