Merlin
1998
Original language: English
- sci-fi & fantasy
- action & adventure
- family
The story
The legendary wizard Merlin sets out to raise young Arthur as true and noble, hoping to bring peace and harmony to the land, but reckons without scheming Queen Mab's interference and her influence on Morgan Le Fey.
What it’s like
Broad, storybook widescreen: sweeping green hills, stone keeps against grey skies, and candlelit halls full of rich velvet and fur. The palette leans on earthy greens, deep blues and warm firelight, with bright sunlit fields for the open-air scenes and shadowy interiors for the scheming. Sam Neill's Merlin brings a dry, wry warmth, and the sound is full orchestral fantasy score with swelling horns and soft harp under quiet passages. The pace is unhurried for long stretches, with grand set pieces, banquets and quiet conversations by the hearth, broken up by sword fights and sudden menace. Its mood is earnest and old-fashioned, a warm adventure with a touch of wistful melancholy, best suited to a long weekend afternoon or a comfortable evening with the family. Violence is present but restrained: swordplay, battle skirmishes and a few tense ambushes, with little gore. Magic brings spectacle rather than horror, and the scheming Queen is more sly than frightening. It suits viewers who want a classic Arthurian world of honour, sorcery and coming-of-age, delivered with gentle, mostly family-friendly intensity.
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