Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

The first must-see film of the year.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

This is the best overall movie about the Arthurian legends(that isn't a musical or comedy), it covers almost every aspect and does it in style. It looks and sounds glorious and doesn't hold back on violence or sexual themes. Epic fantasy in it's truest form!

This film is one of the best examples of visual mythic storytelling I've ever had the pleasure of watching, and the film has been with me since I was in school. It was required viewing in English Literature for me and, other than maybe Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings saga, represents the best sword and sorcery epic on the big screen. The colors, the armor, the characters, the setting, the over-the-top dialogue and the music, OH the MUSIC, all combine to form an absolute cinematic and artistic treat that perhaps will never quite find a peer.This film, of course, was made after attempts to make The Lord of the Rings failed, and therefore seems to pave the way, quite elegantly for future epic films, decades ahead of it's time. It helped launch several actors into "household name" status. If you want a real treat, watch the film without seeing the cast list and be surprised every time a superstar appears! Treat yourself. Watch this film. Let it grow on you. Let it become part of who you are.You'll be a better person for it, and, I promise, you'll be humming "O Fortuna" for the rest of your life, every time you wish to feel like the Once and Future King, clad in shining armor, ready to save the day!

Set in the wilds of Ireland and with a pretty full cast of Irish actors, which set in motion the careers of both Liam Neeson and Gabriel Byrne, whilst also utilising some classic/cult British names for spice.Like Robin Hood there are many stories of the legendary King Arthur and his Knights of the round table but this film is probably the most accurate in terms of an adaptation from original period text. This film is based around the tales from 'Le Morte d'Arthur' and seems to follow each 'segment' quite closely (haven't read it so I'm not sure).The overall essence of this film is like a fairy tale of sorts, a kind of slightly cheesy shiny armoured fantasy with glittery sets, soft colours, strong religious/iconic imagery and a Clannad vibe running through it. The film reminded me of the classic British TV series 'Robin of Sherwood' (which also starred the dastardly Robert Addie) and the classic British fantasy film 'Krull'. I think the latter took inspiration from the visual aspect of 'Excalibur', possibly.The design and look of this film is really very good, its clearly rather dated but it still has a high polish to it and looks quite epic. The locations really give an authentic feel, an solid impression of old medieval England complete with excellent costumes. Of course this being the 80's the armour does look a bit fake, a bit plastic, flimsy and too shiny in places. There is also a kind of music video feel to the proceedings in places. Some sets look a bit too sparkly, some characters have some dubious haircuts and to be utterly honest the acting and dialog is pretty hilarious in places, but you can't deny the effort and scope of this historical fantasy.This being in the days before CGI when historical epics were all the rage, the battle sequences are small with some blood and minimal gore. You can easily tell they didn't have a big crew to make such grand battles so clever editing is used with lots of darkness and fog. Luckily old England was a foggy place...or so I've been led to believe. The other slightly amusing thing was the soundtrack, there is original work here but the use of classical pieces slapped on top of key sequences didn't really work (for me at least). The combination of certain scenes and certain pieces of music felt very rickety and really did seem crowbarred in badly. You can see what the director was going for but it comes off more like a parody of sorts, something not too dissimilar from 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'.The plot is straight forward and it doesn't become dull despite the heavy romance involved. The film is layered and rich, vivid imagery and beautiful design giving the whole production much flare and class. It all works pretty flawlessly because you know these were the days when everything was hand crafted. The film is a cult classic with a bitchin' powerful poster that demands your attention (it draws you in). On a final note, the acting in general may be acceptable but Nicol Williamson's Merlin is also another good reason to see this film. A truly unique quirky take on the character spouting some glorious lines, 'oh that's grand'.7/10

... after all she witnesses what amounts to the rape of her own mother, and then sees the product of that rape inherit a kingdom (Nigel Terry as Arthur Pendragon). Of course she wants revenge, and justice in the most ironic way for what happened to her mother. Let me explain.Uther Pendragon has peace, has his throne, has a truce with the duke of Cornwall. At a dinner celebrating the truce, Cornwall shows off his beautiful wife, Igrayne. Uther ruins the truce in an unspeakable breach of etiquette by going for Igrayne right there in front of everybody. Hostilities rebegin. Uther begs Merlin to let him have Igrayne by the spell of making so that he looks like her husband, Cornwall. Apparently it was the custom for husbands and wives to have sex in front of their toddler children, and furthermore Uther does not even bother to take his armor off during the act! That's what I mean by rape - Igrayne is being duped into having sex with Uther Pendragon. Morgana, Cornwall and Igrayne's child, looks on, sees through the spell of making, and also envisions her father dying on the battlefield throughout her mother's rape. This is something she never forgets.With Cornwall dead, Uther takes Igrayne for his own, and nine months later she gives birth to a child - Uther's from the rape. But, alas, Uther promised to give Merlin anything that came from his deception, so he must turn over the child, Arthur Pendragon, to Merlin. Uther decides a deal is not a deal, and pursues Merlin and the child, only to be killed by Cornwall's vengeful troops who are still hanging about. Merlin thrusts Excalibur into a stone and proclaims whoever shall draw the sword from the stone will be king. Why do the people keep listening to this guy? I guess the fact that he could turn anybody into a toad is part of it.Time passes, Arthur grows up looking and acting like nobody special (Nigel Terry), and is assisting Kay, a knight in a tournament whose sword is stolen. Arthur just sees the sword in the stone, does not know its significance, and just pulls it out to give to Kay. Merlin announces that Arthur has accidentally pulled Excalibur from the stone and he is king.Well it turns out that more than just the communist peasants in Monty Python's Holy Grail believe that pulling a sword from a stone is not the basis for an acceptable form of government, and Arthur has to work to solidify his kingdom. In the process, he marries Guenevere, daughter of one of his allies, and convinces Lancelot to join him. But Lancelot and Guenevere fall for one another, finally giving in to their feelings. When Arthur comes upon their post coital slumber he plunges Excalibur into the ground and wanders off broken.Now all of this time Morgana (Helen Mirren) is still bitter about her mother's rape and the product of that rape, Arthur, getting a throne because of her mother being deceived. She tricks Merlin into revealing the spell of making, traps him in a crystal, and then decides turnabout is fair play. She makes herself appear as Guenevere, causing Arthur to think his queen has returned to him, and he sleeps with her, conceiving an incestuous child. This child grows to manhood and challenges Arthur for his throne, which is easier than it would normally be because Arthur would have to kill his own son/nephew, plus the land has become barren and the people are starving because nothing grows from the ground, blaming the king. So how does all of this turn out? Watch and find out. This film is very atmospheric. Nicol Williamson steals the show as Merlin with his odd glances and one liners and looking very "unmagician" like at times. If he hadn't played a complete tool in "I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can" a year later, I might still like seeing him in this role.So what have we learned here today? Crime does not pay, the career options are not good for queens who commit adultery, and bitter half siblings can really mess up your life if you give them the chance. Recommended.