The thing that I love about this movie is its complexity. I have grown up with this movie - in 1998 when it came out on TV I was 12 and watched it like any other 12 year old would - bad guys vs good guys. However as I grew older and into my teenage years, I began to see the intricate layers of this movie.
The best things about this movie, which are extremely rare in movies or TV shows, is that there is no true villain. Queen Mab is made out to be, but you can sympathise with her - she is the last of her 'race' who cares enough to try to fight against their extinction. She is not actually evil in any sense. Another is the recognition that people make mistakes - this whole movie is about Merlin constantly making mistakes and mis-judging people and their motives. Under-riding everything is the religious tones - Is it pure coincidence that Merlin was an immaculate conception. There is so much thought that has gone into this movie - much more than others - from the 'naturalistic' use of magic, to the complex characters and multiple themes and complex story lines - it is great. If they re-made this as MA (instead of PG) nowdays (and got rid of all the 'kiddie stuff', I think it would rival Game of Thrones at least in complexity and quality!
The best things about this movie, which are extremely rare in movies or TV shows, is that there is no true villain. Queen Mab is made out to be, but you can sympathise with her - she is the last of her 'race' who cares enough to try to fight against their extinction. She is not actually evil in any sense. Another is the recognition that people make mistakes - this whole movie is about Merlin constantly making mistakes and mis-judging people and their motives. Under-riding everything is the religious tones - Is it pure coincidence that Merlin was an immaculate conception. There is so much thought that has gone into this movie - much more than others - from the 'naturalistic' use of magic, to the complex characters and multiple themes and complex story lines - it is great. If they re-made this as MA (instead of PG) nowdays (and got rid of all the 'kiddie stuff', I think it would rival Game of Thrones at least in complexity and quality!