d6a2afd33b The legendary wizard tells his story of his war against Queen Mab of the Sidhe and his creation of Camelot. The Arthurian legend is again retold, only this time from the perspective of the life of Merlin. The story begins with young Merlin being schooled in magic by the evil sorceress, Mab, and her apprentice, Frik. Merlin ultimately rejects her tutelage setting up a war between them which leads to her attack on Arthur. Unwittingly, Arthur impregnates his own half-sister, Morgan Le Fey, which leads to the birth of Mordred, an evil son who ultimately destroys Camelot. Merlin also unwittingly leads to Camelot's destruction when he selects Lancelot to protect Guinevere based on mistaken information he gains from The Lady In The Lake. I'm not sure why screenwriters feel the need to concoct their own version of the Arthurian legend when there is a perfectly good source book out there made up of three novels, collectively known as THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING. But so be it. MERLIN, a TV miniseries, tells the legend of Arthur from Merlin's viewpoint. For a TV miniseries, it's not bad, but as with so many TV offerings, it rings a little flat and the special effects are strictly on the cartoon side. Nevertheless, Sam Neil makes a fine Merlin, and for a TV show, the sweep of the thing is pretty vast. As Queen Mab, Miranda Richardson is fun to watch as she essentially reprises her evil stepmom role from Tim Burton's SLEEPY HOLLOW. I am not a big Helena Carter fan, but for those who are, she plays Arthur's scheming half-sister, Morgan. A barely recognizable Martin Short plays an evil gnome clearly inspired by characters in LORD OF THE RINGS and HARRY POTTER. The gals will enjoy this more than the guys, I suspect. For the guys, I highly recommend John Boorman's testosterone-driven Excalibur, where knights manage to have sex in full armor. For everyone else, THE SWORD IN THE STONE. And for the few people I don't like, KING ARTHUR. You know, the one where Gwenevere is a hell of a shot with bow and arrow. There are so many fantasies out there about Merlin, about Arthur,<br/><br/>About Gwenhywar, about the parentage of all of them. Why did they<br/><br/>have to choose the poorest of all of them in the making of a<br/><br/>movie. Sam Neill is great actor, and he would be a perfect choice for<br/><br/>Merlin when the real story is told… Wish that someone would dramatize and produce the books of<br/><br/>Stephen Lawhead.
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337 weeks ago