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Merlin

  • TV Mini Series
  • 1998
  • Not Rated
  • 3h 2m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
22K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,595
909
John Gielgud, Helena Bonham Carter, Rutger Hauer, Sam Neill, Isabella Rossellini, Miranda Richardson, and Martin Short in Merlin (1998)
Home Video Trailer from Hallmark Home Entertainment
Play trailer2:13
3 Videos
99+ Photos
ActionAdventureDrama

Legendary wizard Merlin tells his story of his war against Queen Mab of the Sidhe and his creation of Camelot.Legendary wizard Merlin tells his story of his war against Queen Mab of the Sidhe and his creation of Camelot.Legendary wizard Merlin tells his story of his war against Queen Mab of the Sidhe and his creation of Camelot.

  • Stars
    • Sam Neill
    • Helena Bonham Carter
    • John Gielgud
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    22K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,595
    909
    • Stars
      • Sam Neill
      • Helena Bonham Carter
      • John Gielgud
    • 154User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 4 Primetime Emmys
      • 19 wins & 28 nominations total

    Episodes3

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated1 Season1998

    Videos3

    Merlin: All Things Change
    Clip 1:37
    Watch Merlin: All Things Change
    Merlin
    Trailer 2:13
    Watch Merlin
    Merlin
    Trailer 1:51
    Watch Merlin

    Photos105

    Paul Curran in Merlin (1998)
    Sam Neill in Merlin (1998)
    Sam Neill in Merlin (1998)
    Paul Curran in Merlin (1998)
    Merlin (1998)
    Merlin (1998)
    Merlin (1998)
    Merlin (1998)
    Merlin (1998)
    John Gielgud, Helena Bonham Carter, Rutger Hauer, Sam Neill, Isabella Rossellini, Miranda Richardson, and Martin Short in Merlin (1998)
    John Gielgud, Helena Bonham Carter, Rutger Hauer, Sam Neill, Isabella Rossellini, Miranda Richardson, and Martin Short in Merlin (1998)
    Gulliver's Travels (1996)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Sam Neill
    Sam Neill
    • Merlin
    Helena Bonham Carter
    Helena Bonham Carter
    • Morgan Le Fey…
    John Gielgud
    John Gielgud
    • King Constant
    Rutger Hauer
    Rutger Hauer
    • King Vortigern
    James Earl Jones
    James Earl Jones
    • Mountain King
    Miranda Richardson
    Miranda Richardson
    • Lady of the Lake…
    Isabella Rossellini
    Isabella Rossellini
    • Nimue
    Martin Short
    Martin Short
    • Frik
    Paul Curran
    Paul Curran
    • Arthur
    Lena Headey
    Lena Headey
    • Guinevere
    Jeremy Sheffield
    Jeremy Sheffield
    • Lancelot
    Mark Jax
    • Uther
    John McEnery
    John McEnery
    • Lord Ardente
    Thomas Lockyer
    • Cornwall
    Jason Done
    Jason Done
    • Mordred
    Billie Whitelaw
    Billie Whitelaw
    • Ambrosia
    Daniel Brocklebank
    Daniel Brocklebank
    • Young Merlin
    Agnieszka Koson
    • Young Nimue
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    7.3
    Excalibur

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Isabella Rossellini's voice was dubbed over Agnieszka Koson's for young Nimue.
    • Goofs
      Although clothes, architecture, etc. heavily imply a barely post-Roman (5th-6th centuries AD) setting, characters still use the terms England and Normandy, which aren't recorded before the 9th century. It would be more appropiate to refer to them respectively as Britain and Armorica or variations thereof.
    • Quotes

      Merlin: A reputation is like glass, once cracked it can never be replaced.

    • Alternate versions
      The televised version has scenes that are not on the video version and viceversa.
    • Connections
      Featured in The 50th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1998)

    User reviews154

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    The best Arthur film....period.
    How do you pack together centuries of legends about the great King Arthur? It might seem like an impossible task, but Merlin finds a way to make it work: they change the focus.

    I have always been a huge fan of the King Arthur legends, and I am familiar with most of them. Some films only cover portions of the legends, such as the disappointing "First Knight" and the stomach-churning Disney crud "Sword and the Stone." I was really wanting a film to come out that would cover all the important legends of the epic story, yet I realized it was a nearly impossible task. An excellent early eighties film did it, which was called "Excalibur," and I was hoping that they could do it again, with a more nineties zing to it, what with the new special effects coming out nowadays that could no doubt enhance the legends onscreen. Before "Merlin" came out, the only real films to come out in the nineties featuring Arthur were "First Knight" (which eradicated all myth and magic and put the legends on the status of Chick Flick) and "A Kid in King Arthur's Court" (which I won't even bring up).

    Enter "Merlin." It covers everything, from the affair of Lancelot and Guinevere, to the Lady at the Lake, to the birth of the sword Excalibur, to Morgan la Fay and Mordred, and they even throw in the Lady of Shallot. And the cool thing is, they make it work so that it doesn't seem overplotted. Merlin is also given a side story which is beautiful and well-constructed, about his birth and his love life. It all is webbed together well, and the climax and characters are wonderfully painted.

    Before this film, I saw Merlin only as a secondhand character, who is Arthur's mentor and friend, kind of like the world's first Obe Wan Kinobe. But now, I see him in an all new light, and to say the least, it is very effective, and I can say that it is the finest Arthur film ever made (though "Excalibur" is so close, it's barely worth a comparison). If you are interesting in Arthur, or if you are an Arthur fan who was discouraged that there were no good films about his awesome, thought-provoking legends, I urge you to watch this film. It will move you in a way few films can!

    10 out of 10!
    helpful•101
    16
    • Tin Man-5
    • Jun 9, 1999

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 26, 1998 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Merlín
    • Filming locations
      • Anglesey, Wales, UK
    • Production companies
      • RHI Entertainment
      • Hallmark Entertainment
      • NBC Studios
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      3 hours 2 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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    John Gielgud, Helena Bonham Carter, Rutger Hauer, Sam Neill, Isabella Rossellini, Miranda Richardson, and Martin Short in Merlin (1998)
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