Forged by a god. Foretold by a wizard. Found by a king.
Arthur fulfills his fate by bringing together the Knights of the Round Table at Camelot and unifying the country. However, this flawed monarch faces greater tests ahead in pursuit of love, the Holy Grail, and his nation's survival.
Excalibur (1981) is a adventure and fantasy film directed by John Boorman, released on April 10, 1981 with a runtime of 2h 21m. It stars Nigel Terry, Nicol Williamson, Helen Mirren and Nicholas Clay. Viewers rate it 7.0 out of 10 across 1,191 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for Excalibur before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for Excalibur.
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Nigel Terry
as King Arthur
Nicol Williamson
as Merlin
Helen Mirren
as Morgana
Nicholas Clay
as Lancelot
Paul Geoffrey
as Perceval
Cherie Lunghi
as Guenevere
Robert Addie
as Mordred
Gabriel Byrne
as Uther
Keith Buckley
as Uryens
Katrine Boorman
as Igrayne
Corin Redgrave
as Cornwall
Liam Neeson
as Gawain
Directed by John Boorman, written by John Boorman, Thomas Malory and Rospo Pallenberg, produced by John Boorman.
Average viewer score of 7.0/10 from 1,191 ratings.
***Eccentric depiction of the medieval myths surrounding King Arthur*** In the late 400s Merlin the sorcerer of Britain takes advantage of the lust of King Uther (Gabriel Byrne) for a Duke’s wife, Ingrayne (Katrine Boorman), to grant him a boy who becomes King Arthur of Camelot (Nigel Terry) when he pulls Excalibur from the stone, a magical sword. Arthur marries Guenevere (Cherie Lunghi), but when Lancelot…
Reviewed on November 25, 2018
A fun “retro dark fantasy” movie with applaudable historical accuracy, peak 80s visuals, with some campy moments. A gem of the 80s that holds up well today
Reviewed on June 10, 2024
I think that of all the King Arthur films, this must be the most "authentic". That's largely down to the stylish cinematography and to Nicol Williamson's portrayal of the legendary sorcerer "Merlin". There aren't any whizzy visual effects or bodies morphing into dragons here; this is a much more cerebral chronology of the rise of a young boy (Nigel Terry) from the result of an illicit tryst between the king and the…
Reviewed on June 18, 2026
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Excalibur (1981) is currently available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. No subscription streaming option is listed right now, so availability may change.
The main cast of Excalibur (1981) includes Nigel Terry, Nicol Williamson, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay and Paul Geoffrey. The film was directed by John Boorman. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Excalibur was released on April 10, 1981 and runs for 2h 21m.
Excalibur (1981) holds an average rating of 7.0 out of 10 from 1,191 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy adventure and fantasy films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official Excalibur trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
