Jim Henson's Creature Shop helps bring the story to life with dragons, pixies, and griffins. Effects are high quaily and the landscape is stunning!

The story itself is entertaining with new idea's and enterpritations of the classic story of Merlin, Avalon, and Camalot.

This DVD presents the story in two parts and has extra fetures such as Making of Merlin, The Legend of Merlin, Production Notes, and Cast & Crew Biographies.

For fans of Merlin I also recommend Mists of Avalon.


Quests and dysfunctional families   May 17, 2005
 4 out of 8 found this review helpful

There are 4 stories in this film: Christianity becoming the dominant religion in Britain, the messed up family relationships in Merlin's and King Arthur's families, Merlin's quest to find a just ruler and how the former three strands create the Arthurian legend.

The two films on the DVD which play back-to-back. In the first one Queen Mab, a Goddess of the Druids, realises that the coming of Christianity means that she will die as she needs believers to live. To ensure her survival she gives one of her followers a child. That child is Merlin.

His mother dies in childbirth and Queen Mab makes arrangements for Merlin to learn magic from her at her palace. However, Merlin decides that magic is not going to be his way and that sets him on a course against Mab. Merlin also grows to prominence in the war-torn land and does his best to see that justice is done (not always succeeding).

The first DVD ends with the birth of King Arthur.

In the second film, we see King Arthur take on his role and Merlin continuing his quest. Morgan le Fey decides to oppose King Arthur for what she sees as the injustice heaped on her family and what she sees as the answer to her own plight.

Another subplot is about the woman Merlin loves and their relationship.

In short it's an epic adventure in the old tradition but is probably not that close to the legend. It's also about trying to do the right thing when you're not sure who you can trust to do it.


Merlin- the rise and rise of   February 16, 2005
 4 out of 5 found this review helpful

I watched Merlin ages ago when I was seven on a bored Winters night in London. I watched it and I was intrigued how Miranda Richardson kept the voice for so long, honestly 'I have come to a great decision' 'oh, you've finally decided to get some tunes, then'. Really good film. Honestly. Loads of magic, brings out the inner child in you. Fantastic actors, was such a good film, I can't praise it enough. You have to buy it. It is one of those films that you never hear of but it is so good when you see it, like Rocky Horror Picture Show!


Masterpiece   September 2, 2004
 3 out of 5 found this review helpful

I had watched Merlin long time ago, and I watched it again before some days. It is a masterpiece. Everything, acting (specially Frik), Special Effects, music..... everything.