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- 2008
- TV-PG
- BBC-1
- 2008
- TV-PG
- BBC-1
Summary Putting a new spin on the story of the infamous sorcerer Merlin, this BBC series shows the dramatic outcomes of living in a time of myth and magic. Set in the Kingdom of Camelot, the story follows young Merlin's dangerous journey as he, a young prince Arthur and other characters come face to face with legendary and fantastical characte...
- 2008
- TV-PG
- BBC-1
- 2008
- TV-PG
- BBC-1
Merlin
5 Seasons
Season 1 Premiere: Sep 20, 2008
57
7.9
Where to Watch
Summary Putting a new spin on the story of the infamous sorcerer Merlin, this BBC series shows the dramatic outcomes of living in a time of myth and magic. Set in the Kingdom of Camelot, the story follows young Merlin's dangerous journey as he, a young prince Arthur and other characters come face to face with legendary and fantastical characte...
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 17 Critic Reviews
57
53% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
35% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
12% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 17 Critic Reviews
57
53% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
35% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
12% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Cheesy? Sure. But there's enough sword-clanging Action--not to mention homoerotic tension--to keep viewers happily entertained for a spell.
For those new to the legend, this is a fresh, and delightfully color-blind, approach to the tale.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 259 User Ratings
7.9
85% Positive
219 Ratings
219 Ratings
6% Mixed
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
10% Negative
25 Ratings
25 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 259 User Ratings
7.9
85% Positive
219 Ratings
219 Ratings
6% Mixed
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
10% Negative
25 Ratings
25 Ratings
I never seen lıke thıs movie ı love you merlın (the king is dead lıve long quen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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This version of King Arthur follows the young warlock Merlin and his plight to ensure Prince Arthur becomes King of Camelot. This show is better than it deserved to be due to the story that was very well written and drives Merlin to be a surprise show that keeps improving each season. This is despite a very low budget that led to very bad CG props, and action sequences. The casting was good all the actors fit who they should have been, none will win best actor for any of these performances, but it was good enough for this type of TV show. If you stay with it beyond the first few episodes you will be pleasantly surprised.
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The series' tone has gotten a little grim over time, but there's still sudsy fun in its Xena-style fantasy mayhem (giant scorpions! evil witches!) and the leads' high-camp banter.
Even with its quirky charm, though, the show's formula begins to wear thin.
It's just that Merlin is clearly shopping for tricks in the bargain bin, and like the song says, the new Camelot's shining moments are all too brief, indeed.
The middling show plays too much like “The O.C.’’ with swords, crowns, and a cheesy CGI dragon (voiced by John Hurt).
Merlin looks, well, typically British with shoddy production values. Worse, it tells dull stories.
Apparently, this show was supposed to be in DTS but Nut flicks decided to only provide stereo. (Canada) The first two seasons accomplished some excellant story telling with a modest budget. However, the last 3 seasons suffered greatly from writing shortcomings. The endless MORGANA MORGANA MORGANA storylines became soooo boring, repetitive and just plain insulting to the audiences intelligence. The number of times that they had the opportunity to be done with this two dimensional character and inexplicably failed to do so was a continuous source of anger for those of us hungry for the storyline to get out of the endless Morgana story arc. She was not even a convincing villain, the extent of her acting range was to give exaggerated stink eyes to the camera not to mention the banal evil grins and glares .. oh! Pah leese! Did the actress win some kind of lawsuit that obliged the series to keep her as the villain? There were so many bad guys that would have made a much more entertaining and worthy villain than a spoiled brat who had to hide her magic and now thinks that she is owed everything. YAAAAWN! Three seasons of a brat taking hissy fits was not worth the ending. It is a true pity because the writing in the first two seasons held so much promise.
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Good show all in all, except for the end.
If you want to keep it in good memory I advise not to watch the last season.
Acting: Amazingly good. You also see a lot of actors who later played in Game of Thrones.
But there are some blatant exceptions, who really cant act. They are rare, but funnily they all have something in common: They have been cast because of their skin color, not because of their talent.
Story: Amazing again. It looks childish at the beginning, but gets really good and interesting. You just want to see the end. Yet the end was completely messed up. Tragic, really.
Characters: All well written and loveable, except the already mentioned exceptions. The relationship between Merlin and Arthur is just hilarious and even drives you some tears into your eyes from time to time.
Authenticity: Bad. Really bad. You can forgive that Camelot looks like an Utopia, since its portrayed like that in the original story too, but theres a lot of issues with weapons, armor, everyday life, and of course people with dark skin color, who of course didnt exist in that time and age in Britain. Even normal people on the streets are portrayed as PoC. It always breaks immersion, even more so than seeing antennas on the roof of the Camelot citadel or plastic foam behind shields...
If you like Arthurs legend, then you have to watch this. But you have to bring some tolerance due to authenticity issues and the bad ending. Again, I would advise not to watch the last season. Season 5 also shows some logic problems and throws away things that were established in the other seasons.
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Production Company:
- Shine
- BBC Wales
Initial Release Date: Sep 20, 2008
Number of seasons: 5 Seasons
Rating: TV-PG
Awards
Monte-Carlo TV Festival
• 7 Nominations
TV Quick Awards, UK
• 1 Win & 6 Nominations
BAFTA Awards
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
