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Excalibur
1981
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serious
arthurian
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historical
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73 %
80 %
Certified Fresh
$ 34 Million
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Excalibur
Positive Reviews
26
Negative reviews
4
Average Rating
3.8
/5
serious
arthurian
beautiful
legendary
historical
All
Positive
Negative
3.0
Dont expect this to be a modern thrill ride action epic crowd pleaser, but what such a saga would look like if some bard from 1100 A.D. or so hopped i ..
Common Sense Media
4.5
Exquisite, a near perfect blend of action, romance, fantasy and philosophy, finely acted and beautifully filmed by director John Boorman and cinematog ..
Variety
4.0
Subscribe to All One click gets you all the newsletters listed below Chronicle Daily Breaking news, arts coverage, and daily events Chron Events Cant ..
2.0
At its earnest best, Excalibur is Star Wars without the redeeming humor of its comic book style and eye popping special effects.
The New York Times
5.0
Boorman picks through the murky haystack of Arthurian legend and finds a golden needle
E Film Critic
5.0
The screenplay by Boorman and Rospo Pallenberg offers us an opportunity to appreciate and explore the spellbinding ideas and ideals of the Arthurian m ..
Spirituality And Practice
3.5
Its all mildly captivating, but since too much is crammed into one movie, theres not much time for depth.
Combust Ible Celluloid
2.0
John Boormans 1981 retelling of the Arthurian legends is a continuation of the thematic thrust and visual plan of his Exorcist II, though the failure ..
Chicago Reader
4.0
Fantasy adventure, starring Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren and Nicol Williamson.
Radio Times
3.8
The film is kind of simple in its plotting, but whats cool is the design.
Internet Reviews
5.0
But all in all, the serious tone works more often than it doesnt.
Mountain X
4.5
It doesnt help that hes surrounded by the likes of Keith Buckley and Liam Neeson, who steal scenes whenever they can.
Eye For Film
0.6
Look, the real wonder of WW84 is that this maybe isnt the worst thing about it.
Film Freak Central
3.8
Excessive but occasionally inspired, EXCALIBUR gives us grimy lumbering knights, gloomy castles, slithering dragons, mesmerizing magic, and (of course ..
Movies Tv Guide
4.4
The production design and costumes do their best to match the beauty of the scenery.The armor is particularly well done.
Three Movie Buffs
4.5
Imperfect as it is, Excalibur is the bravest approach ever made in the cinema of the figure of King Arthur.
4.0
Blockbuster History Presents Arthuriana Week: The SFX Spectacle Every week this summer, well be taking an historical tour of the Hollywood blockbuster ..
Alternate Ending
5.0
The film based on La Morte DArthur by Thomas Malory does actually remind one of passages from that novel. Poetic.
Scifi Movie Page
4.0
...romantic and brutal, lyrically beautiful yet grittily realistic.
Movie Metropolis
1.5
Well, if theres anything wrong with Boormans version, its just fancy and obviously in bad taste.
El Pais (Spain)
4.5
John Boormans magnificent and magical Excalibur (1981) is, to my mind, the greatest and the richest of screen incarnation of the oft told tale.
Stream On Demand At Home
3.0
Storywise it has its moments, too, although it never quite achieves the difficult blend of grandeur and madness for which it strives.
Sky
4.0
As a result, it veers wildly from parody to naive spectacle to stentorian seriousness, never finding rest.
Archive Spectator
5.0
...one of those great miracles in filmmaking... Its concept of Arthur and the landscape that surrounds him is a benchmark for fantasy as we know it.
Cinema Phile
3.0
The reason to watch Excalibur is for the grandiose spectacle of it.
About Film
4.5
Give Boorman credit for the loopy grandeur of his imagery and imaginings, for the sweet smell of excess, for his heroic gamble that a movie can dare t ..
Content Time
3.0
Somehow it combines legendary material both visually and audibly that hooks me every time.
Old School Reviews
5.0
Its a rousing tale of a lowly boy rising to become beloved King, a tragic love story, a thrilling adventure and an inspirational spiritual quest to he ..
Parallax View
3.5
But these are mere nitpicks, for Excalibur understands something that barely any other films about medieval legends do: mythological characters are ca ..
Nate Hood Reviews
4.4
Boorman is quite serious about all this, and therefore Excalibur doesnt snigger at itself the way a campy Hollywood feature might be expected to.
Hono Lulu Agonizer
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Excalibur