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From Amazon.co.uk
Television has always managed to thrive, and find new angles, on period action adventure shows, returning in many cases to stories and legends of old. That’s what’s happened with the US television series of Camelot, which takes similar material that inspired the BBC’s Merlin show, but tries to do something a bit more grown up with it. That translates to more menace, more violence, and darker themes bubbling underneath.
This time, Jamie Campbell Bower takes the role of Arthur, with Eva Green faring well as his half-sister, Morgan. The cast is rounded out by the likes of Tamsin Egerton and Joseph Fiennes, and the show is billed as the Camelot story “that has never been told before”. That’s a bit of dubious claim, really, although it does try a few things with the legend that give it some distinction. But not as much as you’d hope.
The problem, though, is that Camelot never sparks consistently into life. There’s a lot to like here, from the quality of the production design, some of the direction, and the terrific turn from Eva Green that sits at the heart of many of the show’s best moments. But the acting performances are up and down, while the writing, too, lets the side down a little too often. Common sense doesn’t always prevail where this Camelot is concerned.
Camelot remains an enjoyable show, and one that’s certainly worth checking out. It’s not too hard, though, to work out the reasons why its light flickered out after only one season run. Eva Green, though, is really rather special here. --Jon Foster
Product Description
Britain is steeped in war and deception when a young and reckless Arthur (Jamie Campbell Bower), unknown son and heir to the murdered king, is installed to the thrown. His enemies, including Arthur s ruthless half sister Morgan (Eva Green) are quick to declare war and the young king has to defend his kingdom with only one supporter on his side: the mysterious sorcerer Merlin (Joseph Fiennes).... Forget everything you think you know... this is the story of Camelot that has never been told before.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
59 of 66 people found the following review helpful
By Isis
Format:DVD
"Camelot" is a bit of a mixed bag. It has its good points, to be sure, but it also has its bad points, and whether the negatives outweigh the positives is something that I think is going to be down to individual tastes - already the series is receiving rather mixed reviews. So let's break this down.
The Good:
* The cinematography. Money has been poured into this production and you can really see it here. Sweeping vistas, use of CGI, even the title credits look slick and are thematically and artistically very similar to "The Tudors" and "The Borgias" (not too much of a surprise as some of the same people also worked on "Camelot" and apparently the show was aiming to follow in that vein).
* The cast. Again, one can sense the big spending here. You've got Eva Green as Morgan Pendragon, Joseph Fiennes as Merlin, Sean Pertwee as Sir Ector, and James Purefoy as King Lot. All bring a lot to their roles, putting in layered performances that bring the characters to life. Some of the lesser known, younger members of the cast such as Peter Mooney also succeed in pulling out some good, solid acting here.
* The show isn't afraid to be dark. Unlike the BBC's "Merlin", "Camelot" is much darker and contains a good deal more blood, sex, and language - most definitely aimed at adults, not children. If you felt that "Merlin" was a bit too wet behind the ears, you'll appreciate the darker "Camelot".
The Bad:
* Jamie Campbell Bower has been miscast as King Arthur. Arthur, who is after all the hero of the Arthurian legends, seems to be a whiny teenager here, cast on the basis of his prettiness. The character comes off as basically decent, but careless, reckless, driven by lust, sulky, and totally ignorant of the consequences of his actions.... Read more ›
The Good:
* The cinematography. Money has been poured into this production and you can really see it here. Sweeping vistas, use of CGI, even the title credits look slick and are thematically and artistically very similar to "The Tudors" and "The Borgias" (not too much of a surprise as some of the same people also worked on "Camelot" and apparently the show was aiming to follow in that vein).
* The cast. Again, one can sense the big spending here. You've got Eva Green as Morgan Pendragon, Joseph Fiennes as Merlin, Sean Pertwee as Sir Ector, and James Purefoy as King Lot. All bring a lot to their roles, putting in layered performances that bring the characters to life. Some of the lesser known, younger members of the cast such as Peter Mooney also succeed in pulling out some good, solid acting here.
* The show isn't afraid to be dark. Unlike the BBC's "Merlin", "Camelot" is much darker and contains a good deal more blood, sex, and language - most definitely aimed at adults, not children. If you felt that "Merlin" was a bit too wet behind the ears, you'll appreciate the darker "Camelot".
The Bad:
* Jamie Campbell Bower has been miscast as King Arthur. Arthur, who is after all the hero of the Arthurian legends, seems to be a whiny teenager here, cast on the basis of his prettiness. The character comes off as basically decent, but careless, reckless, driven by lust, sulky, and totally ignorant of the consequences of his actions.... Read more ›
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Parm
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:DVD
Seriously...So much potential wasted...
I want to start with the good...i do i really do... oh go on...Fiennes is brilliant, his character of Merlin is a messed up torn tortured soul addicted to magic and seemingly scared to use it, but for all that equipped with a devious mind and capable of pulling the whole kingdom together by sheer force of will.
Ok that's the good over...
Arthur...then the boy just wants to be put over someone's knee and given a damn good hiding, and the fact is this Arthur could have it done by his mum, he is a pussy, as someone's said a "surfer dude" masquerading as a warrior, it became painful, i spent so long wanting this series to work and between him and his on screen sister they belled it up. ...well to be fair add it rubbish direction, the appalling "PC" script and what must only have been a limited budget, where a war seems to be fought with about 15 people, and a kingdom defended by 5.
With all the good shows that get canned i really hope this bit of bilge gets the cutting floor treatment, there are many great historical tales out there to be told and its this rubbish that they point to and say... but people don't like them...no we don't like PC bilge masked as a Historical Fiction Story...
....and ...sorry...Soap box away!
(Parm)
I want to start with the good...i do i really do... oh go on...Fiennes is brilliant, his character of Merlin is a messed up torn tortured soul addicted to magic and seemingly scared to use it, but for all that equipped with a devious mind and capable of pulling the whole kingdom together by sheer force of will.
Ok that's the good over...
Arthur...then the boy just wants to be put over someone's knee and given a damn good hiding, and the fact is this Arthur could have it done by his mum, he is a pussy, as someone's said a "surfer dude" masquerading as a warrior, it became painful, i spent so long wanting this series to work and between him and his on screen sister they belled it up. ...well to be fair add it rubbish direction, the appalling "PC" script and what must only have been a limited budget, where a war seems to be fought with about 15 people, and a kingdom defended by 5.
With all the good shows that get canned i really hope this bit of bilge gets the cutting floor treatment, there are many great historical tales out there to be told and its this rubbish that they point to and say... but people don't like them...no we don't like PC bilge masked as a Historical Fiction Story...
....and ...sorry...Soap box away!
(Parm)
56 of 69 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I love King Arthur and his legendary knights, whether it's gritty "historical" stories or a pile of medieval anachronisms a la Malory.
But the once and future king has really gotten more than his fair share of rotten movies and TV, and the latest disaster is "Camelot." No, not the Broadway musical or the movie adaptation -- this is Starz's attempt at updating the timeless Arthurian legends (which don't NEED updating), which just turns into a silly, sloppy and overly PC mess.
The evil princess Morgan (Eva Green) murders her father Uther, exiles her stepmother, and allies herself with her dad's enemy King Lot. But Merlin (Joseph Fiennes) is having none of this, and hunts down Uther's secret illegitimate son Arthur (Jamie Campbell Bower), who has been raised by an adoptive family in the country. With Merlin's guidance and training (in rock-climbing), Arthur claims the throne --and gains Morgan's wrath.
He also falls in love with Guinevere (Tamsin Egerton), the beautiful young wife of a loyal knight, and is deftly manipulated by Merlin in decidedly unmagical ways, sometimes with bloody outcomes. As young Arthur struggles to unite Britain under him, he must deal with Morgan constantly trying to undermine his rule and his power -- but with little idea of just how far she will go.
The idea behind "Camelot" is not a bad one, and even the rewriting of Arthurian lore (the origins of Excalibur) aren't that bad. The problem is in the execution. This series wants to be a plot-heavy, gritty, authentic "Game of Thrones"-esque story, but it's actually more of a silly, anachronistic BCC "Robin Hood" (complete with multiculturalism and modern feminism, which makes it doubly ridiculous).... Read more ›
But the once and future king has really gotten more than his fair share of rotten movies and TV, and the latest disaster is "Camelot." No, not the Broadway musical or the movie adaptation -- this is Starz's attempt at updating the timeless Arthurian legends (which don't NEED updating), which just turns into a silly, sloppy and overly PC mess.
The evil princess Morgan (Eva Green) murders her father Uther, exiles her stepmother, and allies herself with her dad's enemy King Lot. But Merlin (Joseph Fiennes) is having none of this, and hunts down Uther's secret illegitimate son Arthur (Jamie Campbell Bower), who has been raised by an adoptive family in the country. With Merlin's guidance and training (in rock-climbing), Arthur claims the throne --and gains Morgan's wrath.
He also falls in love with Guinevere (Tamsin Egerton), the beautiful young wife of a loyal knight, and is deftly manipulated by Merlin in decidedly unmagical ways, sometimes with bloody outcomes. As young Arthur struggles to unite Britain under him, he must deal with Morgan constantly trying to undermine his rule and his power -- but with little idea of just how far she will go.
The idea behind "Camelot" is not a bad one, and even the rewriting of Arthurian lore (the origins of Excalibur) aren't that bad. The problem is in the execution. This series wants to be a plot-heavy, gritty, authentic "Game of Thrones"-esque story, but it's actually more of a silly, anachronistic BCC "Robin Hood" (complete with multiculturalism and modern feminism, which makes it doubly ridiculous).... Read more ›
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Holger Flick
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I watched The Tudors and expected something similar. Camelot does not deliver at all and was also cancelled after the disappointing first season.
By Stantiago
Format:DVD
Most of the reviews of Camelot have been fairly negative, calling it a whimsical attempt to challenge Game of Thrones as well as criticizing Jamie Campbell Bower as Arthur and generally labelling the series a ridiculous adaption of Arthurian legends. The comments about it being a poor challenge to Game of Thrones are relevant but only because Game of Thrones is an exceptional series, and it would take a very standard of television drama to match HBO's production. It is no insult to Camelot therefore to negatively compare it to the more or less unmatchable Game of Thrones, and this review praises, rather than insults, starz Arthurian drama.
Camelot is a version of King Arthur unlike any ever seen before on TV and it is this that causes some of its negatives. Lancelot is replaced by a character called Leontes, who is so noble and good its annoying; Merlin is given a ridiculous make over, looking more like a cross between an Anglo-Saxon war general and Obi-Wan-Kenobi as opposed to the Grey Mystic of legend; and there are plot lines that have been absent from previous Arthurian tales that are very slow and silly, such as Morgana le Fey (or in this series "Morgan Pendragon") acting like a good queen. Overall however, the show is vastly superior to recent adaptions of Arthurian legends, keeping some of the key plot-lines of the tales with some of the new characters and plot-lines adding to the positives of the series.
The characterization and acting is generally excellent.... Read more ›
Camelot is a version of King Arthur unlike any ever seen before on TV and it is this that causes some of its negatives. Lancelot is replaced by a character called Leontes, who is so noble and good its annoying; Merlin is given a ridiculous make over, looking more like a cross between an Anglo-Saxon war general and Obi-Wan-Kenobi as opposed to the Grey Mystic of legend; and there are plot lines that have been absent from previous Arthurian tales that are very slow and silly, such as Morgana le Fey (or in this series "Morgan Pendragon") acting like a good queen. Overall however, the show is vastly superior to recent adaptions of Arthurian legends, keeping some of the key plot-lines of the tales with some of the new characters and plot-lines adding to the positives of the series.
The characterization and acting is generally excellent.... Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
happy
great product, fast delivery, very happy with my DVD and such a great film, great film for the money i paid for!!!!!!!
Published 15 days ago by Phil Stokes
4.0 out of 5 stars
Almost great
Frankly, any time Eva Green is in a show and out of her clothing, I'm probably going to buy the DVD. Read more
Published 3 months ago by G-Man
5.0 out of 5 stars
Camelot dvd
I loved this when it was televised and that's why I bought the dvd. I love the story of camelot anyway but I do wish they could have done more seasons of this particular one as the... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Sharron Beech
5.0 out of 5 stars
fantastic
Got it for a gift as my sister is really in to merlin and all that and has been wanting to watch this perfect condition
Published 3 months ago by mark
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great series
Mainly got it for Eva Green but I loved the series. Disappointed there wont be a second one to see.
Published 3 months ago by Autumn
1.0 out of 5 stars
poncy self satisfied rubbish so absolutely bloody absolutely darling...
King Leontes is a fictional character in Shakespeare's play The Winter's Tale. He is the father of Mammilius and husband to Queen Hermione. Read more
Published 4 months ago by arty
5.0 out of 5 stars
brilliiant
because i love history but this was brilliantly done and would recomend to anyone that loves the story of king arthur
Published 4 months ago by marion j wilson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hilarious!
Okay, it's not supposed to be hilarious but it really, really is, if you forget the fact that it is totally far fetched and not at all true to history and don't mind a lot of... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Jelly Bean
4.0 out of 5 stars
MORGAN FOR PRESIDENT!
Finally I've managed to see this series on dvd (actually with some minor quibbles due to the menu, beautiful but quite annoying to use), well I've to admit it was better than... Read more
Published 5 months ago by *Fridi*
5.0 out of 5 stars
if you understand arthur.....
An absolute travesty that this was cancelled compared to the Merlin rubbish via the BBC. Anyone who has studies academically Arthur, Merlin et al will know that this is just one of... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Ursula
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