TheLittleSongbird I was expecting little from Merlin and the Book of Beasts in the first place, but you always do get that hope that it is at least watchable. Apart from some lovely locations, and a rousing and sometimes sparkling soundtrack, Merlin and the Book of Beasts is a disaster on all levels. The acting feels very stilted, nobody looks properly comfortable and a fair number overact. James Callis especially is so bad that you actually wonder why he was cast in the first place. The characters are underwritten and never likable too, while the effects are amateurish and the camera work is often haphazard. The sword and sorcery elements are clumsily choreographed and the story is constantly dull and the Greek mythology elements with the Gorgons are ridiculously out of place in a film about the Arthurian legend, further proof that the Sci-Fi channel don't do their research properly before producing their films. In conclusion, not worth bothering with. 2/10 Bethany Cox

Tyrssen-282-277645 First of all, this is NOT a re-telling of the Arthurian legend. Set in a later time, when the knights' children are grown, this is a fantasy piece that merrily mixes a lot of different sources, with little regard to historical or mythological accuracy. Nor does it matter; it's jolly good fun.Unfortunately, it suffers from bad sound; James Callis remains largely mumbling and unintelligible throughout. A pity, since we know from "Battlestar Galactica" that he has an excellent voice and good delivery. I can only conclude that the grumbling and mumbling were his choice, and the poor recording makes it even worse. Apart from that, it's one of the best of Sci-Fi's "made for TV" movies. Special effects are several cuts above average, which is a breath of fresh air in such pieces.

corey-cwarrior I think they tried to make Merlin look like Jesus in this movie in hopes of redeeming their own souls for creating something so beautiful and terribly foul. I have composed a small list of why you should/should not watch this film. Who am I to say what tickles your fancy…1. The most ridiculous writing/acting paired with epically dramatic music to really push it to a level of nonsensicalness I wasn't sure could be possible. 2. Merlin sounds like someone who has inhaled a lot of exhaust fumes and looks like Jesus. His acting in this movie reminded me of the heartfelt and emotional acting Arnold did in Terminator. 3. The princess receives the legendary Excalibur sword not from the Lady in the Lake…but from the sword in the stone in the middle of lake After battling a clone of herself. Huh…? (It was a very Zelda: Ocarina of Time moment)Finally the director had a shimmer of hope - a decent looking girl in the middle of lake, wearing a white shirt battling her clone in hand-to-hand combat. That's how memories are made! Hormone driven teens everywhere were on the edges of their seats with their fingers poised over the pause button. But no joy on that one…fail. 4. FLY…FLY…FLYYYYYY!!!!! (When you see this, think Fear and Loathing and I believe you will enjoy that insane close up of our diabolical villains face) And what did he summon from the evil depths of hell?! BLACK Dragons?! Demon HELL bats?! Those creeper wraith guys from Harry Potter?! No, instead he summons Eagles…EAGLES! PUHLEEASSEEE!!! Everyone knows eagles are not for bad guys to use. I will give you two reasons why; first of all, Gandalf uses eagles in Lord of the Rings and obviously he was a good guy. Secondly, America. If you are a bad guy and you try to use and eagle for gain, as soon as you summon it, it will find an American flag, burst through it and rip your face off. I've seen it a million times. 5. Try to think of something that wouldn't belong in a movie about Merlin and the Knight of the Round. Did you think of gorgons? You know, Medusa? Well if you did good on you, if you didn't welcome to the club. If you enjoy suffering through B-Movies as much as I do, then sit on down and kiss a piece of your life goodbye. If however, you were hoping to see a really good movie about Merlin then you should steer clear.

bigsumo1967 Compared to the likes of High Plains Invaders and Beyond Loch Ness, this is high art. As I write this I am sitting through this for the second time. Watching the Snooker on streaming video so the Mrs found this on Syfy HD. As aficionados of the whole Arthurian mythos and having just had a trip to Broceliande in Brittany, we were happy to watch this again. As a detour from the conventional myth it is o.k. James Callis' performance is pretty good, and whilst it does not carry the whole movie it is worth the effort of watching. Some of the acting is a little wooden but compared to say Kim Cattrall in, well everything she has ever done, Laura Harris gives an adequate turn. As for the comments on the threads and previous reviews regarding her hair, the poor props, sets etc. bear in mind that this was produced for the cost of the catering budget on Battlestar. Accept that this was made for a genre TV station on a shoestring budget and limited release, and willingly suspend your disbelief, you might actually enjoy it.