Movie Notes: Excalibur

July 26th, 2008

= 3 stars

Starring Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicol Williamson
Directed by John Boorman

Synopsis

Merlin the wizard bestows the mystical sword Excalibur to Uthur, who places the sword’s blade in a stone — the next person to extract it shall be the King of England. Many men try in vain, until Uthur’s bastard son Arthur removes the sword, becoming King Arthur.

The Good

• Plot elements that speak on a primal level — sons of confused parentage, the sword in the stone, a knight falling in love with the queen, and weird old dude manipulating things behind the scenes. Also include western civilization touchstones: King Arthur, Merlin the magician, the round table, and the Holy Grail. The fable feels familiar yet distant, as if from a collective subconscious.
• Although most of the cast is unknown, Patrick Stewart and Hellen Mirren provide interest.
• Every scene is filmed in entertaining fashion — note the green reflections from the sword, and an odd contrast between over-the-top armor and naked flesh.

The Bad

• The plot is at times ridiculous, leading to laughable situations and dialogue. A woman wistfully observes a battle from a few yards away yet nobody attacks her, soldiers respect ancient prophecies against their personal better judgment, and the entire country falls into famine seemingly instantaneously to keep the pacing brisk. You just have to roll with it.
• I didn’t care for Merlin, sporting a chrome-dome, but his character is totally confused. At first he’s scary, but then guides Arthur like a grizzled Yoda, but is then locked in an underground chamber for the flick’s latter half.

Conclusion

I remember liking Excalibur as a kid and it actually holds up okay many years later. Just slice away all of its epic, important posturing and enjoy it as a hack-and-slash fantasy adventure. On that basic level, it delivers.

IMDB: Excalibur
Wikipedia: Excalibur
Rotten Tomatoes: Excalibur 86%