I believe that Excalibur is the very best Arthurian film. It is a brilliant retelling of the Arthurian legend and it gets the story right--he is the once and future king, a messianic figure. Boorman beautifully captures the myth. Spoilers: Furthermore, a line that Sean Connery delivered in Zardoz dully and ineffectively is delivered by Helen Mirren to great effect in this film--you really believe that Morgana wants Merlin's knowledge so badly that she will sacrifice herself. And the ending works so well, you believe in Arthur. The ship heads toward Avalon, somewhere toward the setting sun, to the West. And I love the music, Wagner works so well in this film. A grand film.