FilmDungeon’s Chief Editor JK sorts through the Dungeon’s DVD-collection to look for old cult favorites….

Excalibur (1981, UK, USA)

Director: John Boorman
Cast: Nigel Terry, Nicol Williamson, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay
Running Time: 140 mins.

For the ultimate film about the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, look no further than John Boorman’s Excalibur. It has everything from dark magic to romance, to sword fights. It was filmed completely in Ireland, and the sets and costumes (lots of very heavy and impractical armor) are fantastically realized. Storywise, it incorporates familiar elements, like the sword in the stone, Lancelot’s romance with Guenevere, and Perceval’s search for the Holy Grail, but also new stories such as Arthur fathering a bastard son with his half sister Morgana who wants to destroy him. The cast is very good with early performances by Liam Neeson, Gabriel Byrne, and Helen Mirren. But it is Nicol Williamson who steals the show as Merlin the Necromancer.