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Merlin (1998/II) (TV)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
26 April 1998 (USA)
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Tagline:
The most magical adventure of all time. more
Plot:
The legendary wizard tells his story of his war against Queen Mab of the Sidhe and his creation of Camelot. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 4 Golden Globes.
Another 7 wins
&
15 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(9 articles)
Campbell Scott and Martin Short Join Damages
(From MovieWeb. 22 September 2009, 11:43 AM, PDT)
Bryan Singer Developing Excalibur
(From FilmShaft.com. 20 August 2009, 11:31 PM, PDT)
(From MovieWeb. 22 September 2009, 11:43 AM, PDT)
Bryan Singer Developing Excalibur
(From FilmShaft.com. 20 August 2009, 11:31 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Can you say Average
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Sam Neill | ... | Merlin | |
| Helena Bonham Carter | ... | Morgan Le Fey | |
| John Gielgud | ... | King Constant | |
| Rutger Hauer | ... | King Vortigern | |
| James Earl Jones | ... | Mountain King (voice) | |
| Miranda Richardson | ... | Mab, Queen of the Old Ways / The Lady of the Lake | |
| Isabella Rossellini | ... | Nimue | |
| Martin Short | ... | Frik | |
| Paul Curran | ... | Arthur | |
| Lena Headey | ... | Guinevere | |
| Jeremy Sheffield | ... | Lancelot | |
| Mark Jax | ... | Uther | |
| John McEnery | ... | Lord Ardente | |
| Thomas Lockyer | ... | Cornwall | |
| Jason Done | ... | Mordred |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
182 min | 60 min (3 episodes)
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
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Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Actors Nickolas Grace and Robert Addie, best known for their roles as the Sheriff of Nottingham and Sir Guy of Gisburne in the TV series "Robin of Sherwood" (1984), have a cameo scene together in this miniseries - a nod to fans of the beloved '80s fantasy show.
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Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: Obvious contact lenses on the young Merlin.
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Quotes:
King Constant:
Let the whole world die, if I die...
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Movie Connections:
Featured in The 56th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1999) (TV)
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (135 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Merlin (1998/II) (TV)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| The Grail | wewereinfinite |
| what's up with young nimue's voice??? | Stacey618 |
| Frik | mimababs |
| the REAL villian | furyoftheturtles |
| Mordred's dying words | Amorina |
| character conflict...hmm | kay_es |
Recommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
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| Excalibur | The Adventures of Sir Galahad | Willow | Arthur the King | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King |
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If you are deciding whether to watch "Merlin", my advice would be to ignore all the extreme comments in this section; some would have you believe that this is the worst movie ever and others that it is a film masterpiece. The fact is that it is a well executed but philosophically shallow (family friendly) telling of the traditional version of the Arthurian legends; with some alterations. As you can probably tell from the title, this story is more focused on Merlin than on Camelot and King Arthur. If you ever wondered what it would be like to see William Shatner play a medieval wizard, you can find a close approximation in the way Sam Neill plays Merlin. This is not as bad as it sounds because Neill is intrinsically more likable than Shatner and because ham acting is necessary in his scenes with Miranda Richardson, who gives her usual dominating performance as both Queen Mab and her sister-the Lady of the Lake. Isabella Rossellini plays Neill's love interest, she looks amazingly young considering her high mileage and the viewer has a lot of time to reflect on her age/appearance because her character is staggeringly boring.
Martin Short and Helena Bonham Carter are very effective in comic relief. And comic relief is the real strength of this production as the dialogue of the villains is often intentionally very amusing (don't want to scare the family too much). Unfortunately this makes Mab and her two allies far more likable than any of the other characters.
While "Merlin" is far superior to 2004's "King Arthur", it is not even remotely in the class of John Boorman's "Excalibur". "Excalibur" is obviously a much better looking film but it is also a much more ambitious film philosophically. And "Excalibur" does not have the plot holes that draw attention to "Merlin's" moronically contrived storyline. Basically "Merlin" is dumbed down enough to make good family viewing but has enough intentionally funny performances and subtly humorous dialogue to entertain more sophisticated viewers.