Excalibur (1981)
Average Rating: 7.1/10
Reviews Counted: 31
Fresh: 25 | Rotten: 6
John Boorman's operatic, opulent take on the legend of King Arthur is visually remarkable, and features strong performances from an all-star lineup of British thespians.
Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 4
Fresh: 1 | Rotten: 3
John Boorman's operatic, opulent take on the legend of King Arthur is visually remarkable, and features strong performances from an all-star lineup of British thespians.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 49,132
Movie Info
John Boorman directed this gloriously savage interpretation of Arthurian legend loosely based on Thomas Malory's novel Le Morte d'Arthur. By turns gleaming and filthy, tender and bloody, the film is a visually stunning epic which is never less than compelling. Nigel Terry is perfectly cast as Arthur, whose unwavering trust and faith are shown to be both quietly heroic and achingly naïve. Interestingly, the quest for the Grail is the least effective part of the film, despite bold cinematography
Apr 10, 1981 Wide
Sep 21, 1999
Warner Bros. Pictures
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Cast
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Nigel Terry
King Arthur -
Nicol Williamson
Merlin -
Nicholas Clay
Lancelot -
Helen Mirren
Morgana -
Cherie Lunghi
Guenevere -
Paul Geoffrey
Perceval -
Robert Addie
Mordred -
Gabriel Byrne
Uther -
Keith Buckley
Uryens -
Katrine Boorman
Igrayne -
Liam Neeson
Gawain -
Corin Redgrave
Cornwall -
Charley Boorman
Boy Mordred -
Brid Brennan
Lady in Waiting -
Barbara Byrne
Young Morgana -
Ciarán Hinds
Lot -
Eamon A. Kelly
Abbot -
Niall O'Brien
Kay -
Liam O'Callaghan
Sadok -
Patrick Stewart
Leondegrance -
Clive Swift
Ector -
Garrett Keogh
Mador -
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All Critics (31) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (25) | Rotten (6) | DVD (24)
Exquisite, a near-perfect blend of action, romance, fantasy and philosophy, finely acted and beautifully filmed by director John Boorman and cinematographer Alex Thomson.
Top CriticFor all its audacity, a misguided folly.
What a wondrous vision Excalibur is! And what a mess.
Mr. Boorman takes these myths very seriously, but he has used them with a pretentiousness that obscures his vision.
Remains the definitive big screen telling of the Arthurian legend.
a work of hideous myopathy
Excalibur is both sober and laughable.
John Boorman's magnificent and magical Excalibur is, to my mind, the greatest and the richest of screen incarnation of the oft-told tale.
Epic King Arthur saga with illicit affairs and brutality.
One of my favorite films of its year, and far and away my favorite of this type of film. (And, yes, I include Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films in that assessment.)
...romantic and brutal, lyrically beautiful yet grittily realistic.
It's like an excruciating Renaissance festival in a drug fog.
Visually striking.
So far the most honest and most powerful on-screen depiction of the ancient and universal legend.
Boorman picks through the murky haystack of Arthurian legend and finds a golden needle
Beautiful rendition of King Arthur milieu by the master filmmaker John Boorman.
A darkly grand and gothic look at the Arthurian legends. One of Boorman's (several) masterworks.
English film director John Boorman's stunning and spellbinding dramatization of the Arthurian myth.
Ambitious and soaring... [but] there isn't much beyond the show
...one of those great miracles in filmmaking... It's concept of Arthur and the landscape that surrounds him is a benchmark for fantasy as we know it.
Audience Reviews for Excalibur
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Super Reviewer
Movies Like Excalibur
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- King Arthur: Excalibur, I call on your power.
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- Perceval: The king and the land are one.
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- Merlin: Ride! Your lust will hold you up!
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- Merlin: A dream to some.......a nightmare to others!
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- Uther: You don't understand... you not a man. Use the magic. Do it!
Discussion Forum
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Latest News on Excalibur
January 25, 2012:
Nicol Williamson: 1938-2011The "Excalibur" actor's family has announced his December 16 death of esophageal cancer.
March 5, 2010:
Guy Ritchie Heading for Warren Ellis' Excalibur?It looks like there could be two "Excalibur" movies in the works -- and one of them will be written...
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