Excalibur - 1981
This is by far the best King Arthur movie ever made. This is what knights in shining armor should look like. The combat was fast and violent and the visuals were stunning.
According to legend, John Boorman was originally hoping to do The Lord of the Rings but was unable to secure the rights so he used the same sets and filmed this instead. I would love to see what it would have looked like if it had been LotR, but I'm glad that we were given this excellent King Arthur movie.
If you haven't seen it...rent it
If you've rented it...buy it
If you've bought it...go see it again
Also, look for some big name actors in cameo roles: Gabriel Byrne as Uther, Liam Neeson as Sir Gawain, Patrick Stewart as Leondegrance and Helen Mirren as Morgana (although this isn't really a cameo)
This is by far the best King Arthur movie ever made. This is what knights in shining armor should look like. The combat was fast and violent and the visuals were stunning.
According to legend, John Boorman was originally hoping to do The Lord of the Rings but was unable to secure the rights so he used the same sets and filmed this instead. I would love to see what it would have looked like if it had been LotR, but I'm glad that we were given this excellent King Arthur movie.
If you haven't seen it...rent it
If you've rented it...buy it
If you've bought it...go see it again
Also, look for some big name actors in cameo roles: Gabriel Byrne as Uther, Liam Neeson as Sir Gawain, Patrick Stewart as Leondegrance and Helen Mirren as Morgana (although this isn't really a cameo)
Excalibur? S'alright, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteIMO Knights of the Round Table is the quintessential Arthurian film, in the same way that Errol Flynn is the one true Robin Hood. ;)
Excalibur is my favorite Arthurian interpretation. Perfect balance of magic and steal and a good amalgam of the Arthurian legend, while dropping some of the more difficult to explain parts (questing beast, etc.). I had high hopes for the Antoine Fuqua/'04 version but it had tonal issues (i.e., the gung ho screaming in the first 5 minutes).
ReplyDeleteFWIW, Nicol Williamson was the ideal Merlin--even if I chuckle at his over the top acting sometimes. (He's this movie's Brian Blessed!).
I still have problems getting past the shiny, glowy full-plate. It's good movie, I agree every gamer should see it. Not sure about best? Not a fan of the Arthurian story, proly biased against all of them.
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