Product Details

• Actors: James Callis, Laura Harris, Jesse Moss, Patrick Sabongui, Donald Adams
• Directors: Warren P. Sonoda
• Writers: Brook Durham
• Producers: Eric Maran, Harvey Kahn, Nadia Mear
• Format: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
• DVD Release Date: August 25, 2009
• Run Time: 92 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002AT4JOW
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,374 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Merlin and the Book of Beasts" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Welcome to the dark side of Camelot: King Arthur is gone. The Round Table is in ruins. And a rogue sorcerer has unleashed a reign of monstrous terror upon the land. For the court’s last remaining knights, their only hope lies in the power of the now-bitter and broken wizard Merlin (James Callis of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA). But can a once-great man of magic defeat a legion of creatures that includes Dragon Soldier, Death Hawks and Gorgons, and still reclaim the legendary castle of lore? Laura Harris of DEAD LIKE ME and 24 co-stars in this epic adventure that puts a savage new edge on the saga of Excalibur, Mordred and the ultimate battle between MERLIN AND THE BOOK OF BEASTS.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An okay fantasy film for a single viewing (details), March 28, 2010

By 

Patrick W. Crabtree "The Old Grottomaster" (Lucasville, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Merlin and the Book of Beasts (DVD)

I have mixed opinions regarding the numerous and various Merlin films, both new and older. This 2009 made-for-television flick demonstrates its definite good points and its clear weaknesses as well.

The story: A sort of abbreviated The Lord of the Rings - The Motion Picture Trilogy (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition) rip-off in that Merlin = Gandalf; The Arkadian = Sauron; The Book of Beasts = The One Ring of Power. Camelot has fallen, King Arthur is dead, and a nefarious necromancer is dominating the land with his beastly magical book from whence he can generate evil mythical creatures, including gorgons. A remnant band of Arthur's Round Table knights seek out Merlin in his woodland lair to aid them in battling the malevolent Arkadian.

Casting: It's generally very good except for two of the three key characters, Merlin (James Callis) and Avlynn (Laura Harris). Callis conveys a sordid, grunting, gravelly-voiced Merlin, a vocal nuance which seems to serve no useful purpose whatever and it's really hard to follow what Merlin is saying at times. Laura Harris, (playing the daughter of the late King Arthur), seems a bit too inherently fragile and sweet. She just doesn't advance the aggressive and sword-wielding warrior-princess character -- I remained unconvinced. They needed an actress with bit rougher edge. Harris' make-up was all wrong from the start which contributed to the problem.

Cinematography, sets, and locations: Excellent! This was terrific work in all three categories, the film being shot at various breathtaking spots in British Columbia, Canada. The DVD is rendered in enhanced widescreen (1.78:1 aspect ratio) and runs for a total of ninety-two minutes.

Filmscore/soundtrack: I thought it was quite good, not cloying and overdramatic as one might anticipate, and certainly appropriate to support the video aspects. Kudos to Craig McConnell for his original music.

Acting: This aspect was more than acceptable excepting the goofy Merlin accent and voice timbre which much detracted from the film. The fight scenes looked pretty genuine as film brawls go.

Continuity and atmosphere: This aspect was above average and it was an easy yarn to follow, perhaps too much so as there was no prevalent sub-plot. The issue about Merlin "aging backwards" could have been more palatable had the old sorcerer not seemed so incompetent with his magic in his newfound youth - he had tons of trouble whooping the new kid on the block, The Arkadian.

Script and dialogue: Some glitches emerged here. In one instance, Sir Galahad (Donald Adams) rattles off a hackneyed Mark Twain quotation to Merlin which was not only anachronistic -- it collapsed utterly in its intended comic relief.

Special effects: First-class!

In summary, I was left with an overall impression that neither the writers nor director Warren P. Sonoda knew much about either the Legend of Camelot or of Merlin. There seemed to be so much extraneous stuff which was just thrown in for dramatic escalation such as the Greek Gorgons. I have no issues with an endorsement of poetic license but it appears that the writers got just a little too far afield in this instance.

Recommended for a single view by fantasy movie fans.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tale of Merlin - "What will I do?... What will I do?...", August 23, 2010

By 

Sir Gawain "gary c. e." (florida) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Merlin and the Book of Beasts (DVD)

though somewhat of a small budget movie Merlin and the Book of Beasts is big on being a unique arthurian tale or parable. king arthur is long passed on, sir galahad is the only one left of the round table alive in this world, camelot now ruled by a dark wizard, merlin is alone in the forest and king arthur's daughter "avlynn" (who looks about in her mid-30s) finds him and asks for help - and so the story begins....

this is a very good little movie with a true heart, down-to-earth, not a bombastic high-budget blockbuster, but i found it interesting and the ending to be a wonderful beginning for merlin. merlin's sense of wit is understated but delightful and has a strange virtue to it, just like the whole movie in general. they play the king arthur lore loose here and there but in a good way with the movie entering into new arthurian territory - as mentioned before, this is post arthur (and with ancient greek monsters, the gorgons, to boot)! but underneath it all this is a story about merlin - from his madness to finding peace, this is merlin's journey.

anyway, that's just one take on Merlin and the Book of Beasts - give it a try, you may find it a pretty good story too!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars In my opinion, December 1, 2009

By 

SilverWing "Ronni" (Port Orchard WA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Merlin and the Book of Beasts (DVD)

This movie is not the worst and it's not the best. It's okay. It could have been better. The plot was good but the Madusa's were not really all that great which made the movie appear of less quality. But it keeps up your interest enough to watch it.