Sadly Over-hyped

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

I agree with another reviewer that this version of the time of the Pendragon's will most likely only appeal to lovers of that Story and/or Dragon lovers. If the viewer is looking for something from a high budget level, they unlikely will be pleased with this movie. I love it. My husband for instance would find it "cheesy" and not want to watch. I love the title of the review that says it's perfect for a Saturday morning. This version is a campy low budget film. It deserves credit for how well they actually have completed it. The dialogue is extremely limited though. I'd say it's a great version for a 5th or 6th grader to get an idea of the story of Merlin, Camelot and the Pendragon's. There are many versions of the story. The TV show of Merlin is fun too.

To be honest, I was expecting Merlin and the War of the Dragons to be bad. When I did see it with an open mind and no actual idea of how it actually would be like, I was actually rather mixed on it. I don't think it is ever going to be one of my favourite movies and I don't think it is the best thing since sliced bread either. However, I do not think it is as bad as the rating and some of the negative commentators say. By all means I can definitely see why one would dislike Merlin and the War of the Beasts, but considering how many other low-budget movies I've seen that were far worse than this one I personally do not think it was that bad, and wouldn't ever say things like "you have no idea what a good movie is" or "you have to be a shill to enjoy it".Are there flaws? I do think so. The camera work is static at times, especially in the fight sequences which were not all that compelling and somewhat incoherent. The costumes and props are on the cheesy side and do look too clean. The dialogue does have a crassness to it, and some of the acting does show signs of inexperience- I personally was not convinced by Simon Lloyd Roberts but maybe that's just me- making the characters somewhat stiff(which sadly doesn't make up for their rather clichéd personalities). The music is not so bad, there are some nice fantasy-like parts, but at the same time it is not amazing either coming across in places as overblown.However, I did like the idea of the story, and while there is some filler that could have been cut and there are few surprises there are some exciting moments and I wouldn't call it dull either. The locations are stunning and I loved the horses and the way they were ridden also. The effects compared to other films I've seen are not bad either, the dragon looks reasonably good actually. There are some decent performances as well, with Dylan Jones faring best. Jurgen Prochnow seems to be having fun as the Mage and Carys Eleri and Nia Ann are lovely without being just that. In conclusion, not awful but at the same time not great either, if anything I'm in between on this one. 5/10 Bethany Cox

I find it hard to believe this movie was made in 2008. It has horrible acting, and even worse special effects. The graphics were terrible. It was a decent story-line if you want to go along with the myth behind the Arthur story rather than the historical record we see in the 2004 movie King Arthur. Granted, there is the typical myth behind Arthur with Merlin "the wizard" and the Lady of the Lake, but I think that the actual historical Arthur is a better story than the myth, because it actually happened, rather than making up a bunch of things to embellish it. Anyway, the story was OK, but the scenes especially with the dragons were ridiculous. I could photoshop a dragon that looks more realistic than those did. And why wasn't there any blood on their swords when they killed people? The costumes need a lot of work as well.

The year is 420 AD. The Romans are gone from Britain and the locals have been left to the ravages of the Saxons and fire breathing dragons. A young Merlin must over come various threats and challenges to help Uther defeat the Saxons. Swords, ladies of the lake, ruined castles, peasants in coarse home spun garments. You get the picture. I thought the movie tried, but there were the obvious things like non- bloody swords, remarkable clean clothes and the tiniest British army in history that have been pointed out by other reviewers.My biggest problem and the biggest unintentional laugh that I got occurred when the Mage is being attacked by the evil Verdiger. Watch the background carefully after the Mage has been shot with a crossbow bolt and is confronted by Verdiger. In that background is a lovely little cannon! Let me repeat the year is supposed to be 420 AD. I'm pretty sure the Brits wouldn't get their hands on cannons for another 800 or 900 years. I felt a little sorry for Jurgen Prochnow, but maybe he needed the money. Four stars