Excalibur (1981)

79% of critics liked it
(29 reviews)
73% of users liked it
(47,474 ratings)

John Boorman directed this gloriously savage interpretation of Arthurian legend loosely based on Thomas Malory's novel Le Morte d'Arthur. By turns gleaming and filthy, tender and bloody, the film is a visually stunning epic which is never less than compelling. Nigel Terry is perfectly cast as… More John Boorman directed this gloriously savage interpretation of Arthurian legend loosely based on Thomas Malory's novel Le Morte d'Arthur. By turns gleaming and filthy, tender and bloody, the film is a visually stunning epic which is never less than compelling. Nigel Terry is perfectly cast as Arthur, whose unwavering trust and faith are shown to be both quietly heroic and achingly naïve. Interestingly, the quest for the Grail is the least effective part of the film, despite bold cinematography by Alex Thomson (who was nominated for an Oscar) and a fine performance by Paul Geoffrey as Perceval, whose greatest desire is attained in his dying sight. It is the scenes of Camelot in which Boorman is at his most effective, as Arthur is betrayed by the burning passions of Guenevere (Cherie Lunghi) and Lancelot (Nicholas Clay), whose boiling internal forces cannot be denied, whatever the cost. The wicked Mordred (Robert Addie) and Morgana (Helen Mirren) are commanding when onscreen, and Nicol Williamson's performance as the grandiosely self-sacrificing Merlin is outstanding. Liam Neeson and Patrick Stewart also appear in this dense, passionate, and stirring triumph featuring a marvelous Trevor Jones score. The gruesome effects by Peter Hutchinson and Alan Whibley, however, and sights such as a knight having sex in full body armor make this a fairy tale strictly for adults. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 2 hr. 20 min.
Directed By: John Boorman
Written By: Rospo Pallenberg, John Boorman
Genres: Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Apr 10, 1981 Wide
On DVD: Sep 21, 1999
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff, Variety
Exquisite, a near-perfect blend of action, romance, fantasy and philosophy, finely acted and beautifully filmed by director John Boorman and cinematographer Alex Thomson.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
What a wondrous vision Excalibur is! And what a mess.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
Mr. Boorman takes these myths very seriously, but he has used them with a pretentiousness that obscures his vision.
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
a work of hideous myopathy
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Excalibur is both sober and laughable.
Glenn Heath Jr., Slant Magazine
On Blu-ray for the first time, John Boorman's Excalibur is a staggering achievement of bloated artifice, dismantling the Arthur Legend one invigorating aesthetic swipe at a time.
Sean Axmaker, Parallax View
John Boorman's magnificent and magical Excalibur is, to my mind, the greatest and the richest of screen incarnation of the oft-told tale.
Charles Cassady, Common Sense Media
Epic King Arthur saga with illicit affairs and brutality.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
One of my favorite films of its year, and far and away my favorite of this type of film. (And, yes, I include Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films in that assessment.)
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
In 'Excalibur' director John Boorman proves that the feats of King Arthur and his knights can still capture and hold our attention. (Blu-ray Edition)
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...romantic and brutal, lyrically beautiful yet grittily realistic.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
For all its audacity, a misguided folly.
Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures
It's like an excruciating Renaissance festival in a drug fog.
Nell Minow, Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies
Visually striking.
Dragan Antulov, rec.arts.movies.reviews
So far the most honest and most powerful on-screen depiction of the ancient and universal legend.

Read all 15 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

John M

Simply the best Arthurian legend movie ever made. John Boorman was at his best directing this film.
Sergio G

Honestly I don't know the name of the actors. At least the main characters. But it doesn't matter its a GORGEOUS movie. The mithology around King Arthur brought to life in a fantastic way. Includes everything: King Arthur, Lancelot, Guenevere, the sword in the stone, Merlin,… More
Honestly I don't know the name of the actors. At least the main characters. But it doesn't matter its a GORGEOUS movie. The mithology around King Arthur brought to life in a fantastic way. Includes everything: King Arthur, Lancelot, Guenevere, the sword in the stone, Merlin, Morgana, the knights of the round table, the holy grial, Avalon and Carl Orff's Carmina Burana main theme. Even Gabriel Byrne and Liam Neeson first steps. +1000
Tim S

Brilliantly atmospheric retelling of the entire Arthur legend. Some wonderful performances and beautiful photography make this a rousing and entertaining version of the classic tale of old.
AJ V

An incredibly long movie, but worthwhile watching, it's an exciting action packed classical film, and I really liked it. I recommend seeing it.
Jennifer D

I suspect that Mr. Boorman invested some serious cash in green lights cause FOR REALZ. Now there were some great acting appearances, but these were not the best of their work. Some reviewers seemed to like it for its artistic beauty. Erm. I guess. Remember what I said about the green… More
I suspect that Mr. Boorman invested some serious cash in green lights cause FOR REALZ. Now there were some great acting appearances, but these were not the best of their work. Some reviewers seemed to like it for its artistic beauty. Erm. I guess. Remember what I said about the green light thing? Yeah. A wee bit too much on that... Other than that it reeked of the 80s. Like whoa.
familiar s

I haven't read the book it's based on, but have read one of the chapters. Besides, I've also watched a Bollywood movie slightly based on this story. So I thought I'd be at a disadvantage here. And to an extent, I was, especially for first half an hour or so. But as… More
I haven't read the book it's based on, but have read one of the chapters. Besides, I've also watched a Bollywood movie slightly based on this story. So I thought I'd be at a disadvantage here. And to an extent, I was, especially for first half an hour or so. But as the story moved to unfamiliar lands (for me), I began to find it relatively interesting. However, knowing the story wasn't the only thing that kept me from enjoying the movie in the beginning. Besides that, the performances by almost every actor seemed to be theatrical for around the first whole hour. After that, I guess I got used to it & it didn't remain as much of a problem. Nothing much to recommend here from my end.
Conner R

Just all kinds of crazy, this is probably the best rendition of King Arthur to ever appear on screen. The unchoreographed fights completely sell the movie because it looks like an actual battle rather than a beautiful slow motion scene. The music is amazing and gives so much… More
Just all kinds of crazy, this is probably the best rendition of King Arthur to ever appear on screen. The unchoreographed fights completely sell the movie because it looks like an actual battle rather than a beautiful slow motion scene. The music is amazing and gives so much personality to an already great visual style. I really like all the performances, although they aren't perfect, it fits the movie for some reason. It goes to every length to give you the most complete and full story, while also being fun and original.
Ginny

Bwahaha!! Merlins a chrome dome and Arthur is bug-eyed but oh-lalaa! Lancelot is sooo freakin hot! Hahaha!! Well, this movie was good-ish, I mean, you have to take in the fact that this was made in the 80s!
Greg S

A gory, sexy, beautifully photographed epic retelling of the legend of King Arthur and Merlin (a memorable comic/tragic performance by Nicol Williamson). It bulls its bloody way forward, driving audiences before it in an irresistable tide of over-the-top entertainment.
xGary X

Possibly the best telling of the Arthurian legend (The Holy Grail aside!), this deconstruction of the myth adds an element of realism missing from most of the competition. Grittily filmed, gory battle sequences counterpoint the mysticism, and the characters are much more three… More
Possibly the best telling of the Arthurian legend (The Holy Grail aside!), this deconstruction of the myth adds an element of realism missing from most of the competition. Grittily filmed, gory battle sequences counterpoint the mysticism, and the characters are much more three dimensional and human. Nicol Williamson's portrayal of Merlin as a bumbling eccentric rather than the usual enigmatic mystic is particularly memorable.
jay n

wonderfully atmospheric version of story. All performances are good but Nicol Williamson's Merlin really stands out.
Dr Blood

There really has been no better version of the Arthurian legend either before or since. Nicol Williamson's superb performance as Merlin completely makes up for those cast members who are not quite so likeable. Everything looks good and sounds good. It's magical.
Cindy I

Overacted at times, and the story jumps around, but it's a lush beautifuly done story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Great battle sequences.
Dean M

Average legend of King Arthur and the Knight of the Round in the battles and magics.
Danny R

John Boorman's spellbinding, visually stunning rendition of the King Arthur legend is a magnificent production that truly captures the medieval age. Arthur, played by Nigel Terry in an superlative performance is the bastard son of the cruel Knight Uther, played by Gabriel Byrne… More
John Boorman's spellbinding, visually stunning rendition of the King Arthur legend is a magnificent production that truly captures the medieval age. Arthur, played by Nigel Terry in an superlative performance is the bastard son of the cruel Knight Uther, played by Gabriel Byrne in a solid turn who is given the mystical sword Excalibur by the powerful wizard Merlin, played brilliantly by the late Nicol Williamson in a terrific scene-stealing performance. When Uther is ambushed by his enemies and is mortally wounded he buries the sword deep within a large stone before he dies. Whoever removes the sword from the stone shall the King, years later Arthur draws the sword from the stone and becomes the King who is guided by the mysterious Merlin that will becomes a father-figure and mentor to him. Arthur uses the sword Excalibur to defeat evil; he marries Guenivere, nicely played by Cherie Lunghi and gathers his great Knights of the Round Table in fellowship, but dark times are coming when Arthur is betrayed by his best friend and finest Knight Sir Lancelot, played excellently played by Nichols Clay who could not resist his deep sexual attraction to the Queen Guenevere, who desires him just as strongly. Arthur's evil half-sister Morgana, played by Helen Mirren in a wonderfully wicked performance casts a spell on him to have sex, she soon sires an evil son, well-played by the director's son Charley Boorman that may prove to be the fatal down of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Astute direction by John Boorman, there are superlative supporting performances by Liam Neeson, Patrick Stewart, Cherie Lunghi, Paul Geoffrey, Ciaran Hinds and Corin Redgrave. Gorgeous cinematography by Alex Thomson, with a marvelous score by Trevor Jones, impressive visual effects by Wally Veevers, and a magnificent costume design by Bob Ringwood. A unique motion fantasy. Highly Recommended.
Alec B

Outside of the technical achievements the film is an incoherent mess.
Nikki M

A little slow but neat to see young versions of now famous actor(s) and actress. :]
James B

An entertaining retelling of the King Arthur saga. Nicol Williamson as Merlin is the highlight along with Helen Mirren's Morgana and the always wonderful Patrick Stewart.
Kyle S

Mezmerizing, beautiful, yet somewhat flawed film of the Arthurian legend. The best interpretation to date though.
Henrik S

The Horror. The Horror. Gruesome acting, a script written by 5-year-olds. As an avid Arthurian legend enthusiast I found this to be insulting to the legend/history as written down my Monmouth.