Merlin and the War of the Dragons (2008)

In 5th Century Britain, a young Merlin struggles for his place in his known land under the tutelage of The Mage, a local wizard whom sees the young man's potential for magic, as well as ... See full summary »

Director:

Mark Atkins

Writer:

Jon Macy (screenplay)

Stars:

Simon Lloyd-Roberts, Joseph Stacey, Dylan Jones

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Simon Lloyd-Roberts	...	Merlin
Joseph Stacey	...	Vendiger
Dylan Jones	...	Uther
Hefin Wyn	...	King Vortigen
Jürgen Prochnow	...	The Mage
William Huw	...	Torm
Gary Twomey	...	King Eringar
Carys Eleri	...	Lady Viviane
Nia Ann	...	Lady Nimue
Iona Thonger	...	Ingraine
Dylan Thomas	...	Ambrosis
Iago Patrick McGuire	...	Hengest
Dennis Carr	...	Kelvern
Peter Hind	...	Arvel
Iwan Benneyworth	...	Beneforth (as Iwan James Benneyworth)

Storyline

In 5th Century Britain, a young Merlin struggles for his place in his known land under the tutelage of The Mage, a local wizard whom sees the young man's potential for magic, as well as face off against his evil former friend, Vendiger, whom plots with a feudal warlord king to conquer all of Britian using an army of flying dragons, and only Merlin with the alliance of the local Prince Uther and Ingraine and a pair of mystical goddesses, can have the power to stop the evil from taking over the land.

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Plot Keywords:

king | magic | dragon | wizard | surrealism | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for fantasy action violence and brief language

Did You Know?

Goofs

As Merlin approaches The Mage's school house, the door is closed in the exterior shot, but is open in the interior shot.

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Quotes

Merlin: What happened to me?
The Mage: Vendiger and your temptation brought you in contact with your father.
Merlin: That thing... That could not have been my father!
The Mage: I'm afraid so.
Merlin: I am no child of a demon!

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Soundtracks

Chain of Promise
Written by Sanya Mateyas and Chris Ridenhour
Performed by Sanya Mateyas

User Reviews

Cheap and not very cheerful

Likes :

* The CGI dragons are great - very mythical and more appropriate than a more Hollywood/Spielberg style would have been

* The location - totally fitting moody Welsh landscapes

* Some of the acting was good

* The music was a bit overblown but quite professional

Dislikes :

* The acting direction was non-existent so despite the individual actors doing a reasonable job there was no sense of interaction or timing.

* The camera work was atrocious. Most of the film is shot in close up with occasional distant shots where you cant actually see whats going on. Ironically although most shots are static (i.e. no dolly or tracking)the degree of camera shake tells you its hand held.

* Editing was poor and uninspired. Some of the conversational sequences were obviously pieced together from shots taken at different times.

Even low budget films can be successful if well directed - this one unfortunately wasn't. There are so many bizarre mistakes - hand held cameras that don't actually move; gorgeous open Welsh landscapes that you cant see because the camera work is too tight, good enthusiastic actors that end up sounding like a school play through lack of direction.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 November 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

MAGIC AND THE WAR OF THE DRAGONS 〜魔法戦士と竜の騎士団〜

Filming Locations:

Dinorwig Quarry, Gwynedd, Wales, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Asylum

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min 101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo (Dolby 2.0)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1