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Merlin (Special Edition)
Category: DVD |
List Price: $14.98
Our Price: $13.49 |
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As of: January 09th, 2009 08:37:53 AM
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Customer comments on this selection.
 Christian agenda
Yet another film with a tedious barely concealed Christian agenda. The Dark Ages did not end with the introduction of Christianity to England - the Dark Age began with the introduction of Christianity to England and Christianity (the real myth and legend)infects us all still.
 Every aspect of the Arthur legend in the one film
Ever since Thomas Mallory brought the various Arthur legends together, adding some material of his own, in 'The Morte Darthur' (original spelling), various other books have followed, White's 'The Once and Future King' being the best, or, at least, the best known. With the advent of film, there have been several based on the legend, but this is the only one, to my knowledge, to almost completely cover all the aspects of the legend (a couple of characters are missing).
This film (actually a 2-part mini-series) has received a very large number of reviews and one wonders why so many have been written about a film where the general opinion is not very favorable. Certainly it is not a masterpiece, but, in fact, there is a lot in it's favor. I suspect the main reason it has not gained more positive reviews is because there is so much in the story, and it is of such a length, that in a time of short attention spans and an unwillingness to think to follow a story, many people cannot keep up with what is going on as it is not all spelled out for them.
What are seen as flaws and disjointed aspects to the story are a reflection of this unwillingness of people to have to work out some things for themselves. The plot is extensive, and although the script could be better, it is still quite good considering all it has to encompass in a reasonable time. Characterizations are consistently quite good, but not as good as they could have been if the excellent cast had been given more rehearsal time. Conversely, one can conjecture that the film would have been much poorer if it did not have a highly-skilled cast who could direct themselves to a large degree. We see emerging that the weaknesses that are present are often due to the budget not allowing enough time.
In fact, production values are quite good, with quite a high standard in photography, editing, lighting and choice of photogenic locations. Special effects are handled well without drawing un-necessary attention to themselves. I suspect they are not overdone for a combination of artistic and budgetary reasons. But given that last statement, there is no stinting here either. The film is consistently a delight to the eye, with good film stock being used with careful color matching. Sound in the 5.1 surround release is excellent.
But the important thing is how well the story is told and how well the various elements of film-making come together. Overall, I found this to be quite a good film, but a film that had the potential, with the artistic and technical talent available, to have been outstanding. I suspect it did not achieve that potential due to constraints on budget and time. However, given those constraints, I believe the director did an excellent job in bringing together all the elements of making a film to produce a consistent and involving film that I hesitate to call 'family' as, for many people that gets translated into 'children's'. This is a film that adults can derive a great deal more from than children will, but it is one that children will enjoy too, if they can go the distance. It is unusual in that, although it is light fare, you need to give it your full attention to follow all that is there, as some of the story is implied. At the price being offered, if you like King Arthur/Merlin type films, you would be foolish to miss this one, even if it is a less intellectual treatment than Mallory or White made possible.
Merlin.....
Originally made as a TV miniseries, Merlin retells the famous legend of King Arthur from the perspective of the wizard Merlin. Sam Neill stars in title role with co-stars Martin Short, Miranda Richardson, Helena Bonham Carter, Isabella Rossellini, Rutger Hauer, John Gielgud, and Lena Headey. It was directed by Steve Barron and produced by Dyson Lovell. In my opinion, it has to be the best movie I've ever seen telling the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, even though it deviates from the more traditional approach to the myth. Judging from the movie, it is plain to see that the costumes and whatnot are more historically accurate than other versions. The things I loved most about the film was it's more fantastical take with the story, including a Dragon, Sprites and a talking horse into the mix. Heck, there was even a talking mountain in there, too. Miranda Richardson's role as the heavy in the movie as Queen Mab is great.
The movie, itself, had a sequel made called Merlin's Apprentice. Even though it was marketed as a sequel, it had little to do with the first film and is more of an alternate story. I wish I were as approving of that film as I am of this one.
At any rate, Merlin is a great film. One that the whole family will enjoy. One that I highly recommend for its' great storytelling, tremendous acting, and lushous scenery. You'll love this movie.
A True Rarity
Merlin is a true rarity in mythological movies. That being a movie that actually follows the events of the myths. Showing the story from Merlin's point of view instead of Arthur's was brilliant. I found that the movie only slightly altered very few times, but stayed true to the legend of King Arthur. This is a wonderful movie filled with magic, knights, and a little comedy here and there.
 A solid rendering -- full-screen version
For fantasy movie fans this one is a big winner. It's Merlin's story, told in retrospect by the old necromancer himself.
The casting is near perfect, the scenery and sets are superb, the cinematography is terrific, and the story continuity is quite coherent, (the latter of which is a big problem in the subsequent "Merlin's Apprentice").
Merlin is "all good" in a time and place where nefarious scoundrels in leadership abound. He doesn't always immediately seize upon the right answers to various dillemmas as they arise but he's always first devoted to the wellness of mankind, frequently advising his "masters" to cease on the power-monging thing.
The evil witch, a nemesis of Merlin and of mankind in general, does rake on one a bit with her whispery-gravelly voice (she has a LOT of speaking parts throughout the film) but other than that, I thought that this was a fine movie. Clearly, fans of "The Lord of the Rings" films will find this movie to be of near-equal quality, albeit it's not nearly so complex as that fine trilogy.
Unfortunately, I had purchased a full-screen version of this film and the wide-screen one would clearly have been the superior choice. So, I'll pass this copy on to the neighborhood kids and then grab the widescreen one soon. At 182 minutes in length, this is a great film for rainy Saturday afternoons.
Highly recommended.
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