Arthur & Merlin

this is a very interesting movie

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source: Arthur & Merlin

This concept of the Arthur & Merlin story has a lot of potential. The film draws on the origins of the myth, however discounts a lot of actual history. Post-Roman tribal Britain is depicted rather oddly in this film, not just because costumes, hairstyles and props indicate a lack of research. Everything is a bit clean and tidy to be the dark ages. The acting is okay and a few minor cast members shine out. The script does not lend itself well to the acting and becomes an unintentional goofy comedy. The whole film is carried by the bromance between the two main stars Kirk Barker & Stefan Butler, however the viewers are left wondering where the plot is going. A considerable amount of fairly-decent VFX went into the film, however not enough to remove cars and Victorian buildings from the background of some shots. The lack of believability is a big let down and those watching the film should not take it too seriously. Not sure about IMDb information saying this film was made for $3m as the film's website and numerous articles state the project was made for £200,000. Shot on an Arri camera, Arthur & Merlin has the image quality of a large budget movie, however fails to deliver real quality overall and definitely not a project where £3m would be invested. It seems as though the Director & Producer are more concerned with profit rather than creating a watchable genuine film.

I really enjoyed this film, saw the craft and passion that went into making it. It's an indie that was made with very limited funds and still manages to look epic. In this tale, Arthur and Merlin meet as children and their fates are merged then and there. As adults they must combine forces to take down an evil druid. If this film had been made by a Hollywood studio, it would have easily cost 25-50 million. This film was made with 1% of that - the result is a beautiful looking feature that sometimes has a LOTR sweep and sometimes feels like a made for TV family film. I watched it with my kids and they enjoyed it. While none of the actors stood out for me, I have a feeling that the director and the writers will go on to give us bigger and bolder films.

A chosen one bestowed with what seems to be an impossible mission is rich fodder for any storyteller. This fertile premise has proved successful many times over and has stood the test of time with unforgettable protagonists such as Moses, Jesus, Anakin Skywalker, Frodo and Harry Potter coming to mind (quite a mixed bag there). And now Arthur and Merlin can be added to this illustrious list thanks to the imagination of Marco Van Belle, et al., and their fresh re-imaging of the Arthur and Merlin story. Production qualities are up there with 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Game of Thrones,' and what they've achieved for new film- makers is commendable. This is a fantasy feature worth watching for any and all ages.

So, according to a few IMDb 'user reviews' of this film, it's simply awful because it's filmed in the UK and doesn't have any actors the reviewers recognise… let's just applaud the Americans, who apparently always make brilliant films, and get on with a honest review: This film IS low budget but that doesn't mean low quality. It is an accomplished piece of film making and it succeeds in telling the origins of a well known story (Arthur and Merlin) in a new way… if you want to be entertained along with your kids then you can do a lot worse than watching Arthur & Merlin… and if you want to do worse please check out the films from American producers like The Asylum.

This movie feels very much like something college students would put together, the acting isn't believable, and the story is a poor adaption. So many things they could of done if they had the creativity or ambition. Still managed to get through the 1 hour and 50 minutes, but i wouldn't recommend this to others. I understand that people want to support these independent films but they should still be honest. You don't need millions of dollars to make a creative or interesting movie. Stop trying to be a big Hollywood action movie! I did enjoy some of the locations, and not all of the acting was terrible (most of it was) but the casting was awful. P.S. I am a big fan of king Arthur and merlin and i still didn't enjoy this movie.

Brilliant little film. Held my attention the whole way through - which is rare for me. I'll definitely be watching this movie again at Christmas as it's a safe bet for an entertaining movie for the whole family. I wasn't expecting there to be so much humour! The story was completely new, it wasn't predictable which you might expect from something about Arthur and Merlin and I guess this is what made it a compelling watch. I'll definitely keep an eye out for whatever the two actors are in next, surprised I hadn't seen them in anything before, that's how good they were. The battle scenes are good. The acting's good. Even the special effects are good. Nothing to complain about!