Merlin - The New Adventures Vol. 6

Content: The battle for Camelot enters a decisive round. Morgana (Katie McGrath) continues to spin her intrigues, managing to topple King Uther (Anthony Head) from his throne and seize power in Camelot. But Arthur (Bradley James), of course, does everything he can with Merlin (Colin Morgan) and other loyal friends to free the king and bring peace back to Camelot. These events dominate the final episodes of the third season of Merlin - The New Adventures, but there are other adventures for the heroes of the popular fantasy series to face. For example, Merlin's master Gaius gets a visit from his old love Alice, who, how could it be otherwise, is of course under the influence of an evil magician. The love between Arthur and Gwen is sorely tested by a Morgana intrigue, and Merlin puts his own life on the line in an attempt to help Gwen.

The second part of the third season of Merlin - The New Adventures heads inexorably towards its dramatic climax. The battle for Camelot is exciting and quite lavishly staged. Admittedly, the special effects can not stand up to big cinema productions. The mix of the atmospheric filming locations in France and England, the good equipment and the decent CGI effects make this series again absolutely worth seeing fantasy action with a pinch of humor and a dash of romance.

While the series' family-friendly appeal is again maintained in these new episodes. Still, it's even more apparent with the second installment of Season 3 than it was with Vol. 5 that Merlin - The New Adventures seems to be getting darker and more adult overall. And that doesn't hurt the series at all. True, some of the characters still lack the depth that would make this version of Arthurian legend more than just very good TV entertainment. Especially Merlin himself remains rather pale in many moments in direct comparison to his comrades-in-arms. Still, the stories are exciting and the production entertaining enough to console over such weaknesses.

Just the final two-parter of this season is a good example of how the creators always manage to cleverly deceive over minor weaknesses and let the events still seem exciting and extremely gripping despite quite existing clichés. In addition, both the fight sequences, as well as the visual effects, especially in these last two episodes can be seen quite well. After three seasons, the makers know exactly what they have to offer their fans to make them excited. And as a conclusion for Vol 6 it can be confidently said that they have delivered absolutely convincing. So if you have followed the adventures of Merlin, Arthur, Gwen and Co. so far, you shouldn't miss this box set. Recommended!

Picture + Sound: Here everything remains the same: powerfully implemented colors and a decent overall sharpness lift the DVD conversion above good TV level. With the sound please the repeatedly used sound effects, which can unfold their potential in the stereo mix only slightly. Music and dialogue, however, come out of the speakers in a coherent mix. Overall, there is for Vol. 6 again a decent: Good!

Extras: Neben two audio commentaries on Disc 2 and 3 are on the third DVD a few more extras. The nearly 20-minute making of sort of serves as an overview of the events from season 3, peppered with a few glimpses into the filming. There are also a few cut scenes, amusing outtakes and trailers. There are optional German subtitles for the extras, unlike the individual episodes. Good.

Conclusion: Merlin - The New Adventures is heading for a dramatic climax with the end of the third season. While there are some amusing moments in the six new episodes, overall the dark shadow cast by Morgana and Morgause's quest to defeat King Uther and take power over Camelot dominates. Vol. 6 also offers exciting fantasy entertainment that fans of the series should definitely not miss. The episodes are technically again well implemented, the extras are not particularly extensive, but for fans definitely worth watching!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp