Search - Merlin on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Suitable for Children Movie Release: 1998 DVD Release: 09/16/1998 Format: DVD - Closed Captioned Edition: Dual Layered Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 3 hrs 2 mins Studio: Live/Artisan Members Wishing: 20 Genres: Fantasy, Mythological Fantasy, Sword-and-Sorcery, Fantasy Adventure See Also: Merlin, Merlin [Special Edition]

This four-hour fantasy miniseries, elaborating on the Arthurian legend and filmed in England and Wales, offers a portrait of the wizard Merlin (Sam Neill), following his life as a youth (Daniel Brocklebank) to his later conflicts with the evil Queen Mab (Miranda Richardson) and his love for Nimue (Isabella Rossellini), who is kidnapped by Lord Vortigern (Rutger Hauer). Amid battles and displays of magic and mysticism (courtesy of London's Framestore and the Jim Henson Creature Shop), Merlin strides the English countryside encountering Excalibur, the unbreakable sword, and a Camelot cast of colorful characters including the morphing manservant Frik (Martin Short), Morgan le Fey (Helena Bonham Carter), King Arthur (Paul Curran), Lancelot (Jeremy Sheffield), and Guinevere (Lena Heady). Premiered April 26, 1998 on NBC. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Sam Neill - Merlin
Isabella Rossellini - Nimue
Miranda Richardson - Queen Mab / Lady Of The Lake
Martin Short - Frik
Rutger Hauer - Lord Vortigern

Another fine miniseries production from Hallmark and a fascinating take on the legends of Merlin. Director Steven Barron brought a very strong visual plan to the production, with the result that Merlin looks extremely good. The DVD transfer is presented in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The original source, as might be expected with a production for television, is pristine, and the image as presented here is fairly striking. Colors are very good across the spectrum, with a variety of different skin tones being handled smoothly -- aside from normal flesh tones, there are numerous kinds of makeup for different characters, and all are rendered well. The best example of this is a shot of the baby Merlin, who is seen to have wonderfully rosy cheeks. The range of contrasts goes from almost monochromatic all the way to vivid reds and oranges, with some photographic effects that might present a challenge to handle smoothly. The picture is sharp and clear, free of grain and artifacts, with only a handful of computer-generated effects looking subpar -- this latter being no fault of the transfer.
The Dolby Surround Audio is full and rich, doing justice to Trevor Jones' full orchestral score. Dialogue is well separated and clear, though few directional effects are applied. Surround is used mainly for ambience and the occasional effect, but the sound mix does not make the fullest use of it -- there is, however, a good solid bass. The disc has very colorful animated menus, without sound. Extras consist of a featurette on the production (okay, but nothing revelatory or exciting), cast and crew bio pages, a text piece about the production, and a short text piece about "The Legend of Merlin." ~ Steven E. McDonald, All Movie Guide