Merlin (1998)

What kind of guy was the wizard Merlin, anyway? He lives a long time, raises a boy to be a king, props up a Utopian empire with his magic and wisdom, and then watches as it all crumbles under such banal forces as vengeance and betrayal. This four-hour miniseries re-tells the story of Camelot and King Arthur from the perspective of the magic man who sacrifices a great deal to guide mortals toward a better destiny. Sam Neill plays Merlin as an accessible, flesh-and-blood fellow of real passion, powerless to undo the spell of a rival (Rutger Hauer) who has virtually imprisoned Merlin's great love, Nimue (Isabella Rossellini), but gifted enough to counter the treachery of Morgan Le Fey (Helena Bonham Carter) and the wicked Queen Mab (Miranda Richardson). The battle sequences and special effects are striking and original, and it is great fun to see such art-house movie actors as Richardson, Carter, Neill, etc., in fantasy entertainment the whole family can enjoy. (An unrecognizable Martin Short must be singled out, however, for a wonderful, largely dramatic performance as Mab's sidekick, Frik.) Directed by Steve Barron (The Adventures of Pinocchio), Merlin is a nice bit of glossy revisionism of a beloved legend. --Tom Keogh Amazon.com essential video

 Debbie F.
Great,dependable service; return customer. Fast delivery. Always a pleasure buying from Amazon!! This is a great movie!! Highly recommended. May 3, 2008

 MAGIC
Hey all, I have to say that this film is great. If you love anything to do with Merlin or Arthur you need to own this. I was very lucky to find it because I was told it was out of print. Thanks goodness for Amazon!!! April 24, 2008

 Terrible!
Yes, I mean terrible! Terrible acting, directing, writing, sets--all on the superficial and unbelievable level of a comic book for a seven-year old. Besides, it's often difficult to follow. And Miranda Richardson as Mab, with her phony evil-lady scratchy voice, really disturbed me, because it was so obviously phony! April 8, 2008

 Best Merlin
My husband's favorite...Interesting portrayals of key characters of Authurian Legend...I thought Sam Neill's "Merlin" was excellent. February 15, 2008

 The special effects were cool for 1997 or 1998, whenever it came out.
Aside from the special effects, the movie was just kind of blah. It was nice to see Rutger Hauer in action again, but even this star from the fabled Flesh and Blood film couldn't make it interesting. Just stop making Arthur films already.

January 8, 2008

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