Excalibur (1981) Full Length Reaction
Added 2025-03-07 02:37:44 +0000 UTCWe got legendary Kings, magic swords, wizards (I know, I know it's 'necromancer'), and because it's the 80's butts and boobs of course 😂 Forgive my lack of knowledge of the actual legend, I was familiar with some of it but not the full picture. Was this a hit when it came out?
Movie Runtime: 2:20:47
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Merlin said, "When a man lies, he murders part of the world". The late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton borrowed that line for a song that wouldn't be recorded until after his death, "To Live is to Die". Mainly an instrumental track, but with one spoken part: "When a man lies he murders some part of the world/These are the pale deaths which men miscall their lives/All this I cannot bear to witness any longer/Cannot the kingdom of salvation take me home"
Zapp Rowsdower
2025-03-10 01:40:20 +0000 UTCYes, Dragonslayer was awesome!!!
Lee R.
2025-03-09 21:06:28 +0000 UTCMcConaughey was absolutely ripped in that movie doing his best G.I. Joe imitation. 😁
Major Peril
2025-03-08 18:49:48 +0000 UTC😳
Major Peril
2025-03-08 18:47:43 +0000 UTCi consider Excalibur the best Adaptation of the Arthurian Legend with a stellar cast bringing this tale to life .
Harvey Lee
2025-03-08 06:22:34 +0000 UTCReign of fire was very underated it somehow flew under the radar [pun intended with the Flying dragons] Christian Bale and Mathew McConaughey are both awesome in it and apparently it's one of McConaughey's own personal favorites .
Harvey Lee
2025-03-08 06:20:53 +0000 UTCOMG... I haven't seen this movie in AGES! heh, First movie I saw Patrick Steward in. It wasn't long after I saw this movie, when I started playing Dungeons And Dragons.
Carlos Stevens
2025-03-08 04:44:32 +0000 UTCOne of my favorites. There are some uneven clunky moments early in the first part of the movie but there are so many exceptional scenes throughout this masterpiece, especially in the final half hour. First rate production, gorgeous score and easily the best serious movie about the Arthur legend. When it comes to sword and sorcery films, I feel this is far better than something like Lord of the Rings. There is a fine documentary about this movie called Excalibur Behind the Movie.
thansen
2025-03-07 21:58:32 +0000 UTCthank goodness I was in the Army at this time. missed this poorly shot movie, the story was great, however horrible camara work.
zynjams
2025-03-07 21:50:05 +0000 UTCDeliverance is essential 70s viewing. Survival / thriller / drama. Well known for an infamous harrowing scene. I read that QT was taken to see this movie as a child and this scene in question influenced him with the very dark Marsellus Wallace/gimp scene in Pulp Fiction.
Jason Scade
2025-03-07 21:33:17 +0000 UTCStart, but not finish :D
Joanthan Skidmore
2025-03-07 21:23:12 +0000 UTCReign of Fire, great Dragon movie!
Joanthan Skidmore
2025-03-07 21:21:25 +0000 UTCYes! +1 for both films. Very much dragon-laden. 😆
Major Peril
2025-03-07 16:48:58 +0000 UTC"Anál nathrach, orth' bháis's bethad, do chél dénmha" - Merlin's Charm of Making Probably my favorite John Boorman film along with Deliverance (1972) and maybe Zardoz (1974) coming a distant third. As far as the standard Arthurian legend goes in movies, this one seems to tick all the boxes although very heavy on the magical aspects. I think in some respects I rather prefer the more de-mystified version as revealed in Antoine Fuqua’s King Arthur (2004). A more realist take with much less emphasis on the metaphysical and magical elements. Also, maybe it's just that I’m always up for a good Antoine Fuqua action flick. 😃
Major Peril
2025-03-07 15:11:15 +0000 UTCIf you want movies with dragons, Dragonslayer and Reign Of Fire are both on your request site. I think you'll love Dragonslayer.
Rob Nichols
2025-03-07 15:09:24 +0000 UTCKing Arthur’s story has no real basis in fact, but there is reference in history to a Celtic chieftain who may have been trained by the Romans who is named Artos. Artos is said to have carried the rank of Dux Bellorum (“leader in war”). He wasn’t a king though and not even what we would identify as a knight.
Nicholas Bielik
2025-03-07 10:50:32 +0000 UTCI never saw this one before. I liked it a lot! It's a truly excellent production all around. Anyone else remember that Leatherface commercial that referenced this? And in case anyone is wondering why all these R rated movies from the 70s-90s have nudity in them, it's because it was considered a feature. Men might have felt cheated if there was no nudity. How many tickets did the Basic Instinct pussy-shot sell? The pre-internet age was rough, people.
Noremac
2025-03-07 09:49:50 +0000 UTCI've watched this 3 times, and I haven't seen the Orb of Osuvox once!
Mastervodo
2025-03-07 09:47:41 +0000 UTCThis movie never gets old. I have used Merlin’s wise advice throughout my personal and professional life. I saw this in the theater when it was first released and the experience was breath taking. I’ve always been fond of Arthurian lore especially since it’s my name too. I just added the tv series Merlin so everyone can upvote. I think you would really like it. It has dragons! Also if dragons is your thing maybe it’s time to start Game of Thrones.
ArtemusPrime137
2025-03-07 08:45:36 +0000 UTCOne thing to keep in mind is that there really is no definitive version of Arthur. There is an entire corpus of stories and legends comprising Arthuriana. This film draws on a number of those legends though Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur is probably the biggest influence. Notably, there probably isn’t another King Arthur film which is as reflective of the body of Arthurian stories than as Excalibur. The Green Knight (2021) is the only film which really compares to it. They both manage to capture the weirdness of medieval tales.
Nicholas Bielik
2025-03-07 08:34:45 +0000 UTCCan't go wrong with butts and boobs
Tom W.
2025-03-07 06:17:31 +0000 UTCThis one is pretty darn close to the lore… the store doesn’t deviate much at all with regard to artistic license. There’s some details left out, but, nature of the medium. Wish there were more close adaptations like this!
Chief
2025-03-07 03:13:13 +0000 UTCI found out about it through Mad Magazine back in the day. "Ecchscalibur" or something, but there was lots of blood and chopping, in a funny way in the mag that is, so I wanted to watch it! When it finally came on HBO or Showtime or whatever, it was so worth the wait 😂
Barry Hammock
2025-03-07 03:12:43 +0000 UTCOnce you watch Batman V Superman through the lens of a Superfan of this movie… it all makes sense. Synder is obsessed with John Boorman’s work.
djKENTO
2025-03-07 03:12:23 +0000 UTCCan you believe in 1997, my senior year at Catholic high school, we convinced our English teacher to play this movie in class (British Literature)? The poor teacher had no idea about this movie! She was sitting in the very back of the classroom grading papers so it took her a few moments before she could hit stop on the VCR 😆
Andy Thomas
2025-03-07 02:55:08 +0000 UTCDespite some artistic liberties (e.g., the armor which would not have looked like that in the Dark Ages) it's still the greatest Arthurian flick in my opinion. It's like a fever dream at times, and NOT kid-friendly, as it should be. Nicol Williamson's Merlin is unequaled to this day. And yes, it was a hit. Certainly here in America (which was not expected) where it grossed USD $35 million (remember, that's in 1981 dollars).
Evan
2025-03-07 02:48:32 +0000 UTCThe story is based on Mort D’Arthur by Thomas Malory written in the 1400’s. He was the first to take the ancient tales and put them into a complete story form using all the old legends. The real Arthur, if there was one, probably lived in the 6th century after the Romans left Britain. It was a decent hit when it came out and got some really good reviews.
Geoff S.
2025-03-07 02:43:12 +0000 UTC
