Review of Excalibur (1981) by Michael T — 25 Jun 2008
In the early 1980s there were a string of fantasy films. Most were cheesy Sword & Sorcery epics but John Boorman's EXCALIBUR took its inspiration from the legends of King Arthur, Merlin, and the sword Excalibur.
This isn't exactly Mallory's Le Morte D'Artur. It is a very stylish and entertaining film with a very good ensemble cast of British actors. Gabriel Byrne, Liam Neeson, and Patrick Stewart would go on to be fairly major stars but at this point in their careers were basically character actors.
Nicol Williamson played Sherlock Holmes in THE SEVEN PERCENT SOLUTION (1976) and is superb as Merlin, delivering the film's best performance. The film is set in a never-never version of Medieval England that did not exist; do not take any of this as real history.
It is fantasy, and very enjoyable fantasy at that.
This review of Excalibur (1981) was written by Michael T on 25 Jun 2008.
Excalibur has generally received positive reviews.
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