Excalibur (1981)

Featured Audience Ratings

• John M

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

• paul s

  
  Beautifully filmed in the wilds of Ireland, Excalibur tells the Arthurian legend in a way that is gritty, real, and at times heart breaking. There have been hundreds if not thousands of films dealing with Arthur, but for me, this one has always held a strong place in my memory.… More
  Beautifully filmed in the wilds of Ireland, Excalibur tells the Arthurian legend in a way that is gritty, real, and at times heart breaking. There have been hundreds if not thousands of films dealing with Arthur, but for me, this one has always held a strong place in my memory. Upon this viewing, a good 20 years since my previous one, I note that time once again (as I noticed with Chinatown) cannot stand up to my memory. My memory certainly recalled all the high points - and believe me, there are many, but had glossed over some of the achingly bad dialog and overdubbing. I had also forgotten the written prologue and the overuse of fade to black editing (you either love it or hate it - on this viewing it often felt like I was watching this on TV and each fadeout was a really good spot for a commercial interruption). Still, for all that, the film certainly has its moments, and those moments shine. The cinematography and art direction are flawless (and nominated for an Oscar if memory serves) - the wonderful Wagner soundtrack fitting the moods of the film to a tee. The performances are often quirky, but I feel that in many cases it is due to the dialogue itself than to a lack of talent by the actors. Nigel Terry's Arthur grows from young, naïve, doofus boy to living embodiment of the soul of a nation. Nicol Williamson as Merlin does a wonderful job of spitting out the dialogue, and changing his vocal tones so you aptly feel this otherworldly quality about him - which is apropos. His interplay with Morgana (holy cow - that's Helen Mirren!!) is wonderful in a cat and mouse, odd duck flirty way. Along the way you can also pick up some of the armored knights - Patrick Stewart and... isn't that Lliam Neeson as Gawain? This is all fun, and at times the story teeters on the absurd, but John Boorman always manages to then do something truly special - splitting the camera time between Lancelot and Guenevere's naked tryst in a green glade and the aforementioned quasi romance (a romance over power perhaps) between Morgana and Merlin, taking place in a stalagmite filled cavern (which Merlin calls the heart of the dragon). It is scenes like this and the final battle scenes with a blood red sun casting its pall over the fog enshrouded countryside; all choreographed with that epic Wagnerian music that makes this film, for my money, the best Arthurian film - especially for taking a chance with a different theme - that Arthur and the land are one - which made the scene with the revitalized Arthur riding into battle through a field of flowering trees, the buds swirling around him like snow, all the more poignant and special. If you can get past the creaky dialogue and appreciate the stunning visuals that still stand up today, you'll enjoy this film. As Merlin says at one point "a dream to some, a nightmare to others".

• Phil H

  
  Set in the wilds of Ireland and with a pretty full cast of Irish actors which set in motion the careers of both Liam Neeson and Gabriel Byrne whilst also utilizing some classic/cult British names for spice. Like Robin Hood there are many stories of the legendary King Arthur and his… More
  Set in the wilds of Ireland and with a pretty full cast of Irish actors which set in motion the careers of both Liam Neeson and Gabriel Byrne whilst also utilizing some classic/cult British names for spice. Like Robin Hood there are many stories of the legendary King Arthur and his Knights of the round table but this film is probably the most accurate in terms of an adaptation from original writings. This film is based around the tales from 'Le Morte d'Arthur' and seems to follow each 'segment' quite closely (haven't read it so I'm not sure). The overall essence of this film is like a fairytale of sorts, a kind of slightly cheesy shiny armoured fantasy with glittery sets, soft colours, strong religious/iconic imagery and a 'Clannad' vibe running through it. The film reminded me of the classic British TV series 'Robin of Sherwood' which also starred the dastardly Robert Addie and the classic British fantasy film 'Krull', I think the latter took inspiration from the look of 'Excalibur'. The design and look of this film is really very good, its clearly rather dated but it still has a high polish to it and looks quite epic. The locations are really well used and do give an impression of old medieval England and the costumes all make the sale. Of course this being the 80's the armour does look a bit fake, plastic and too shiny in places, there is a kind of music video feel to the proceedings in places haha some sets look a bit too sparkly, some characters have some dubious haircuts and to be utterly honest the acting/dialog is pretty hilarious in places but you can't deny the effort and scope of this historical fantasy. This being in the days before cgi and when historical epics were all the rage the battle sequences here are small with some blood and minimal gore. You can easily tell they didn't have allot of people to make grand battles so clever editing is used with lots of darkness and fog hehe luckily Old England was a foggy place...or so I've been led to believe. The other slightly amusing thing was the soundtrack, there was original work here but the use of classical pieces slapped on top of key moments didn't really work. The combination of certain scenes and certain pieces of music felt very rickety and really did seem crowbarred in badly, you can see what the director was going for but it comes off more like something out of 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'. The plot is straight forward and it doesn't get dull despite the heavy romance of the tales, the film is rich and vivid in design and imagery giving the whole production much flare and class which works brilliantly because you know these were the days when everything was hand crafted. The film is a cult classic with a powerful poster that demands your attention, oh and Nicol Williamson as 'Merlin' is also another good reason to view with his unique quirky take on the character spouting some glorious moments, 'oh that's grand'.

• moon r

  
  Although flawed this is still the best of the tellings of one of the central myths of Western thought. Filled with lust, murder, magic, glory, vanity, and well, there's some hope, too. Only Curtiz's "Robin Hood" competes with showing the dream of what is wished… More
  Although flawed this is still the best of the tellings of one of the central myths of Western thought. Filled with lust, murder, magic, glory, vanity, and well, there's some hope, too. Only Curtiz's "Robin Hood" competes with showing the dream of what is wished to have been medieval.

• 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. :]

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