John Boorman's 1981 classic Excalibur is an adult, exciting, violent, romantic and superb look at the King Arthur legend.
About as far from the musical "Camelot" as you can imagine, EXCALIBUR tells the back story of Arthur's father, who loses nearly everything to lust under the frustrated watch of Merlin.
Nicol Williamson is nothing short of fantastic as Merlin, bringing a lot of humor and power to the role as he guides generations to power.
Nigel Terry is a great Arthur, born to be king and nearly destroyed by his queen Guenevere's romance with the best knight at the round table, Lancelot.
A young Helen Mirren is her usual excellent self as Arthur's half sister Morgana, who lives to destroy his kingdom.
The screenplay by director Boorman and Rospo Pallenburg is filled wth classic moments and brilliant dialogue, including some of my all time favorite lines as Arthur sees Guenevere again after many years.
At over 2 hours, the film never lags, spinning a very different look at a legendary story. The photography, costumes, music and acting are all top notch. Look for Patrick Stewart and Liam Neeson in early, fairly large roles.
This is my favorite Boorman film, with just enough of the weird and offbeat style he brought to "Zardoz" and visual storytelling he brought to "Deliverance" in the perfect repackaging of the legend.
A superb film that holds up beautifully and gets an A+, landing as an enjoyable entry in my all time Top 100 films.
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