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jordanschmuhl
Reviews
Merlin (1998)
Has it Been 25 Years Already?
Even though it's just a made-for-TV mini series, this is one of the rare instances where everything synthesizes perfectly. The art direction, screenplay, pacing, music and even down to the comic relief with Martin Short all just make this picture super watchable and enjoyable. It has just the right amount of action & violence so it's not boring, but it's not inordinately gory like Game of Thrones. It really is a good-for-all-ages film. It's my personal favorite, and in my opinion (besides Monty Python and the Holy Grail) the greatest Arthurian screen adaptation ever. Steve Barron truly crafted a memorable piece of cinema here.
Gawain and the Green Knight (1991)
Better than Stephen Weeks and David Lowery
Several screen adaptations of Gawain & the Green Knight exist, and out of the one's I've seen, this one comes out on top. The theatrically released films "Sword of the Valiant" (1984) and "The Green Knight" (2021) attempt to adapt the medieval poem, but both deviate from the original tale's story too much. Plus the production value for "Sword of the Valiant" makes me cringe.
The pacing for this version feels a little slow, but it's not boring ... and although I wouldn't expect it to win an award for best adapted screenplay, it definitely gets an A+ for remaining faithful to the source material.