Starring: Sam Neill, John Reardon, Miranda Richardson, Christopher Jacot, Meghan Ory Directed By: David Wu Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: DVD Format: Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC Label: Platinum Disc Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: March 14, 2006 Running Time: 185 minutes Theatrical Release Date: 2006
Amazon.com: A fanciful sequel to the successful 1998 miniseries Merlin, this 2005 multi-part series benefits greatly from Sam Neill's return performance as the legendary wizard. Taking place some 50 years after the first film, Merlin's Apprentice partners the magician with a young thief with untapped magic powers of his own (engaging Canadian actor John Reardon) in a quest to recover the lost Holy Grail, which holds the key to Camelot's protection and survival. Miranda Richardson, who enlivened the '98 production as the ferocious Queen Mab, also returns to provide some necessary drama as the Lady in the Lake. Solid production values (bolstered by the lovely Vancouver locations), confident direction by Hong Kong veteran David Wu (Bride with White Hair 2), and an abundance of fantasy-action make this a worthwhile adventure for fans of the first miniseries and sword-and-sorcery features in general. --Paul Gaita
merlin apprentence this movie was a disappointment really. I thought it would be alot better but it was okay.
I don't even know... I'm not going to argue with the people who gave this one star... I'm not even going to say that they're wrong. Actually I read through several of the lower reviews and they make a lot of valid points about the film. However, I liked it - I don't know why I liked it, I just did. Have you ever caught yourself watching a ridiculously stupid television show and you just can't seem to stop watching it... you aren't sure why or how, but even though you know you should dislike it, there is still something about it that is just so entertaining. That's what this movie was like. I just liked it - I'd watch it again. It was just simple, and enjoyable and fun... It wasn't phenomenal, it didn't have great effects, it was just pleasant.
a disgrace of course im a huge fan of the original merlin movie, and so when i saw this hoped it would would be good. it was terrible. a disgrace to the original. and even of it werent an attempted spinoff of merlin, it would still be terrible. to much attempted comedy that wasnt at all funny. a stupid main charecter. and on top of all that, it just all looks fake. not just the special effects, but costumes, dialoge, and set designs. i noticed that they attempted to use some of the same techniqies as the original, such as filming the shadows of trees move, then speeding it up. but it still held nothing in common with the original. as allways, rent it before you buy it. i made that mistake. you might like it, but i doubt it.
Even as a standalone move... terrible The first thing to note is most people don't realize there is a sequel to Hallmark's Merlin until they see it at Blockbuster. That should tell you something right there.
The move as a sequel to Merlin is non existent, it's a sequel only in name. As a standalone movie, it's terrible. The dialog is childish, repetitive, and boring. The acting is terrible and the actors seem to acknowledge their meritocracy while acting.
The plot is predictable and has all the classic characteristics of a cheesy, terrible movie. I.E, the fight scenes in slow motion, the super tacky death scenes, the super evil vs super good characters, the hazy storylines that don't quite make sense. The most frustrating part of the entire movie is we don't realize the motive of the "bad" guys until 20 minutes before the end. Finally, the characters kept rehashing the same conclusions as to why Camelot was poisoned over and over and over again. Please, if it wasn't right the first time, why the 10th? Need I go on...
Save your money on this one. The special effects are nothing compared to the first movie, Merlin. The plot is nothing. It's just an excuse to create a spin-off from the original Mervin.
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