Review of Excalibur (1981) by Michael Y — 21 Aug 2011

Yah. Just forget about everything you thought you knew about King Arthur. If you've read the book... then continue thinking so. Excalibur is an oddly paced but thorough telling of the legend, and it's a pretty damn freaky legend at that.

From the greed and lust passed on to son, Arthur was destined to be a great King of England through the help of the sorcerer Merlin and the magical sword, Excalibur. But with great good comes great evil, and Arthur will discover what it means to be a true King through his hardships. When I first saw this movie, I really didn't know much about King Arthur except for adventure movies and Monty Python. This more true to the book movie caught me with my pants down. It is absolutely bat shit crazy, dark, creepy, and full of wonder. The narroration of the movie is kind of hard to get into because the characters talk so mytholically, but it's kind of the movie's charm too. I found it quite interesting and cool, especially when spoken by Nicol Williamson who plays Merlin. He's the badass of the movie. Nigel Terry plays a great unsettled King who learns to be a man. You also get special appearences from Liam Neeson, Patrick Stewart and Helen Mirren! Mmm, Mmm, Mmmmmm that Helen Mirren. That is all.

John Boorman, who also directed Deliverence, has a pretty sick way of presenting the world on film. His style is highly dirty, gritty, and violent. And that's just what this movie needed. Even though this movie is filled with fantasy, spells and other cool things, through the eyes of Boorman they are seen as unnatural and with the ability to corrupt. The shooting locations look incredibly dirty and realistic, and the creation of the world of King Arthur looks incredible. The castles look detailed, gritty, and very impressive. Costumes look just as impressive and detailed but with a dity, unglamorized look. But with all this dirt and grit there is great use of lighting. The cinematography makes the dirt and grit shine through the right use of camera angles and lighting. How Excalibur always shines with a green light on it is such a cool effect. The only problem is that this legend is so long and complex that the pacing of it all makes the movie a little awkward to watch.

We are taken into a world where the dawn of gods are dying and the rise of the one God gives His trust to men. This story is about how mankind learns to struggle with sin and corruption without the help of the gods. It is possible, but they have to learn for themselves. Though this movie be awkward and creepy as all hell, it is unique and still wonderful to watch if you thirst for something different to watch.