Excalibur

Year: 1981
Director: John Boorman
Starring: Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Gabriel Byrne, Nicholas Clay

Synopsis:

The myth of the sword Excalibur, and King Arthur. Uther Pendragon (Gabriel Byrne) is given the sword Excalibur by Merlin (Nicol Williamson). Upon his death, Uther embeds the sword in a stone, the one who can remove it from the stone will become king. Years later, the sword is removed by Uther's bastard son, Arthur (Nigel Terry). Guided by Merlin, Arthur establishes his kingdom, and the Knights Of The Round Table.

Review:

John Boorman seems to excel at creating visually stunning movies... this is one of them. The sets and costumes add a lot to this movie. Some of the acting in this movie, however, falls flat. At times Merlin seems to be comic relief rather than a serious character. The plot also seems a bit disjointed. Instead of a smooth transition from one part of the legend to another, it just seems to jump from one story about Arthur and Camelot to another, with no connection between them.

My Rating:
6/10