Arthur et Merlin

This started off promising but as expected, with a low budget, this sort of movie degrades into B movie territory. There is a distinct lack of CGI and special effects especially at the end of the movie where so much more could have been done. The script tries to stick to a twist in the famous legend, but does not build up the protagonists' relationship up enough to make the obligatory battle against darkness believable. In one instance Merlin is dead against joining Arthur, and then all of a sudden gets random inspiration to join... "deus ex machina" galore. There are too many similar contradictions in the plot to make this truly enjoyable for me. One wish for low budget films - at least pay for a good writer, even if the acting is dodgy.

A chosen one bestowed with what seems to be an impossible mission is rich fodder for any storyteller. This fertile premise has proved successful many times over and has stood the test of time with unforgettable protagonists such as Moses, Jesus, Anakin Skywalker, Frodo and Harry Potter coming to mind (quite a mixed bag there). And now Arthur and Merlin can be added to this illustrious list thanks to the imagination of Marco Van Belle, et al., and their fresh re-imaging of the Arthur and Merlin story. Production qualities are up there with 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Game of Thrones,' and what they've achieved for new film- makers is commendable. This is a fantasy feature worth watching for any and all ages.

Considering the reviews so far are either 'zeroes or heroes', I thought I'd offer a middle-of-the-road approach.

This movie is by no means horrible. It reminds me of a better than average pilot for a TV series (albeit one made in the 80's), or could even pass as 'part-one' of a mini-series.

The leads are unknown, but solid without being brilliant. David Sterne who plays King Vortigern is a better than average TV actor, and he was very believable. Charlotte Brimble who plays Olwen (the lead female) does a very creditable job, and she didn't have to get her kit off to do that job either!

Special Effects were very, very, simple and wouldn't have over-stretched the budget, eg the occasional fog machine got switched on, but that worked in the movie's favour, as it meant that nothing was done 'badly'. ie there was no need to cringe at poorly constructed monsters.

The Story was also very, very, simple, but that meant that it wasn't as rushed as B-Grade movies can often feel, as they try to pack a script worthy of War and Peace into 90 minutes. The last 12 minutes were 'so-so', as endings go, but once again, 'not horrible'.

In summary, you wouldn't pay to go see it at the movies, but you wouldn't regret watching it, if it turned up on Netflix either.

It's not worth much more than an honest 5, but it's definitely not a 1!

The movie looks good and is well acted. A very well known story, but told in a different, long and extended version. Decent effects and score, but at times over the top and lacks any peaks and real lows. Action scenes are decent, but nothing exciting and sometimes shot hand held to make it look more exciting. This movie is good to watch to fill time up, which is just about 2hrs of an ongoing adventure with hills and valleys. No major scenes or plot points to add drama or anticipation to the story. Certain time lapsed scenes remind you of other movies scenes with the same shots and camera shots.

I found this take on the King Arthur Legend very entertaining. The use of colour and the cinematography was the most enjoyable aspect of this film. The story was good enough to get me through the full film despite it's length being close to a Lord of the Rings film. It is clear to see the effort and passion that has gone into this film and it has paid of in the end result.

Although this film may not compete with Peter Jackson's fantasy series, it's budget is a fraction of Hollywood features and it is still very enjoyable.

It works very well as a family film as I watched with my kids and they thoroughly enjoyed it.