Merlin's Apprentice
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Movie Reviews of Merlin's Apprentice
Movie Review: Not Really a Sequel
Summary: 2 Stars
I enjoyed the original Merlin miniseries, despite the liberties taken with the Arthurian legend. It benefited greatly from Sam Neill's gentle charm and good acting as well as having a colorful and engaging supporting cast. Unfortunately, Merlin's Apprentice pretty much introduced a new cast of characters and used so little of the two characters that were kept, Merlin and the lady of the lake, that this could hardly be considered a sequel.
Putting aside the fact that this is really a production unrelated to its predecessor, there are other serious problems with the storyline. One is that the pacing is awkward. The story isn't told in a manner which engages the viewer. There is a relentless march of misery and hardship for the characters with little pay-off at the end. In fact, the ending is the equivalent of a reset button so the characters really don't do much except complain, fight, suffer, and die.
Another part of the problem is that the outcome for some of the characters is too sudden and lacks explanation. I won't put a spoiler in this review, but I will say that one character seems to take a 180 degree turn at the 11th hour. Also, the lady of the lake was a positive character in the original miniseries and suddenly she has become a villain for no reason in this one. Would it have cost so much to explain why she started out benevolent, but turned evil? The fact that there was a ripe explanation available because of the ending of the original miniseries (revenge for her sister's demise) made it all the more of a waste not to provide some sort of motive for her change in direction.
This isn't a total disaster, but it's also not very compelling. Certainly Sam Neill's and Miranda Richardson are good to see in their roles, but there isn't enough of them to make up for the shortcomings of this production.
Movie Review: Okay...
Summary: 2 Stars
but not that great. Way too much silliness for a "2nd." It didn't make very much sense and was pretty much a waste of time and money.Movie Review: It's not really bad...but not really great either.
Summary: 2 Stars
This movie doesn't really tie into Merlin at all. It's still a fun movie to watch. Plus I love the music, quite lovely really!Movie Review: Merlin's Apprentice - Trashes the Camelot Legend
Summary: 1 Stars
Any fan of the Camelot legend will be appalled by this movie. Typical of today's thinking, where everything good must be twisted into bad, this movie portrays Camelot, and everyone associated with it, as an evil which must be vanquished from the Earth..
The Lady of the Lake, a wise and benign character in the Camelot legend, is the evil sorceress in this movie - in the same manner as Queen Mab in the first movie. Indeed, the Lady of the Lake is even played by the same actress playing Queen Mab in the first movie (Miranda Richardson).
In this movie, Merlin (once again played by Sam Neill) can only be described as confused, incompetent, and even pathetic - an obvious attempt to dismiss the old (Merlin) and bring in the new (Jack). However, the portrayal of the elderly as confused and incompetent is simply insulting. Luckily for viewers, this wretched character is killed in the first half of the movie, leaving Merlin's untrained apprentice as the focal point for magic throughout the remainder of the movie.
The apprentice, Jack (played by John Reardon), a thief and rogue with few redeeming characteristics, soon learns Melin and the Lady of the Lake are his parents (a magical union) and the source of his burgeoning magic. Brianna, his masculine girlfriend (played by Meghan Ory), dressed as a man (Brian) seeking knighthood (mediaeval gender wars), is absurdly able to easily defeat much larger and much stronger men in battle.
Fairly early in the movie, Camelot is sacked and destroyed, leaving it's remaining people to flee, under the guidence of Jack, in a quest for the Holy Grail to restore Camelot. But, towards the end of the movie, everyone from Camelot is killed (very graphic violence), only to be brought back to life by the magical Holy Grail - each learning from their "mistakes" somewhere in the process. They swear to rebuild Camelot.
The movie ends with the masculine Brian (or Brianna) in Jack's arms, both heading off to spend, to quote the movie, an "auspicious night for sowing the seeds of next year's harvest."
In conclusion, this movie trashes the Camelot legend. The acting is poor. The story and script are simplistic. And one certainly hopes few will truly identify with the boorish, somewhat lowlife, characters in the movie (played so well by the seemingly analogous actors). Mixed into all this is a flood of gratuitous violence mixed with childlike humor (in a movie absolutely no child should see and most adults will want to skip), a talking pig, and other such absurd nonsense.
Movie Review: maybe it will make a good bookmark
Summary: 1 Stars
I am a huge fan of fantasy movies and am always looking for another. There never seem to be enough out there. I can hardly relate how excited I was to find what I thought was a sequal to Hallmark's Merlin.
This movie is anything but that. I could have forgiven the lack of plot connection to its predecessor, but my problems iwth it don't end there. It was gloomy pretty much all the way through, with almost no special effects (and the few there were turned out to be quite disappointing). The acting, too, was absolutely terrible. I'm usually quite forgiving when it comes to acting -- one has to be if one's into fantasy movies these days -- but the acting in this film was absolutely rediculous. Highschool actors could have done a better job! Especially the guy who played the apprentice... his acting was so hokey I just wanted to slap him.
Most importantly, however, this movie lacks the adventurous spirit and imagination of its predecessor (or of any fantasy film/miniseries that I would consider worth watching). It just drags on and on and on, nothing new happens... I kept waiting for this to get good, but it never did. Half is in the decrepit, dusty Camelot, and the other half puttering around in an ordinary, boring forest. No enchanting underworld realm (as in Merlin), no magical creatures, nothing. And the way the film is shot makes it very claustrophobic... along the lines of Excalibur (though THAT was a good movie).
From reading other reviews here, I get the idea that many others feel similarly to me. Moreover, after watching the special features, I get the impression that Sam Neil was dissapointed with the way this film turned out. I wouldn't blame him. I'd be embarassed just to be in this. For that matter, it's almost embarassing to own it. Maybe it will make a good bookmark.
This movie is so bad it almost tarnishes the earlier one.