A review by Mike Shea Movie Rating: ( * * * * * ) DVD Rating: ( * * * * · )
This movie, Time Bandits and Conan the Barbarian were my three favorite movies for a long long time. Recently I was able to watch all three of these movies again and boy, I had good taste even back then ;-) Excalibur is a film that traverses the entire range of king arthur legends. We are taken along a ride from the leadership of Uther, the sword in the stone, the rise of the round table, the betrayel of Lancelot, the terror of Mordred, and the endless travels of Merlin. The great thing about this movie is the lack of any restraint. It shows this tale without any restraint of sex and violence. This gives the movie a much harder edge than the story is normally given and it works perfectly. So much happens in this movie that you are left feeling as if you heard a tale much longer than the two hours you sat through. The DVD has a slightly washed out 16x9 enhanced 1.85 to 1 video transfer and a somewhat muddy 5.1 dolby digital audio track which kept this one at a 4. It also contains a directors commentary. Overall, a timeless legend and a wonderful movie.