| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
James Callis (Battlestar Galactica) is the chief selling point for this medieval fantasy that blends a loose interpretation of the Arthurian legend with a horde of CGI monsters and special effects. Callis, whose brooding Baltar was one of the many reasons to fall for Ronald Moore's Galactica, brings a similar level of intensity to his turn as the wizard Merlin, who joins forces with the daughter of Arthur (Laura Harris), an aging Sir Galahad, and the son of Tristan and Isolde to oppose an evil sorcerer (Jim Thorburn) intent on destroying what remains of Camelot with the titular book of magic. The book, as its name indicates, can summon up all manner of evil creatures, from snake-haired Gorgons and reptile-faced soldiers to a swarm of killer butterflies; the problem is that the quality of the effects used to conjure the monsters is no match for the Harryhausen-esque concepts behind them. Callis gives the strongest performance, and is the sole reason to view the film, though he's decided to adopt a husky tone that occasionally renders him unintelligible; Laura Harris, an otherwise fine actress, is totally miscast as Arthur's sword-wielding progeny. The widescreen DVD includes a brief and forgettable behind-the-scenes featurette as well as the trailer for Dead Space: Downfall. --Paul Gaita
Stills from Merlin and the Book of Beasts (Click for larger image)
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
Product Description
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
7 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format: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.
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.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
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!
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!
5 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Merlin can't decide whether to sound Jamaican or orcish; the fight scenes are preposterous, the "special effects" are terrible, and the acting mediocre at best. A poor amalgam of ALL the B movies of the genre and the only time I've ever rooted for the bad guys against the remnants of King Arthur's court...
and sadly, those are the highlights.
and sadly, those are the highlights.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
'Twould be useful (for reviewing purposes) if I could comprehend more...
of Merlin's throaty, mumbled lines.
Although I am admittedly a "sucker" for the medieval/renaissance/dragon-and-sword-fighting genre, I found this film unworthy of any... Read more
Although I am admittedly a "sucker" for the medieval/renaissance/dragon-and-sword-fighting genre, I found this film unworthy of any... Read more
Published 20 days ago by Anynamewilldoiguess
knights of the Round Table
Knights of the Round Table do battle with Medusa. It was a decent sword and sorcery flick, but I wouldn't recommend it.
Published 6 months ago by Joseph Adams
Voice Lessons
I can not get over how awful this move is. Merlin in this movie should have taken voice lessons! Seriously, I could not watch the entire movie because the delivery of lines were... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Time Traveler
Really short book
First, the good news: In Merlin and the Book of Beasts, Merlin does indeed make an appearance, as does the aforementioned book.
Now for the bad news. Read more
Now for the bad news. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Michael J. Tresca
i wont give any star
This movie is so borring and stupid. First, the actors r bad, the action is like flase, the effectsblah!!!!!!!!!! suck. Read more
Published on March 30, 2010 by Jose D. Ramos
In my opinion
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... Read more
Published on December 1, 2009 by SilverWing
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Look for Similar Items by Category
Look for Similar Items by Subject
|
