I have no excuse for liking this one. It is just plain stupid, not to mention purient. I saw this one in the theater, and when Uther Pendragon does the horizontal mambo with Igrayne while still wearing his full battle armor, half the theater was howling with laughter. It looks as stupid as it sounds. This movie's motto is, "If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing". That goes for everything from the sex, to the gran gugniol level of violence to Nicol Williamson's beyond camp portrayal of Merlin. Even the scoring doesn't escape the overdone sensibilities of the movie, liberally mixing the twin teutonic bombast of Wagner and the Carmina Burana. This overheated reworking of the Arthur legend is unaccountably populated with a who's who of they-should-have-known-betters, including Hellen Mirren, Gabriel Byrne, Katrine Boorman, Liam Neeson, Corin Redgrave, and Patrick Stewart. Yes, you can play spot-the-Trekker, but be ready for that sharp and early, or you'll miss him. I think it's the combination of talent and trainwreck that mesmerizes me whenever this one is on.
My ... God. How have I missed this one? I perused the film's IMDb entry and I'm amazed at the cast. It's as though a bunch of respectable actors decided to get drunk and act out a raunchy version of the Arthurian legend. That, alone, is worth a viewing.
You've never seen this? Seriously? Oh man, you have GOT to put this one to the top of your Netflix queue. You won't regret it. You have exactly the eye, the taste, and the mindset it would take to appreciate this movie, in all its deeply flawed glory.
I agree with you. Although most people I know love this movie. BTW "Merlin", a TV mini-series by Hallmark, is much better and very moving if you are willing to suspend...whatever...and enjoy it. It stars Sam Neill as Merlin and Miranda Richardson as the evil Queen Mab. And Martin Short as Mab's elven side-kick.
