Product Details

• Actors: Sam Neill, Helena Bonham Carter, John Gielgud, Rutger Hauer, James Earl Jones
• Directors: Steve Barron
• Writers: David Stevens, Edward Khmara, Peter Barnes
• Producers: Chris Thompson, Dyson Lovell, Robert Halmi Sr.
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Live / Artisan
• DVD Release Date: September 16, 1998
• Run Time: 182 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (332 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 1574925628
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #24,421 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #14 in	Movies & TV > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Knights & Ladies
  #21 in	Movies & TV > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Mythological
  #43 in	Movies & TV > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Sword & Sorcery

• For more information about "Merlin" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video
What kind of guy was the wizard Merlin, anyway? He lives a long time, raises a boy to be a king, props up a Utopian empire with his magic and wisdom, and then watches as it all crumbles under such banal forces as vengeance and betrayal. This four-hour miniseries re-tells the story of Camelot and King Arthur from the perspective of the magic man who sacrifices a great deal to guide mortals toward a better destiny. Sam Neill plays Merlin as an accessible, flesh-and-blood fellow of real passion, powerless to undo the spell of a rival (Rutger Hauer) who has virtually imprisoned Merlin's great love, Nimue (Isabella Rossellini), but gifted enough to counter the treachery of Morgan Le Fey (Helena Bonham Carter) and the wicked Queen Mab (Miranda Richardson). The battle sequences and special effects are striking and original, and it is great fun to see such art-house movie actors as Richardson, Carter, Neill, etc., in fantasy entertainment the whole family can enjoy. (An unrecognizable Martin Short must be singled out, however, for a wonderful, largely dramatic performance as Mab's sidekick, Frik.) Directed by Steve Barron (The Adventures of Pinocchio), Merlin is a nice bit of glossy revisionism of a beloved legend. --Tom Keogh

From the Back Cover
The most magical adventure of all time. Imagine a world where dreams come true… and magic is real. In a time long past, when magic was fading from the world of men, the malevolent sorceress Mab (Miranda Richardson) summoned forth a mighty wizard to keep the power of the Old Ways alive. The wizard's name… was Merlin (Sam Neill). But when his heart is touched by the love of the beautiful Nimue (Isabella Rossellini), Merlin turns away from Mab's dark enchantments. Allying himself with the young warrior who will rise to become the legendary King Arthur, Merlin pledges his mystic skills to Arthur's visionary cause: bringing peace and justice to the realm haunted by monsters and ravaged by war—and setting the stage for the ultimate dash of Good versus Evil. With spellbinding performances from the stellar international cast and spectacular special effects from Jim Henson's Creature Shop, Merlin conjures up and epic Golden Age of wondrous magic, supernatural passions and unforgettable adventure!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars UNFORGIVABLE, May 9, 2003

By	Corum, the Prince in the Red Robe, Last of th... (Upstate New York, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Merlin (DVD)

This film is a complete disaster. What a waste of time expecting something grand like a big screen event after watching the eye-popping trailer on NBC. Merlin, as it turns out, is nothing more than a below average TV movie. Never in my entire life have I ever witnessed a more horrible miniseries. The film's title is a misnomer, as the depiction of Merlin here is about as accurate as that of the Police Academy movies on life in the NYPD. For the producers to put out sloppy dreck like this is totally unforgivable.

45 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Great.... For scaring your unwanted in-laws away!, May 8, 2003

By	Lady Guinevere (Montpelier, VT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Merlin (DVD)

Anyone expecting the great standards of Arthur, Merlin and the knights of the Round Table as set forth by Monmouth, De Troyes, and Malory will be in for a rude awakening. Merlin is not at all a story of honor, valor, chivalry, and dark magic. What is offered here instead is an amalgam of such fairy tales as Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella miunus decent screenplay and acting. This has got to be the worst sword and sorcery film since Red Sonja. If you aren't a purist and don't mind watching slop from time-to-time, then by all means go right on ahead. Otherwise, buy or rent the other 3 films and avoid this one at all costs.

45 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Uninspired... Inconsistencies abound, May 8, 2003

By	Mark Colvin (Petaluma, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Merlin (DVD)

This movie is chock full of inconsistencies on Arthurian folklore that people are most familiar with. I won't elaborate on every single thing, just the major ones. Like how Merlin presents and takes Excalibur away. That never actually happened. Next, the Lady of the Lake becomes the good witch from The Wizard of Oz opposite an evil counterpart. Arthur appears more cowardly than Shaggy from Scooby Doo. Elaine's body was never covered w/rose petals while being carried downriver. Vortigern wasn't killed in the

battle near Wichester, which was never fought during winter on ice. Merlin was mortally imprisoned under a rock. There was neither a Frick or a talking horse. A water-colored Round Table made from remains of a California Sequoia Redwood tree, 13th-century era body armor, and jousting in the 5th century? I think not. Errors aside, the film never gets off the ground to begin with. Just when certain parts throughout start to get interesting each time it falls flat on its face with something stupid like Frick's

insipid jokes, or Merlin lecturing someone on the consequences of their actions. At just little over 3hrs., `Merlin' is 2rs way too long and uninspired If you are a parent and this were the last video left on the children's shelf, you're better off making shadow puppets for your kids. At least you'll end up telling a better story.