Rating: 4/5
Review: I really enjoyed Excalibur. I rate it quite highly. The biggest issue is that it covers a lot of the Arthurian legends and because of that, some bits are rather cut down a lot. As examples, the sword in the stone... Caliburn in this movie is the same thing as Excalibur. Additionally the more important artifact, the scabbard of Excalibur is missing(this would prevent the loss of blood or life as long as you held it).
It's loaded with excellent quotes, especially from Merlin the Wizard. The 3 parts I particularly enjoy in this film are the drawing of the sword and Arthur's Knighting from Uryens, the shattering of Excalibur to change the verdict of his duel against Lancelot and how it was remade, the scenes of Perceval finding the secret of the Grail, and the final scenes where Excalibur is returned to the lake by Perceval. These scenes are incredibly touching and hit on core human qualities and virtues of both a King and a Knight.
Another minor thing I particularly enjoyed seeing, is Arthur's commitment as King first and Husband second- and how he had to be a judge against the accusations against Guenevere in a trial by combat of two champions. This I feel is more relevant than ever and is the subtle underlying proof of one of the most important things of the British Justice system that all previously British colonies inherited from us: The Magna Carta, that all men, including nobles are equal under the law.
Some minor other notes, I particularly enjoy the variety of plate armour on display in the movie. I imagine it could not have been cheap to make these and to make them work well for the movie. I also thought the cinematography of some scenes was fantastic, between the glittering and shining lights reflecting off of the armour, the eerie green glows and the wonderfully warm flame-lit rooms in some scenes. Oh it's fantastic.
As far as I'm concerned, this is the best movie that encapsulates "Le Morte D'Arthur"(The Death of Arthur).
Some day... a King will come, and the Sword will rise again, and the land will be one with the King...
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Published on 2026/03/16