Merlin And The War Of The Dragons Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
The film takes place in England sometime after the death of King Arthur. His servant, Merlin (Simon Lloyd Roberts), is still active and now serves under Arthur's successor to the throne, King Vortigern (Hefin Wyn).
Soon after Vortigern's coronation, a large army of giant, fire-breathing dragons land in England and begin to terrorise the land, setting fire to buildings and feasting on any who are unable to escape. Due to their size and number, the dragons threaten the very existence of England itself, and Vortigern instructs Merlin to lead an army against the dragons, ordering his best generals - Hengist (Iago McGuire) and Uther (Dylan Jones) - to aid Merlin in any way possible.
With the help of Vortigern and his generals, Merlin begins to think of ways to defeat the dragons, who are growing stronger every day whilst England grows weaker. Using magic and knowledge, Merlin devises a plan that will ultimately decide the fate of English history...
| William Huw | Torm |
| Jürgen Prochnow | |
| Simon Lloyd Roberts | |
| Joseph Stacey | |
| Nia Ann | Lady Nimue |
| Carys Eleri | Lady Vivianne |
| Mark Atkins |
4.40 out of 10 (421 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Fun enough for a Saturday morning
posted on 23 Jul 2009I liked it. It was not awful, and not the best film ever. But it was fun. Considering the usual fare on a lazy weekend, it's good enough. My wife writes fantasy and we watch plenty of films of this genre. CRITICISMS: It didn't have huge surprises and the props and costumes needed a little help. The book, for example, was quite tattered on the outside, but the pages were a bit too clean, and the edges of them were perfect. Shouldn't they be dog-eared and worn with spots and smudges? Costumes were TOO CLEAN - and in too good a condition. You would expect, particularly after battle, dirty clothes with rips and tears. And how does Merlin stay so clean shaven out in the field all day? And swords should be bloody after you run through a man with one. Small things like that.Our biggest issue with the film-making was the sped-up parts of battle. That was - sorry for the word - cheesy. The special effects were not very special.COMPLIMENTS: I think Info-11159 said it well in the "A good old fashioned - good VS evil fantasy film" comment. His (her?) point about needing a bigger budget and more time is really what was needed. We really enjoyed the horse scenes, but we're horse people. We always enjoy seeing beautiful horses handled by highly skilled equestrians. The riding was very good and a pleasure to watch. The filming location was GREAT. I like seeing these kinds of stories in more authentic locations. Very beautiful countryside that contributed to the project. That's a sacrilege for me to say - we're in California and our son is a writer in Hollywood! But truly - filming in the UK was perfect for this. The actors did well with what they were given and the story was just right for this genre. Overall, I enjoyed the film. I do like the genre. I think to really enjoy it, you have to have the right expectations. Don't expect huge budget Hollywood fare - think of it as a fantasy B movie and just go with it. If they do a sequel, I hope they use the same horse suppliers and riders - and don't speed it up. Those people were highly skilled and could handle the action just fine at the speed they would be performing at. Maybe get a little bit better CG software. I would watch it again.
Possibly the worst movie of all times
posted on 27 Jun 2009I hope this films budget was so low they could not even pay their actors. There is absolutely nothing good with this film. The actors cannot act and most of them seriously needs some tweezing. The "special" effects are outdated. The plot is more predictable then an episode of Murder she wrote. This film could have been entertaining if the people making it at least would know they were producing something so bad it dos not even warrant a straight-to-DVD release. But doing slow motion fight scenes to hide the lack of choreography and blurring the screen when the dragons are shown to hide your lack of a special effects budget is just really pathetic. If you want to watch a decent Merlin film, get the mini-series from 1998. Not only has it a better plot and actors, but it seems that special effects were better 10 years ago.If they make this into a trilogy I will resign from mankind and go live with the two horrible, but kind of cute, Lady of the lake actors in their cave.
enthusiastic acting, low budget, old school feeling
posted on 19 Jun 2009Debatable if worth the time to watch it, but has its good sides. Starting with the bad ones. Low budget in everything. While not a crime by itself, one is left to wonder if scenes of murdering someone by sticking a sword under his armpit are best left out. Constant impression that the whole acting crew is maybe 20 people... Which for supposed massive battle scenes with little cg and minimalistic make up looks odd if nothing else. Script is simple and straightforward. One may chuckle at "Mage" being the mage's name... On the good side - actors are very enthusiastic and so very Welsh, which is a good thing as it is refreshing and unusual. Minimalism and ascetic cg/sfx actually convey almost theatrical impression, at the same time evoking a kind of an 'old school' atmosphere (or maybe it is just me). To sum it up - an OK for fantasy fans, not OK for action/cg/massive/budget fans, a sure yes for welsh and legends of round table fans. I'd love it if actors from this movie got big enough to surface in other ones. While acting is often crude, they have their own charm and look different.
Not worth watching
posted on 06 May 2009I consider myself a fan of dragons which is what attracted me to watching this film in the beginning. But from almost the beginning it was clear that the special effects were completely unrealistic. The dragons well i cannot find a word strong enough to explain how poor they look and how unbelievable unreal.Not only were the special effects poor but the acting is as well. The whole movie just screams low budget. The battle scenes are terrible you see people getting cut with swords but at no point do you actually see any blood. At one point after a battle everyone basically gets up and runs away. Its over dramatic at all the wrong points and some of the backing music is really played at the wrong times.I do not consider myself to be harsh i have honestly never been so disappointed in a film. I will not be recommending it to anyone and i feel the need to in fact warn people before they waste time or heaven forbid money actually watching it
A good old fashioned - good VS evil fantasy film
posted on 11 Mar 2009Yes, this is a low budget film ... but I must say, if you watch this film carefully and with an open mind.. I promise you , you'll enjoy this as much as I did. Old fashioned filming takes place to bring the story of Merlin alive.Set in the beautiful landscape of North Wales , UK this film is complimented by talented local acting that support Jurgen. The special effects are believable for most part.. if the budget was bigger and the film time scale , greater , I'm sure we would see a great film ... not a very good film.... The horses were lovely to watch. The action scenes were pulled off , well done to those involved!! Can't wait for the sequel!
What Up Now, Prochnow ??
posted on 09 Mar 2009MERLIN and the War Of The DragonsTheasylum.cc Directed By Mark Atkins, Starring Jurgen Prochnow Dragons are beloved by the film watchers , They have a mystique that takes us away from Wall Street and Bail Outs. The dragons are depicted awesomely , CGI never looked so good in a film, Congrats to Tiny Juggernaut-again. The acting brings you in to this time of past, No actor let us down with unreal emoting. Jurgen Prochnow , Of DUNE fame; Could have phoned in his performance, BUT Prochnow does a great job as Mage and Mentor to Merlin. Great cover art, Great acting and let's face it you picked because of the dragons and the unusual way they exist is plausible. Whenever a film from The Merlin/King Arthur school is released we wonder if people go back to the source, Read a book or seek out earlier Knights Of The Round Table movie/TV fare.
Geoffery Chaucer is spinning in his grave.
posted on 07 Mar 2009There are Medieval fairs in New Jersey where the 16-year-old attendants at the fried foods tent have more knowledge of English history and mythology than the makers of this sorry excuse for a movie.The facts of this movie were verified by a guy who once saw 'Amedeus', the fight scenes were choreographed by Lindsey Lohan on New Years Eve, and the magical special effects were edited by giving the film to Edward Scissorhands after heavy application of cocaine.Each sword fight drags on until both stunt men die of boredom or succumb to nausea from the endless scene cuts that occur every time they clank their plastic swords together. Mark Atkins must have figured that the fight scenes wouldn't seem like two drunk z list actors waving Mattel toys around if he only filmed them a quarter of a second at a time.The movie wouldn't have been as bad if scene cuts weren't used for EVERYTHING. When a rock materializes out of thin air, you see people react in amazement to the rock before you see the rock just sitting there. When a character dies dramatically, all you see is the other actors vomiting in terror at the amazing death scene you just missed. Throughout the entire movie, I felt like the actors were watching the best movie ever and they wouldn't show it to me.If you still feel like watching this movie, here's a substitute that will benefit both you and everyone but the Asylum. Rent the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings trilogies and invite your most inarticulate friends to watch them with you. While they watch these epics, position yourself at an angle next to your TV so you can see your friends react to these awesome movies but not the movies themselves. Then have them describe what's happening and see how satisfying it is.
Gives new meaning to the word yuck!
posted on 11 Feb 2009This movie, if one can even call it that, is bad all the way around from the cameraman who seems to be epileptic, to the silly battle scene in which all 20 cast and crew took part in and the utterly ridiculous attempt at a troop rallying speech (picture a mentally challenged version of Mel Gibson's Braveheart speech). Although I have to say at this point it was good for a laugh, watching them try and make 20 people look like 20,000 by quickly changing camera angles (which may have been the epilepsy again). Total budget for this movie, $24.65. $20.00 on props, $2.00 on CGI, $2.00 on the script and .65 cents on acting lessons. If you like fantasy movies stay away from this one... far far away!!!
really bad movie
posted on 11 Feb 2009This film is a story about merlin as a youth. This is an interesting premise but the actual film was a disappointment. the script dialog was bad and should have been worked a little bit more to improve the movie. The film's flow between scenes was not smooth and the editing was bad. The part about this film that really annoyed me was the cinematography. The composition of the film's scenes was really bad. The camera shots did not make any sense. For example, some of the battle scenes were not focused on the action but off center. One could consider it an attempt to be "artistic", but it was not. Overall the film was very amateurish and not worth my time.
Copy-and-paste film-making at its worst...
posted on 24 Jan 2009Will The Asylum ever put forth a good effort in their films? Not likely, as it’s ever-more apparent with this film -- Merlin and the War of the Dragons -- that they simply will never get it right. War of the Dragons, as a film, requires a budget -- a bigger one than the usual million that’s spent on these garbage piles -- but it isn’t the production value that’s the main fault, it’s the film’s inability to be good and meet the criteria of what makes a film worthwhile (performances, story, etc.).Hats off to the casting director for hiring some of the ugliest people on the Eastern Hemisphere in this film. The War of the Dragons manages to have a sense of realism with the cast not being of the typical beautiful people that grace many films, but the actors and actresses in this film are truly ugly to the point that there’s ultimately nothing good to look at -- in a film that hinges on aesthetics, and fails on those as well.The acting is simply deplorable. No one takes this material seriously, especially when the audience is supposed to believe these are powerful wizards, despite there being poorly-drawn lightning strikes penciled onto the characters’ fingers. The antagonist (whose name is easily forgotten after the film) is a mess. His motives are cliché, and he looks like a nerd -- why they simply didn’t have a jock come into frame and give him a wedgy is questionable, because it would’ve been more entertaining and a much more original ending.Much like the other films The Asylum produces yet another unoriginal piece of “entertainment” that’s obviously trying to act as a prequel to 2004’s King Arthur -- many of the designs in the film harken to that film more than once. One thing I noticed was that Excalibur is Glamdring from The Lord of the Rings (with the only noticeable difference being that the rune-etchings have been melded over) which either proves this film had no design team with fully-developed brains, or that the film couldn’t manage buying a different sword. However, it’s not the designs that make this film unoriginal, but it tries very hard to be a sort of Harry Potter-meets-King Arthur, as we watch Merlin go through various tasks that make him the wizard he’s acclaimed to be -- which this movie doesn’t do a good job doing. It’s as if the screenwriter thought that King Arthur didn’t have enough dragons in it, so he might as well make a prequel to fit some in.The story is the basic good versus evil. Unfortunately, that’s all the director and crew adhere to. Nothing is memorable, and nothing is satisfying.The Asylum knows how to recycle, because much of the music in this film is a rehash of what’s been used in other productions of their making -- most notably, Dragonquest.. Another example of recycling on The Asylum’s part comes down to the dragons -- they’re the same ones seen in Dragonquest, just minus the fire. The templates in Merlin and The War of the Dragons make it all the more cheap.All in all, Merlin and the War of the Dragons is simply that: cheap. Nothing is original, nor is it done with admiration for the craft. There’s nothing memorable, and the fact that the cast could belong on the World’s Least-Desirable List makes the film also an unwatchable venture -- there’s nothing even good to look at. Skip Merlin and the War of the Dragons.
Well told Tale
posted on 20 Jan 2009I wonder why this title got so many negative comments! I for one thoroughly enjoyed it. True, some of the lesser actors were poor, probably local Welsh villagers-but overall I thought the film was well presented. I liked the scenery and the fact that a lot of it was filmed at dusk-which added to the ambiance of the whole thing. It reminded me a lot of a film I saw many years ago "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" which was also filmed in Wales. I liked the earthiness of Vivienne and Nimue and the magical effects were well done. Maybe not a masterpiece but still a well made film and I was pleasantly surprised. It may have been psychological-if I had been expecting it to be brilliant I would have been disappointed-but thinking it would be terrible had the opposite affect! As far as Merlin films go it was pretty good!
Welsh Dragons and alluring Ladies of the Lake.
posted on 16 Jan 2009Clearly inspired by Shine's TV show Merlin (there's even an opening voice-over by a John Hurt sound-alike) which has become the first British series to be sold to one of the major American networks for several years, Merlin and the War of the Dragons (retitled Merlin and the War of the Dragon Empire on it's Region 2 release) is one of the better efforts from shameless rip-off merchants The Asylum. Fittingly, apart from the American financing this is very much a British film - it was shot entirely on location in Wales in just two weeks, with a cast of almost entirely Welsh and English actors. In fact, the only non-British thespian involved is legendary German character actor Jurgen Prochnow (always welcome), playing the mage who is the young Merlin's mentor and surrogate father.The script throws in various elements from the Arthurian myths: Merlin's first meeting with Uther Pendragon and Ingraine, who will become Arthur's parents; Uther's ascent to the throne; and not one, but two Ladies of the Lake – Nimue and her sister Vivianne. Excalibur also makes an appearance, but despite everyone treating the sword as though it's of major importance, within the story of this film it's just a MacGuffin. And some body-painted Pict warriors turn up in one scene, for no apparent reason other than the producers having clearly seen King Arthur (2004). There's also one key aspect of the Arthurian legends that the Shine series has (so far) ignored, but which this movie openly embraces – the notion that Merlin is the Devil's son.Merlin and the War of the Dragons was made with a budget that wouldn't pay for the catering on an average Hollywood production, but it's still a good-looking film, provided you realistically lower your expectations. The Welsh landscapes give the movie an atmosphere of both gritty realism and majestic mysticism, with constantly overcast and forbidding-looking skies. The CGI dragons are actually very impressive when seen in the air, although less so when they land and we get a better look at them. And unfortunately, when Uther gives his soldiers a blatant copied-from-Braveheart battlefield speech, despite the clever camera angles used by the director there's no hiding the fact that Uther's mighty army consists of just over a dozen men.But despite these limitations, this is still a highly watchable film. Prochnow is his usual reliable self, while the rest of the cast – a collection of newcomers and unknowns – don't disgrace themselves, and give solid performances. Special mention must go to Nia Ann and Carys Eleri who play Nimue and Vivianne respectively, and succeed in giving the characters an unsettling, otherworldly quality. The sight of Nimue tending to a wounded and unconscious Merlin by trickling blood from her mouth into his is genuinely unnerving.The last scene of the film raises the possibility of a sequel. Provided the same quality can be maintained, that's a very welcome prospect.
Where's the Colour
posted on 23 Dec 2008I had the misfortune of buying this DVD from Play.com thinking it would be half decent to watch. What a mistake that was, as other reviewers have said this is quite bad, actors who can't act etc. etc., but worst of all there is no COLOUR to the film, no green grass, no flesh tones, nothing actually, I know it is supposed to be the Dark ages but the director Mark Atkins is also a cinematographer but he well and truly "cocked" this film up big time. What Jurgen Prochnow was doing appearing in this film is anybodies guess, the story isn't that bad with better direction and a bigger budget from money saved by hiring totally unknown actors except Jurgen who knows. A POOR EFFORT, not a very good advert for the British film industry.
Great Story of Young Merlin - Definitely Worth Watching.
posted on 20 Aug 2009I couldn't keep from commenting, although I rarely do. After reading some of the nasty comments on this film, I couldn't keep myself from commenting. The nasty commenter's obviously didn't watch the same film that I did. The film I saw, although lower budget, is a very well shot, well thought out story of the young Merlin. It has nicely developed characters, is very well cast, and most of the acting was very good. I was impressed at the local welsh talent in this film. The story moves along well, and you really get caught up in the story, and the characters. I would say this is definitely a director to watch in the future. Also, the girl who played Lady Vivianne... also a real solid talent. I was surprised to learn this was her first feature film. Of course, Jurgen Prochnow turned in a very solid performance as well, which is to be expected.But anyone who calls this film laughable, or poorly done, either doesn't know good film-making, or simply is trying to put the filmmakers down, for some personal reason. The film has a lot of heart, and I truly hope to see a sequel to this film, as the ending hints to? (I hope?)