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Parents' Guide to

Merlin: The Return

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Clumsy, low-budget King Arthur story is mostly harmless.

Movie NR 2001 90 minutes
Merlin: The Return Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

This movie looks chintzy, doesn't often make any sense, and frequently suffers from poor visual effects, unfunny jokes, and stagnant battle scenes. Writer/director Paul Matthews likely was hampered by a small budget and possibly a lack of skill. Actors such as Craig Sheffer and Tia Carrere, who have been decent elsewhere, come across as fairly hammy, and comic actor Rik Mayall seems an odd choice for Merlin. He never seems sure whether he wants to be heroic or crack a joke.

The plot doesn't seem to come from anywhere. It's not clear what the scientist hopes to achieve by freeing Mordred, nor is it clear what he's going to do when he's freed. It's also not clear what everyone is still doing alive after 1,500 years. But, aside from all this nonsense, Merlin: The Return is far from annoying or aggressive. It's actually fairly inoffensive and harmless, and a certain kind of young viewer might actually enjoy it.

Movie Details

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