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Rating: 4 out of 5
Most people know or have heard bits and pieces of the legend of King Arthur. Whether it’s pulling the legendary sword, Excalibur, from the Sword in the Stone, the Knights of the Round Table, his famous knight, Lancelot, his love for Guinevere, the all-powerful wizard Merlin or even the Kingdom of Camelot. The legends and tale of the legendary but mythical king have been around for many years. There have been many adaptations of the legend of King Arthur. Whether it’s the Disney animated version, The Sword in the Stone, the comedic parody version, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the Sean Connery/Richard Gere version called Camelot or even TV shows like Starz’s Camelot, BBC telling of Merlin and even NBC had a miniseries called Merlin starring Sam Neil. All these versions touch upon some aspect of King Arthur and his life.
Director John Boorman comes along and goes all out with an over the top with his version of King Arthur. He almost holds nothing back when telling the myth of this king to the point that it is cartoony and comical while trying to hold a very serious tone and atmosphere. If you want knights in bright and shiny armor, it has it. If you’re looking for magic and sorcery, it has it. If you want a castle that shines in the sunlight, it has it. If you’re looking for love affairs and people losing their way, this movie has it. If you want battles to the tune of epic music, this movie has it. Out of everything, the film is quite entertaining. It’s clunky in some areas, but overall it was a pretty good telling of the legend. Watching this movie will give you a clear and fantasy look of the mighty king. It is a film that has it all and worth watching.
Boorman’s story goes through the life of the mighty king. Boorman starts his epic tale, which is 140 minutes long, with a battle between two armies. One lead by Uther Pendragon and the other Gorlois, the Duke of Cornwall. The magician, Merlin, wants peace and a true king, goes to the Lady of the Lake, and retrieves the Sword Excalibur. A sword that has unspeakable power and the one who holds it is king. Merlin gives this mighty Sword to a power-hungry Uther who, in turn, forms an unsteady alliance. While having a party, Uther starts to lust after Cornwall’s wife, Igraine. She had to be beautiful because all she did was spin around in a circle. Homeboy was really feeling that dance because he went mad and destroyed his alliance. He was definitely thinking with his manhood and not his actual brain.
Uther asks Merlin for help, which Merlin reluctantly agrees but on the condition that he him whatever results from his lust. Merlin transforms Uther into Cornwall’s likeness with the Charm of Making. Behind a wall of fire, Uther impregnates Igrayne and nine months later, the birth of Arthur happens. Merlin comes and takes Arthur from Uther. Uther not pleased, purses Merlin but is mortally wounded by Gorlois’ knights. With his last dying breath, Uther thrusts Excalibur into a stone, while yelling at the top of his lungs, “Nobody shall wield Excalibur, but me!” Merlin in his quick wisdom, claims that “He who draws the sword from the stone, he shall be king.”
The story continues with Arthur, who you think is a boy but now looks like a grown man, works as a squire. The knight he works for Sword is stolen. He runs around trying to find a sword when he sees a stone just chilling in a stone. He runs up to it and pulls the Sword out of the Stone. Arthur is made king but low and behold, several knights don’t agree. An epic battle pursues where Arthur, with absolutely NO armor on, runs around with Excalibur just slashing and hitting knights all over. After a display where he could get killed, he becomes the king. Arthur’s story progresses with his love for Guinevere and the eventual meeting of Lancelot, who has by far the shiniest armor in all the land. That armor is BRIGHT and so CLEAN!! Lancelot is also a real badass by whipping the mess out of all of Arthur’s soldiers before being ultimately defeated by Arthur with the use of Excalibur. The good times roll as Arthur creates the legendary Knights of the Round Table, gets married to Guinevere, and builds the legendary castle of Camelot. His sister, Morgana, who is now becoming a powerful sorceress, returns into his life and trains under Merlin. Arthur’s perfect world falls apart with the discovery of the love affair between Guinevere and Lancelot. Their love affair cripples Arthur’s soul and the soul of the land with the disappearance of Merlin at the hands of Morgana.
The one credit and item that is working for this version of King Arthur is that it lives up to being a fantasy movie. First, every good fantasy movie needs some knights that wear big, clunky armor that try to swing swords around. There is almost a distinction on the knights in the film. Many knights wear dull armor that looks like it has been through some wear and tear. Even Arthur wears some really dark armor in the beginning. If there was the best dress award, it has to go to the one and only Lancelot. This dude armor was by far the shiniest in all the land. When they say a “knight in shining armor,” Boorman definitely didn’t hold back. You needed some damn sunglasses just to look at him. Wanted to say, “Lance, you need to chill on shinning your armor, I can’t see you man.” Second, you can’t have a fantasy movie without sorcery and magic. That duty is help by the esteem Merlin and the crazy Morgana. Magic is all over the film. Boorman beautifully presents Merlin with the wizard knowing everything there is about magic and the world. Whether it’s appearing all around Morgana during their little squabble, using his staff, changing his eyes when talking about the dragon or transforming people, Merlin holds it down. Even with the presentation of the Lady of the Lake while giving Excalibur. How she just slowly rises up from the depths of the water to present a sword. Magic is all around this movie. A fantasy movie needs some battle scenes. Boorman presents his battle scenes either in a dark fashion or a glorious ride which are pretty entertaining. One battle scene that is crazy is when Arthur first receives his Sword and there is a mini rebellion, this kid runs through a battle swinging his Sword with NO armor. The only injury he gets was a cut on his arm. Boss mode activated. A very dark and gloomy battle was Arthur’s battles against Mordred, it takes place in a bleak area that has a low-level fog. It almost looked like a swamp without the alligators and snakes. Yet, Boorman gloriously shows battles with body parts flying or red blood being spilled. It also has a great love story. Where else can you find two people who fall in love and get married only for the best friend to slide in and sweep the woman off her feet? Some backstabbing right there, but it is so good.
The acting of this movie is very subpar for actors/actresses and over the top for many others. First, let’s get this out of the way, this movie had some pretty big names. In today’s time, it would definitely be an ensemble cast. The people who appeared in this film were: the beautiful Helen Mirren as Morgana Le Fay, before she was an Academy Award winner. Sir Patrick Stewart as King Leondegrance, before he was Captain Jean-Luc Picard. I don’t know if he found the fountain of youth, but he looks the exact same today as he did back then. Liam Neeson, as Sir Gawain, before he was a Jedi Master, Batman’s mentor, King of the Greek Gods, and a person who can track down anyone with some skills. He got his ass handed to him in a fight with a particular knight. Finally, Gabriel Byrne as King Uther Pendragon.
Nicol Williamson as Merlin was and is the highlight of this film. He presented Merlin as the all-wise wizard that crack jokes, helps make important decisions, but wasn’t afraid to speak his mind, even with that crazy headpiece. He propels the movie. Also though the story is supposed to revolve around Arthur, Williamson commands the screen with his presence and acting. He steals the whole film altogether, making everyone else seem like an ant amongst a giant. Whether it is his witty exchange with Helen Mirren or how he spoke to Arthur’s knights, Williamson was the centerpiece. Nigel Terry as King Arthur was okay. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. It was honestly just right. At the beginning of the movie, he was this wild eye kid who becomes king and runs headfirst into battle. As life progresses, Terry portrayed Arthur as a man conflicted with himself.
An example was when Guinevere was accused of having an affair. The dread on Terry’s face showed it all because he didn’t know where to love his people or his wife. Another example was when he lost all hope in the world and life. He became this skinny, frail man who didn’t look like any king.
Some songs make a movie, and some songs can utterly cripple a film. Boorman’s use of Carl Orff’s “O Fortuna” was perfect for the final battle scene. You see, Arthur goes from his weakened state to one where he rises up and must take down the opponent at hand. Then the scene changes to Arthur riding with his knights to confront Mordred. “O Fortuna” starts playing and a feeling of “IT’S ABOUT TO GO DOWN!” comes over your body. The only problem, it doesn’t play that long, but the effect is there.
Excalibur is a fun and exciting movie to watch. Boorman truly brings the myth of King Arthur alive with his adaptation. Even with the minor flaws, it is definitely a diamond in the rough that is worth watching. Even if it is no up to standard, there are plenty of stars that you can look at when they were younger.
