The way Merlin is portrayed here is the best I have ever seen (and believe me, I have seen a lot, if not all).
Of course the story is great and so are the co-actors but Sam Neill BECOMES Merlin. What someone here described as "dull" is only the result of crawling into the skin of who he thinks Merlin is. Not a great magician that will solve everything(as the king would like), not a vengeful Old-Religion priest(as Mab would have him be) but simply Merlin. We know this man, have seen what happens in his life and it follows he chose the path of wisdom. He was tested by life and sorrow but came out whole and, in the end, wise. And in this calm, for all his wiseness, you still see him fall madly in love, losing this love and then ('nough said...) ...and you believe it! I think only 3 films in my life rated a 10, this is one of them. All because of Sam Neills performance.
Of course the story is great and so are the co-actors but Sam Neill BECOMES Merlin. What someone here described as "dull" is only the result of crawling into the skin of who he thinks Merlin is. Not a great magician that will solve everything(as the king would like), not a vengeful Old-Religion priest(as Mab would have him be) but simply Merlin. We know this man, have seen what happens in his life and it follows he chose the path of wisdom. He was tested by life and sorrow but came out whole and, in the end, wise. And in this calm, for all his wiseness, you still see him fall madly in love, losing this love and then ('nough said...) ...and you believe it! I think only 3 films in my life rated a 10, this is one of them. All because of Sam Neills performance.