Merlin and the Book of Beasts (2009)
In the twenty years since the fall of Camelot, Merlin has become a recluse known as "the wild man of the woods." He is now summoned by a charge of young knights as they quest to destroy an evil wizard who rules the land from a throne of a "New Camelot."
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I'll tell you why so serious
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
wow.... this movie is bad although the special effects aren't too bad for a "B" grade film the acting is disastrous, Merlin practically shouts the script at you the whole time in some weird half English half Jamaican accent, in some parts he mumbles the script like his drunk which is hilarious, the " bad" guy looks like he just came off the centre piece of vogue and all the other character members well you really don't notice them much its like the breakfast club reunion but medi-evil style everything is predictable through the entire movie, and what makes it the number one don't watch for serious viewing vote goes to the killer butterflies at the start of all things carnivorous and nasty killer butterflies, enjoy if you dare.....
This is definitely not the best "Merlin" movie ever made. Low budget it certainly is, but the movie is not terrible! James Callis is an English actor trying to replicate a Welsh accent and not very successfully. (I am Welsh so I am reasonably well qualified IMHO) Merlin would have probably been a Celtic Druid, and as the Celtic tribes occupied most of Britain and Europe until the Romans conquest, it is highly likely that most of the mythology which the Romans absorbed from the Greeks would have been incorporated into Celtic religion. They certainly absorbed several Roman gods into their daily religious practices. This would explain references to Medusa etc. I hope this explains some of the apparent plot anomalies. Getting back to the movie, I gave it 5 stars because it is watchable. It is what it is..... The sort of movie to watch if you don't want a complicated plot. I can understand US viewers having problems with the welsh accent!
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.
I won't even bore you with why this film is great. I am just here to say that I watched it with my mates tonight not expecting much and we were blown away at how it sucked us into the story. It's so well written and the acting is outstanding. How this has been poorly rated and not won any awards beats the hell out of me.The special effects for such a low budget film were amazing, we couldn't tell if they were effects or not to start with. The locations for filming were just spot on and beautifully put together shots. The mise en scène was clearly carefully looked at and just pays off like a dream.If you get the chance definitely check out this film!!