Rent Excalibur (1981)

Adult Oriented Fantasy and Absolutely Brilliant - Excalibur review by GI

With ambition to make a film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings director John Boorman had to resort to the next best thing and tell the tale of the great English myth of King Arthur. The influence of Tolkien can be seen throughout this tale of illicit sex, bloody battles and dark magic and consequently a modern audience that loves Game of Thrones and the like will love this. All the old familiar legendary tales of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are here but presented with an eye for an adult audience. So you'll find the pulling of Excalibur from the stone, Merlin the Magician, Sir Lancelot and the quest for the Holy Grail all wrapped up in a paganistic fantasy film that has great visuals, a stunning soundtrack and an epic structure. Boorman chose to use mostly unknown actors many of whom are now big stars such as Liam Neeson, Patrick Stewart and Helen Mirren. At the time only Nicol Williamson as Merlin was really well known (a fantastic actor and often sadly forgotten today). The story begins with Uther Pendragon (Gabriel Byrne) given the magical sword Excalibur by Merlin so he can win the kingdom but lust for his enemy's wife ends in his death and Excalibur set in a rock awaiting the next king. This turns out to be a young squire Arthur (Nigel Terry) who unites the kingdom after many battles, marries and all is well until his devious and evil half sister Morgana (Mirren) plots to destroy everything Arthur has achieved. This is all stirring stuff with very bloody battles, incestuous sex and disturbing scenes of death and black magic. It's a great film, shot in Ireland and capturing the mysticism of stone circles and ancient history in the verdant landscape. A magical film that is ripe for rediscovery now that fantasy cinema is at last being taken very seriously.

Sword, Sex, Sorcery… and a Bit of a Fog - Excalibur review by griggs

I spent half this film thinking, fair play for even attempting it, and the other half wondering who exactly I was meant to care about. Boorman does not go for a tidy version of the Arthurian legend. He wants Merlin, Uther, Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere, Morgana, the Grail, sex, betrayal, magic, doom, the lot. It’s wildly ambitious and slightly cracked.

I know Nicol Williamson’s Merlin is not everyone’s cup of tea, but he worked for me. The silver skull-cap helps, obviously, but so does the performance. He gives Merlin a sly, menacing edge, like he knows the whole thing could collapse into grand fantasy nonsense the second he stops glaring at it. Helen Mirren is excellent as Morgana. It’s also fun spotting Gabriel Byrne, Liam Neeson and Patrick Stewart before they became, well, Gabriel Byrne, Liam Neeson and Patrick Stewart.

My main issue is that Excalibur never quite has the weight it needs. For a film about myth and destiny, it often feels strangely insubstantial. Everyone is royal, magical or fated, and you rarely get much sense of the ordinary world underneath. There are flashes of proper medieval weirdness, though, and I loved the hellmouth sequence.

It is messy, overblown, damp, daft and sometimes genuinely stirring. It does not fully come together, but it has real nerve. I would still take this kind of noble muddle over something slick and dead-eyed.