The Excalibur Kid from 1999 is a Fun Movie for Young and Old

I've always been a big fan of King Arthur stories or anything to do with that time period, so Excalibur Kid sounded like a relaxing movie to watch. It turned out to be a 5 star TV movie and I actually would be willing to watch it again!

Minor Plot Details
We start with Merlin in one location, and a young lady in another location. Both are watching the future through magic. Merlin is watching Arthur as he pulls the sword from the stone and is crowned King. Meanwhile, the young lady is watching Zack, a 15 year old boy from the 90s. Zack is unhappy with his family since he found out they are moving, and he takes his aggression out with his fencing sword while he talks of how nice it would be to live in the medieval times where a 15 year old was in charge of his own life!

Well Zack's wish is about to come true! The young lady uses a spell to bring him back in time, and sets him up right in front of the sword in the stone. Of course he pulls it, and she instantly pulls a fast one on the whole town crying out that the new King has come to pull the sword! Zack decides to enjoy these new happenings even though it's all quite unbelievable, however... what's to come of Arthur now that Zack came and screwed things up? And why did the young lady bring him back? You'll have to see for yourself!

Actors
Jason McSkimming .... Zack .... Jason was pretty good as this teen exploring a new (or old) and exciting land. He has some fun with the travel back in time and will probably be the character that keeps kids entertained the most. He wasn't my favorite character though, as I preferred the other three stars mentioned below.

Francois Klanfer .... Merlin .... Francois played a somewhat nutty magician and reminded me a lot of Christoper Lloyd's character (Doc) in the Back to the Future movies. He's the one who knows everything, and he's the only one that can really help fix it! Will Merlin get things back the way they should be???

Mak Fyfe .... Arthur .... I thought Mak was pretty funny as the boy who didn't believe. He's very hard to convince, and that added another little twist to the story. You would have thought Arthur would have been all over being King and finding his way back to the thrown, but instead he basically refused to believe the story Merlin told him.

Francesca Scorsone .... Morgause .... This is the young lady/magician who brought Zack back. She was my favorite character in this movie. She gave us some humor, special effects, and pretty decent acting. She really seemed to be into her part and didn't seem to mind over-acting when it was appropriate.

5 Star TV Movie!!
This is a Hallmark Channel movie which basically means a TV movie. So to give it 5 stars means that it's one of the best TV movies I've seen, but not one of the best movies when compared to those you'll see in the theater. You have to remember these movies have a lower budget, and lesser known cast and crew members. So you can still enjoy this plenty as long as you keep that in mind.

Why I liked it
The reason this stood out above other Hallmark movies I've seen is because it was actually very engaging. When Zack goes back to the medieval times, I was entertained and paying attention the whole time. The music was great and for some reason made me think of some kind of medieval dancing! (Don't ask, it just did.) Medieval England was very close to how I picture it and fit well with other movies based on this time period.

There are other movies based on the same time, and even based on a similar plot, but I really enjoyed this one because the overall plot was different and more entertaining than I expected. It is predictable at the start, but quickly becomes unpredictable as you try to figure out how Zack could possibly become king and if Merlin will be able to help Arthur get his destiny back... which doesn't seem easy since Arthur doesn't believe any of what happened.

I was impressed with the advanced special effects and sets this movie used considering it was made for TV. I love magic and love it more when it looks real, and this movie accomplished that. The actors were not big screen quality but they were great on the small screen. I was happy they didn't have any majorly corny lines as I've seen in other Hallmark movies, but instead the script was very well written.

This movie was adventure/fantasy with a slight bit of comedy thrown in. Such as Morgause can't understand why Zack always says "Cool" as if he wants it colder, yet he's also always complaining that the castle is freezing. Overall, it's a family movie that's acceptable for all ages. It's fun, lighthearted, and relaxing. Excalibur Kid may not be a famous hit, but it's still a pretty good watch for anyone who likes this time period. Enjoy!!