Streaming And Screaming: 1998’s ‘Merlin’
by Tito W. James
Once and Future, Nottingham, Slaine: The Horned God — here at Comicon, we love our medieval myths and legends! The film that cemented my love for the fantasy genre was the epic two-part series Merlin. In it, The magician remembers his war against Queen Mab (Miranda Richardson) and his role in the court of King Arthur (Paul Curran). Sam Neill‘s performance as Merlin is both iconic and unorthodox. He’s not the grey-bearded mentor we’ve grown to expect, but he’s still the enigmatic trickster whose destiny is inevitably tied to the legend of Arthur. While the special effects have clearly aged, the themes of the Age of Magic fighting for existence in a rapidly-changing world still prove intriguing. Merlin has a similar nostalgic appeal to The Odyssey TV film from the ’90s. So give it a watch and prepare to be enchanted.
Merlin parts 1 and 2 are now streaming on Tubi.
