sum1

Come on, people, we need discussion here!

Mergana

The Merlin miniseries with Helena Bonham Carter was on TV yesterday. Any meta about it?

sum1

See my review on it in the first post of this thread.

Mergana

I didn't watch much of it, but I agree with you. Morgan and the rest of the evil characters come off as caricatures (even worse than Merlin if possible) but I really like Guinevere and Merlin. Also I was very surprised to see Sebastian Roche there.

sum1

Sebastian Roche is good and I liked that it was a largely positive portrayal of Gawain. I thought Sam Neil was good as Merlin, but I wasn't so thrilled with the actor playing the young Merlin. Guinevere is played by Lena Headey who plays Cersei in Game of Thrones. She's always good. She's one of the best choices for Guinevere, but they didn't give her much to do. I found Quen Mab to be an utter pain. I can't stand the way she talks. And the way they defeated her in the end was totally juvenile. The film has something to it, but it also has considerable seriously lame elements. Cheryl can't stand it, I think.

Mergana

Didn't watch the whole thing, but Queen Mab and the rest of the villains were really annoying. I didn't really get if Guinevere married Arthur or Lancelot.

sum1

She married Arthur but ran off with Lancelot.

Mergana

Surprising.

sum1

To Arthur.

Mergana

I'm sure he wasn't pleased.

sum1

No, I guess not.

malaguetta

I felt sorry for Sam Neill. Okay, the check cleared and he's a working actor. I've always felt that he's somewhat underrated as an actor; he's always good. Still, he came off better than Helena Bonham Carter. What was that mess of Morgan le Fay she got to play. She deserved better. Lena Headey was a really well-cast Guinevere -- I wished she'd had more to do. Like HBC, she was all dressed up with no real part to play. I have liked Martin Short -- except not in this. Miranda Richardson (Queen Mab) can be an effective dramatic actress (Tom and Viv); I'd say she was miscast but no one deserved that part. This was so bad the next best character after Merlin was Rupert the talking horse!!!

sum1

Have you seen Sam Neill in the first season of The Tudors? He's really brilliant there. He plays Wolsey. I thought he was good as Merlin. It's just the film wasn't great. Not that it was his best work. I do think there were better characters than the horse. Rutger Hauer was entertaining as Vortigern. The old woman who looked after the young Merlin was good. I can't remember her name or the name of the respected English actress who played her. Sebastian Roche was good as Gawain. Their Arthur was TERRIBLE, though. Prissy wimp. Not remotely a kingly figure. Lancelot wasn't bad. Uther was pretty bad. Igraine was incredibly beautiful. Miranda Richardson's Mab was a piece of the worst hamming and annoyed the crap out of me. WHY did she have to talk like that? Their Morgana was a totally screwed up excuse for a character, all her glory stolen by Mab. And wtf was Martin Short supposed to be doing anyway?

malaguetta

Granted, "This was so bad the next best character after Merlin was Rupert the talking horse!!!" The whole misbegotten mess was just wrong. *shudder* There were some talented actors involved -- but Rupert seemed to get more screen time and/or better dialogue than they did.

Yes, I did see Sam Neill as Cardinal Wolsey in The Tudors. His performance was wonderfully subtle and complex. You may not of liked Wolsey, but you understood his justifications.

sum1

Wonderfully subtle and complex is a good description. I love that show.

As for the whole misbegotten mess being wrong, well, I can see that, there being too much silliness and bad casting, but I generally feel something can be salvaged from the mess nonetheless. I has SOME merits. After all, the standard for Arthurian films is not very high. 1967 Camelot was a very good movie, but Excalibur is only a good movie if looked at the right way (otherwise it's atrocious movie), and those are the best two Arthurian movies.