Leofwine_draca
ARTHUR & MERLIN is an indie-budget retelling of the Arthurian legends, in which the heroic Arthur and Merlin must join forces to tackle an evil druid and King Voltigern. What I can say in this film's favour is that it's actually set in the Dark Ages unlike most Arthurian retellings, so it looks good; the costumes and wooden huts all have that air of authenticity to them. Unfortunately the film itself is clumsily plotted and quite boring, lacking the most basic elements of structure and narrative to make it remotely watchable. The cast give bored performances, there's no attempted characterisation, and the story just drags and drags.
florencealison
It's very worrying that such a dreadful, completely awful film has been given decent reviews. I can only imagine that people associated with this feeble production or relatives of the actors have been busy giving it good publicity. It's a slow moving take on the Arthurian legend, clumsily filmed and badly acted. I am trying to be kind, but as others have said, the scenery is the films best feature. It really is painfully bad. The people from the dark ages are clean, some have modern haircuts, the Wench's make up is full on, complete with false eyelashes, lipstick, highlighted hair and curls straight from her heated tongs. The new wicker fences surrounding the pathways are a dead giveaway that this is a low budget film. Add appalling acting, grimaces and gruff voices trying to convey urgency or danger, accompanied by a dreadful score and you have what amounts to an hilarious parody of the genre. It really is bad. There are no special effects, no magic, no mystery, nothing. This is a very poor man's attempt (think poorer than a Big Issue seller) at a Lord of the Rings type film. You'd be hard pressed to know it was about Merlin and Arthur. The people writing favourable reviews must have seen a different film. This really is very poor. There is nothing to recommend it. However, if you need a 'bad film yardstick' this is the one to watch.
alfredgd
This low-budget, independent fantasy epic is without a doubt one of the greatest films ever made. The story has been adapted from Celtic legend, and retains all the excitement and intrigue in the original lore. It follows hero Arthfael (Baker) and wizard Myrrdin (Butler) on their quest to bring down the evil Aberthol (Cooke). Safe to say, their journey is not entirely plain sailing, but Baker conquers all problems with the gravitas of the legendary hero he is playing. For a low-budget flick, some of the cinematic work is marvellous, although they were certainly helped by some gorgeous filming locations. Alongside the aforementioned Baker, the acting highlight came from Barbara Dabson as Young Ward. She had a small amount of film time, but I can certainly see a great future for the young actress. Overall, a brilliant film of which all involved should be proud.
LittleFerdinand
Thought I'd give it a go a few days before Once Upon a Time Season 5 airs since I'm all hyped up about Camelot. Just so you know, Camelot isn't all about knighthood and round tables small counsel meetings. I would recommend you this Brit indie film, but be warned its of low budget and there's not much CGI in case you're wondering. As for the film, I thoroughly enjoyed it! But it was atmospheric and well shot, just like any blockbuster film you see nowadays. The image richness is quite striking and geez... who knew, it turned out to be an impressive little gem :) I have never seen this cast, but the lead roles were well cast. Scenes in the woods are all beautifully shot. Intensive CGI scenes, like in the ending were handled better than expected. I was really excited when I heard that Once Upon a Time has mashed up two great English characters from an old legend! So what are you waiting for go grab a copy from your DVD stores and know more about the duo!
AD
