ALARIS' REVIEWS

11th January 2009
Merlin: Pilot (2008)

From the moment I heard the concept - Arthurian sorcerer Merlin as a teenager, I thought 'Smallville, here we go again'. Then, when I heard that not only is Merlin a teenager, but so is Arthur, Guinevere, and Morgan le Fay, all living in Castle Camelot, I thought 'Hoo boy'.

Despite my significant reservations about 'Merlin for the MTV generation', I really wanted this to be good. It's still pretty rare to come across a genuine fantasy TV series, let alone a good one. Unfortunately, Merlin lived down to my initial expectations.

It's probably too harsh to list all its flaws straight out, because the pilot wasn't terrible, it just wasn't very good compared to other fantasy shows I've seen. It didn't have the upbeat, contemporary stylisation of A Knight's Tale (2001), or the lush, gothic atmosphere of Gormenghast (2000). It didn't even have the fun adventure of childhood classic Willow (1988). Instead, Merlin trod a predictable middle road, where the story was never particularly exciting, funny, or dramatic.

The writing was pretty bland, and the acting was disappointingly wooden. The main character, Merlin, didn't come across strongly enough as either empathetic or charismatic - at best, he was alright. At worst, he was a bit immature and arrogant, without the warmth and vulnerability. I will say that the set designers did a decent job though.

Overall, I might have enjoyed Merlin more when I was younger, before I'd seen far better fantasy series and films. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough in the pilot to keep me watching.

Verdict: An interesting concept that fails to deliver. A mediocre fantasy series on every front.

If you like Robin Hood (2006), you might like this.