Merlin is a three-hour epic )originally aired as a three-part mini-series) that deals with the life and times of the famous wizard of Arthurian legend. It deals with his unnatural birth, the loved ones he lost, and the influence his “mother” Mab tries to exert on him. She is a goddess of the ”old ways”, a point that is rather laboured so that we don’t forget it. She feels threatened by the approach of Christianity on her fair England, and can feel the loss of her power over the people. To try to counter this she raises Merlin, whom she intends to be the most powerful wizard of all time. There is a slight problem, however – he’s not all that interested, and ends up turning against her. His whole life becomes a battle against her uncanny powers, involving various rulers, conquerors, and of course King Arthur in an effort to stem the tide of evil. Things aren’t exactly easy going, however, and Merlin is forced to face the question of whether the ends do truly justify the means…

Featuring a host of stars, this production is very ambitious in scope and, despite quite a few significant failings, is entertaining stuff. Sam Neil plays the role of Merlin in his older years, and does a decent enough job of it – I didn’t feel he was a particularly good choice for the role, but he isn’t awful. However I think others could have made much more of the role, particularly his anguish when he overrode his own principles for the greater good. Poor old Rutgar Hauer was absolutely awful as the despotic Lord Vortigern. – he won’t be looking back on this as his finest hour, that’s for sure. Isabella Rossellini was unconvincing and puts on a very strange accent for her role as Merlin’s one true love Nimue, while Martin Short has a lot of fun Frik, Mab’s Gnome. John Guilgud gets to play an old king while James Earl Jones manages to be the voice of a mountain. Jeremy Sheffield doesn’t impress as Lancelot (I’ve only seen him in two films and thought he was pretty awful in both - sorry Jeremy!) Lena Headey was quite good as the young Guinevere.

The most important character besides Merlin in this film was the oddly named Mab, played by Miranda Richardson. She’s an actress I really like and she does a good job with the character, though I could have done without the constantly rasping voice. The dialogue does sometimes let her down too. Richardson also plays Mab’s sister, The Lady of the Lake, who doesn’t share her views and occasionally tries to disrupt them. Though she doesn’t have a huge amount of screen time, Helena Bonham Carter gives a marvellous performance as Morgan Le Fey, and Jason Done as the uber-evil Mordred was superb - really, really evil and nasty.

The script is quite clever in places and manages to compress a hell of a lot of the legends surrounding King Arthur and Pendragon. Quite a few liberties are taken, mainly to focus the story more on Merlin than Arthur, but I found this different take on the much-dramatised legend quite refreshing. The main problem with this film, apart from some pretty awful acting here and there, is that it often really has the look of a made-for-TV movie. It’s difficult to explain exactly what that look is, but somehow it’s a level below what you’d expect to see at the cinema. (Often you don’t see that quality at the cinema either, but you expect to!)

The musical score was provided by Trevor Jones, who very rarely disappoints. This wasn’t one of those occasions, though it doesn’t come close to his majestic compositions in “Last of the Mohicans”. The monsters and creatures were provided courtesy of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, and they do look pretty good.

Overall I did enjoy Merlin, but I guess mainly because Sam Neil never really convinced me in the lead role I never quite got into it. Recommended to those who like Arthurian legend and the like, or for those looking for some diverting fantasy entertainment. With better casting though it could have been a really great movie.

Other Information

Director: Steve Barron
Year of release: 1998
Rating: PG for fantasy violence


Quotes


Mordred: Why didn't you kill him, Auntie Mab?
Queen Mab: Because that's what he wanted me to do.

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Merlin: You killed her.
Queen Mab: No, I didn't. I only let her die.

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Morgan: I like the old ways. The old ways gave me Mordred. And they made me beautiful.
Merlin: But beauty is only an illusion.
Morgan: Beauty is always only an illusion.

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King Uther Pendragon: You've tricked me, Merlin.
Merlin: Come, come Uther. I am a wizard, that's my business.

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Vortigern: Patience isn't one of my virtues
Merlin: You have so few of those, I wouldn't worry about that one.

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Father Abbott: Faith is Supreme, of course. But love is even better.

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Queen Mab: With evil all around me, I can do nothing but evil to survive.
Nimue: Oh... that's too easy.

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Merlin: Lancelot always saved everything to the last moment. And then my memory of Lancelot is that he never got anything right.



Related Links

Another Arthurian movie: First Knight, which I enjoyed much more than I was expecting to.

Lena Headey - The Jungle Book (live-action version)

Jeremy Sheffield - The Wedding Date


This review comes to you courtesy of a newspaper freebie DVD! (No extras on the disc.)

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD