Excalibur
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Movie Info & Cast
Synopsis
Merlin the magician helps Arthur Pendragon unite the Britons around the Round Table of Camelot, even as dark forces conspire to tear it apart.
Cast
- Nicol Williamson
- Nigel Terry
- Helen Mirren
- Nicholas Clay
- Cherie Lunghi
- Corin Redgrave
- Paul Geoffrey
- Patrick Stewart
- Gabriel Byrne
- Liam Neeson
Letterboxd User Reviews
3.7
102.4K
39.7K
31.5K
- May 6, 2017
Probably the best movie ever made that could also be considered a porn parody
David SimsJul 21, 2018Maybe cramming the entire Arthurian legend into 2 hours was a bit much, but man, it looks cool as hell.
Patrick WillemsNov 26, 2013Acid psych-out ambivalence toward the Arthur-as-Christ backbone of this story. Boorman laments some bygone pagan natural harmony. Almost a Judeo-Christian KWAIDAN by way of Hammer Studios, and brutally violent with an often clumsy physicality (appropriate for 60 pounds of…
matt lynch - Mar 31, 2016
The Blood of the Dragon The Breath of the Dragon The Scales of the Dragon The Fire of the Great Wyrm, the Cosmic Serpent charges and flows through Excalibur, John Boorman's massively psychedelic, totally bonkers condensation of the Arthurian Cycle. A film rapturously,…
![nathaxnne [goodbye <3]](https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/avatar/upload/1/9/5/2/4/3/shard/avtr-0-144-0-144-crop.jpg?v=d1b1f3a5ff)
nathaxnne [goodbye <3]Aug 18, 2018Excalibur is quite the beautiful disaster, a filthy feast of psychedelic sorcery & blood served up by Chef Boorman. Arthurian legend coming to life as a hypnotically wonderius vision at the hands of a crazy master... Magic, insane battles, eye candy images galore—Excalibur…
Ian WestMay 28, 2022that this comes six years after Monty Python & the Holy Grail brimming with cocksure confidence & chintz & Wagner is really funny (and really admirable!). congrats to the mad lads of Camelot
fran hoepfner - Feb 11, 2026
The last time I revisited this I signed off with a "where is the 4K?" because even in subpar compressed rips of the old out of print Blu-ray or beat up 16mm prints it was easy to tell this was one of the most mesmerizingly beautiful sword & sorcery movies ever made. Happy…
Josh LewisApr 7, 2021"The future has taken root in the present." "When a man lies, he murders some part of the world." "I didn't know how empty was my soul, until it was filled." just a balls to the wall incredible script. nobody writes like this anymore
Emma StefanskyMar 1, 2020Well, I'm not entirely sure how I managed to make it through 40 years of my life without having ever seen this. Or, who knows, maybe I did watch it as a kid and just forgot. I watched a lot of movies like this back in the day and I don't remember half of them. What amazes…
Aberrant Ghoul
Queue Community Reviews
80%
Community 1,368
Top Reviews
- zxki lovedExcalibur
The all-time greatest adaptation of 'King Arthur'. A dark fantasy titan with mythical aesthetics. I watched this 6 months ago and have non-stop thought of it ever since. So much so, I bought a Blu-ray exclusive. The cinematography, score, costumes, sets, casting, practicality, locations, editing,…
Brenda M. likedExcaliburBeen a minute but great 80s, medieval, fantasy gold! If I remember correctly, a VERY YOUNG Liam Neeson.
Alex likedExcalibur7.5/10, this film had incredible cinematography and locations were perfect. While it’s a faithful adaptation of the King Arthur story and details the entirety of it, some of the characters & storylines could’ve been fleshed out more. That being said, HELL YEAH DARK FANTASY!
- Nick Dubberly lovedExcalibur
This film holds a special place in my heart, probably because I watched it when I was way to young to! The fight scenes weren’t as good as I remember. Once they all ride out of Camelot to “O Fortuna”, it’s pure cinema! I’m still glad it will be in my collection forever.
Steven Natalie lovedExcaliburIs a great old-school fantasy movie I love not having a lot of CGI if any in it. A lot of big-time actors that are pretty young in this which is cool to see. Overall, if you’re looking for an old school medieval fantasy movie, this is a great one to watch.
Adiee is "meh" onExcaliburMerlin’s stupid little cap thing pmo so much Anyways, I thought the last act was rly good, but they definitely needed to condense some of the middle. It also is pretty dated, but the costumes and music is still very nice.
- Batman is "meh" onExcalibur
It has its charm but there were some scenes that were done quite badly, and it wasn’t because of the special effects of the time, but because of the script. Merlin is such a funny character
Da channel Fire likedExcaliburi love these over the top 80s fantasy movies! this movie sounds really cool, like the armor sounds so heavy. I was surprised with how good this movie was.
bstewart lovedExcaliburBeautiful, one of the best looking medieval movies ever made. Feels mystical, dreamy, and puts you into a fantastical period of history
Atom Users Reviews
Metacritic
What a wondrous vision Excalibur is! And what a mess.
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Mr. Boorman takes these myths very seriously, but he has used them with a pretentiousness that obscures his vision.
Vincent Canby
The New York Times
John Boorman's 1981 retelling of the Arthurian legends is a continuation of the thematic thrust and visual plan of his Exorcist II, though the failure of that bold, hallucinatory, and flawed film seems to have put Boorman into partial retreat.
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Excalibur (1981) family-friendly?
The movie has been rated as R, meaning that Under 17 requires an adult accompaniment.
How long is Excalibur (1981)?
The movie is 2hr 20min long.
What's Excalibur (1981) about?
Merlin the magician helps Arthur Pendragon unite the Britons around the Round Table of Camelot, even as dark forces conspire to tear it apart.
Who's the cast of Excalibur (1981)?
- Nicol Williamson as Merlin
- Nigel Terry as King Arthur
- Helen Mirren as Morgana
- Nicholas Clay as Lancelot
- Cherie Lunghi as Guenevere
- Corin Redgrave as Cornwall
- Paul Geoffrey as Perceval
- Patrick Stewart as Leondegrance
- Gabriel Byrne as Uther Pendragon
- Liam Neeson as Gawain
Who's the director behind Excalibur (1981)?
John Boorman directed Excalibur (1981).
Who produced Excalibur (1981)?
John Boorman, Edgar F. Gross and Robert A. Eisenstein produced Excalibur (1981).
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