You would think that with magic banished, the story would be lacking in the magic area, but there's tons of magic and special effects shown in the show. The special effects are pretty good but nothing amazing. I think they could have done the dragon a bit more realistically. Most of the scenes in Merlin were filmed in Pierrefonds, France in a real castle which lends to the feel of authenticity. Thankfully, the series isn't loaded with teen sexcapades with everyone falling into bed with everyone else which means this makes a fantastic family show that is suitable for all ages except the very young since there are a few scary scenes that might be a bit too much for them.
Overall I enjoyed the series. It doesn't really follow the legend very well so if you try to think of it too much as the legend of Arthur it gets confusing trying to mesh the two together. However, if you look at it as a magical adventure set in ancient England, it's quite enjoyable.
Merlin: The Complete First Season contains all 13 episodes from the television drama series. It is contained on five discs and has over two hours of special features including two making-of featurettes, video diaries, photo galleries, audio commentary, and wallpaper.
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Article comments
1 - MerlinFan
"Guinevere in the movie is an African American and definitely wasn't in the legend."
Angel Coulby, the actress that plays Gwen, is British, born in London, England. She isn't African American, that term only applies to Americans.
2 - Sara
Anthony head doesn't play King Arthur Pendragon as mentioned in the article, he plays King Uther Pendragon
3 - Chris
You have so many inaccuracies here that it's freaking hilarious. You should do actual research before you, you know, CRITIC.
4 - Morgana Le Fay
I'm sorry, but your review is so inaccurate it's actually a hilarious read!
In addition to the mistakes mentioned before, the creators have mentioned time and time again that it wasn't their intention to stay true to Arthurian legend, but to re-imagine the characters and stories when they were young.
You really should watch it sometime - I think you'd enjoy it.
5 - Erin
Oh man, no incest? ... Bummer? (*snort*)
Thanks for a hilarious read. It's a bit ridiculous that a reviewer whose criticism revolves around historical (btw, this isn't history, ma'am, it's legend) accuracy would write a review that's like a minefield of inaccuracies and lazy mistakes.
But truly, I did enjoy it. Really funny. Made my morning.
6 - Amy
You, madam, are a joke. try actually watching the show before you post up your ignorant opinions. NONE of this is fact.
7 - Kels
The internet can be your friend, ma'am. Yes, there are historical inaccuracies up the wazoo [I will admit that they make me cringe occasionally] but as an above commenter said, the creators were not so much trying to make a History Channel masterpiece as attempting to give an age-old legend [noun; An unauthentic or non-historical story, esp. one handed down by tradition from early times and popularly regarded as historical] a little face-lift.
8 - Kilgharrah
"I think they could have done the dragon a bit more realistically."
I'm curious, have you seen many dragons in real life? Perhaps you should send The Mill [the special effects company working on Merlin] some photos for future reference.
9 - MerlinFan2
In agreement with the other reviewers here. There are too many inaccuracies in the review for it to be of any value. The Arthurian legend is LEGEND, not history, as the writer seems to believe. Taking license with legend is a creative tradition. It expands and enriches legend, and I think this show does just that. As a fan of the show, I recommend it. It's smart, imaginative, dramatic, and very well acted.
10 - Jordan Richardson
Guinevere in the movie is black and definitely wasn't in the legend.
Not to pile on, but what? Why is changing the race of a character a problem when adapting a legend to a television show?
Perhaps the Amazon product description offers a clue:
"Merlin is a new drama series that updates the story of the infamous sorcerer of Arthurian legend for a new audience."
Ah, there it is.
11 - Gwen
African American?
ROFL. Lady, what is wrong with you.
12 - Fortress Guy
We almost feel as though there is less magi in season 4.
Here is our take on season 1 with lots of pics and perhaps a little wit if you are interested.