Merlin and the Book of Beasts Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Merlin and the Book of Beasts Blu-ray Movie Review

The insomniac's movie of choice.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 29, 2010

In my day, sorcery and swordplay went hand-in-hand.

Sorcery and swordplay. Staples of cinema to be sure, guaranteed to enchant and excite. Well, at least in the hands of a capable cast and crew working off a decent script. Merlin and the Book of Beasts is another made-for-SyFy movie that, like some of the channel's other offerings of late, never really embraces all that much that would normally qualify as "Sci-Fi" (hence the channel's change in name?). Heck, something along the lines of "Merlin in Space" might have actually been an improvement over this final product. As it is, this particular SyFy film tackles the world of Arthurian legend, but more or less in name only. It's got some of the usual suspects -- Excalibur, Sir Galahad, and -- yeah, that's about it. It's also got Medusa -- nothing like tossing some Greek mythology into English mythology -- and a portrayal of Merlin that's in the running for one of the oddest in film history, actor James Callis' ("Battlestar Galactica") performance quite possibly a potential world-record holder for most scenes in a movie without blinking. It all adds up to just another dud from the television station that specializes in off-the-cuff entertainment.

They're the world's most fearsome fighting team!

In the time after King Arthur's historic reign, the evil Aracdian (Jim Thorburn) has seized control of a powerful book -- The Book of Beasts -- and through its power he unleashes unspeakable evil on the local population, slaughtering entire villages with beasts come to life through its mystical pages. A band of heroes led by the noble Sir Galahad (Donald Adams) and Arthur's daughter Avlynn (Laura Harris) are seeking out the powerful wizard Merlin (Callis) in hopes that he can aid them in defeating Aracdian and restoring peace and prosperity to the land. Merlin turns down Avlynn's plea for help, only to later choose the greater good and aid the heroes in their quest. He shares with his new friends the tale of the Book of Beasts, how it was once in his possession but was stolen for Arcadian by Morgan le Fay and of the unspeakable powers its holder may wield. The powerful tome may prove too much for them to overcome, lest they find a way to even the playing field with their own weapon of great power and engage in a battle to preserve good over evil and return light to the now darkened but once-proud kingdom of Camelot.

Originally aired as simply Book of Beasts (and still listed as such on SyFy's website), someone, somewhere, apparently decided that the movie needed an additional selling point, so why not tack on the only real household name that appears in the character list in front of the title? (Either that, or they could have tossed in some zombies, cyborgs, and aliens into the fray.) Frankly, however, Merlin and the Book of Beasts might have worked better without grasping at straws and populating itself with characters from history and mythology that don't necessarily fit into the nuts-and-bolts of the story. In many ways, it's a lot like Beyond Sherwood Forest, that picture, too, taking established historical and fictional figures, placing them in the proper time period, but tossing in some irregularity to spruce up the movie and take it well beyond established lore. In some ways that works and in many others it doesn't. Merlin is a film where it doesn't quite work; the picture feels flimsy despite a decent if not stale premise: evil character comes into possession of some object that gives him great power, and several heroes must take it back and restore the damage he's done. It's been done before, and Merlin and the Book of Beasts feels like a movie where some generic story was built around a character just so that said character could be used as a marketing ploy to get people to watch, only they forgot to put his name in the title, at least on the movie's own webpage.

Adding to the picture's problems is a sluggish pace. In 90 minutes, the basic story consists of: bad guy unleashes deadly butterflies, Merlin turns down an appeal for help, Merlin pops up to save the day and agrees to help, Merlin and friends battle Arcadian, Merlin and friends form a new strategy, Merlin and friends fight in the final battle between good and evil. It's pretty basic stuff, but there's some blatantly obvious filler material that's apparently meant not to enhance the story but to stretch its runtime to fit a SyFy channel time slot. The acting is borderline abysmal, too; in the actors' defense, their characters are incredibly two-dimensional and everyone but Merlin and Avlynn enjoy only the most basic of character development. It's even difficult to keep up with the heroes; there's a character named "Lysanor," but it usually sounds like the characters are calling him "Lancelot," and at one point it's obvious an actor slipped and called him "Lysol." It just adds to the confusion, but seeing that these secondary characters may as well be invisible, it's not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things. James Callis's performance as Merlin is the film's most dubious; he walks around with a thousand-yard stare, never once blinking, and sounding like Karl Childers if he smoked two packs per day for 30 years. On the plus side, Merlin and the Book of Beasts doesn't go CGI-crazy like so many other SyFy pictures; it's there, and what's there isn't great, but the special effects are better-integrated into the picture and don't stand out as quite as dismal as those seen in other, similar fare.

Merlin and the Book of Beasts Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Merlin and the Book of Beasts enchants with a good-looking 1080p transfer, displayed within a 1.78:1 aspect ratio that preserves the film's original broadcast specifications. The image is sharp and clean, sporting a somewhat glossy appearance. Though slightly flat, fine detailing is impressive. Colors are of a neutral but stable quality, never appearing either too dim or overly saturated. Outdoor scenes fare very well; clumps of grass often appear as nicely textured and rarely look clumpy and/or indistinct. Dirt roads and rocky terrains also showcase a good amount of texture and precision, while period clothes reveal every seam and spot of caked-on grime in close-up shots. Blacks are stable and deep with only a few instances of minor crush, and flesh tones retain a neutral appearance. A few shots, particularly some with heavy CGI, go somewhat soft and loose a bit of vibrancy, but the image is generally sharp and crisp. Noise is never an issue, and while there's some serious banding going on in a few scenes, the transfer is relatively free of the unsightly blocking which often seems to plague low-budget, shot-on-video movies. All told, Merlin and the Book of Beasts looks rather good on Blu-ray.

Merlin and the Book of Beasts Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Merlin and the Book of Beasts comes to Blu-ray with a surprisingly strong Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack; note that there are no lossless soundtracks included. For a Dolby Digital mix, this one does a remarkably good job of placing the listener in the midst of the film's outdoor locales. The speakers often spring to life with natural sounds aplenty, whether chirping birds, rain droplets falling about the soundstage, or other pleasing and convincing effects. The track is notably absent that precision and utmost clarity that listeners associate with lossless presentations, and while Merlin's lossy offering comes up a bit short in those areas, the strong surround presentation and the authority of some of the more potent effects do a fine job of masking the track's deficiencies. Bass isn't overpowering but it is present; an old knight in heavy armor stumbles about in one early scene, each step accompanied by a noticeable but not overpowering thud. The track does well to spread across the front half of the stage, too; while dialogue stays straight up the middle, the front left and right speakers often find themselves in supporting roles that enhance the picture's scenes both serene and action-oriented. A lossless soundtrack is always preferable, but this Dolby Digital mix is no slouch.

Merlin and the Book of Beasts Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Merlin and the Book of Beasts contains no extra content.

Merlin and the Book of Beasts Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Merlin and the Book of Beasts is a film built around a name; after all, who doesn't know Merlin, and who doesn't like magic? Unfortunately, the picture's strengths pretty much stop at "Merlin." The action is tepid, the story weak, the characters flat, and the acting just this side of miserable. Fortunately, the special effects aren't the final nail in the coffin. Like Beyond Sherwood Forest, it's a questionable call at best if a recommendation is in order for fans of Merlin and Arthurian legend; the picture's only marginally connected to lore, but diehards might at least want to check it out. This Starz/Anchor Bay Blu-ray release of Merlin and the Book of Beasts offers no extras but it does sport a quality technical presentation, even in the absence of a lossless soundtrack. Recommended as a rental for those that must consume everything Merlin.