Review: The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin
In some ways, I guess you could say I was predisposed to love the new epic fantasy/historical fiction series from the Daily Wire. Outside of The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia, Stephen R. Lawhead’s Pendragon Cycle is my favorite book series ever. It has everything I want in a series of this type: Noble yet relatable heroes. Villains with real depth who are not just misunderstood victims. Complex worldbuilding. Intense action. And a strong moral and spiritual code. Lawhead’s retelling of King Arthur, Merlin, Camelot, and the Knights of the Round Table has been my preferred version since the first time I read the series over 20 years ago.
But that deep, long-standing love also carried with it a lot of baggage. Here was an upstart streaming service attempting to bring this epic story to the screen. The Daily Wire had dabbled in producing its own movies before, but this was at an unprecedented scale, and I was worried they did not have the experience or the skill to do it justice.
The Pendragon Cycle succeeds where others have failed.
I am pleased to report that my fears were entirely put to rest when I finally sat down to watch the series. The Pendragon Cycle is every bit as grand as it needs to be. Sweeping vistas, a big, majestic score, and a color palette that jumps off the screen. It is also grounded and tactile in a way that most modern fantasy is not. It feels lived in, with real dirt, real mud. The costumes have a sense of history to them, not shiny and clean and fresh from the wardrobe department. CGI is used sparingly and the majority of the grandeur of the series is brought to life by shooting in real places with real, God created scenery.
But even more impressive than the visuals and the accompanying score, is the utter fidelity to Lawhead’s vision. The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin is unapologetic in its worldview. There is real and terrible evil in the world, and it is the sacred duty of good men and women to fight against that flood. Underpinning all of that is the utter conviction that there is one true God, we can know Him, and our lives will only know true rest and peace if we devote ourselves to His ways, not ours.
Handled poorly, all of that could feel trite and preachy, like so many other “Christian” films or television shows of the past. Happily, Jeremy Boreing (series creator and director) and a massive collection of other talented artists, filmmakers, and actors avoid all the common missteps that so many other films have made. The Christian ethic and worldview of the show is naturally woven into the very fabric of the story – it has no need for scene-stalling speeches or plot derailing preaching.
The Pendragon Cycle is set against the backdrop of the union of two cultures and the battle for the soul of Britain just as the Christian faith was taking its first, halting steps in the land. It was a hard and unforgiving time, and the series does not shy away from the darker sides of 5th century living. These are broken people living in a broken world who are straining and grasping for the Great Light.
The Pendragon cast is uniformly excellent, with the leads giving fantastic performance. Tom Sharp (Merlin), Rose Reid (Charis), and James Arden (Taliesin) fully inhabit their roles, giving flesh and blood reality to characters I had only ever been able to see in my head. Honestly, I am still pinching myself that this series actually exists; I’ve dreamed about it for so long.
Probably the best compliment I can give the series is that it gets the big moments right. So often, when a beloved book is adapted into a television series or a movie, the filmmakers decide they know better than the author about what the story needs to succeed. Boreing and company make no such mistake. If you love the books, the Daily Wire series will undoubtedly win you over.
The Pendragon Cycle is not safe, but good.
The Pendragon Cycle is muscular, manly filmmaking. It is not dainty, treacly, or for those who need their art to be sanitized. It is not “positive and encouraging” or safe. But it is good. And contrary to petty attacks from gatekeepers due to this being a Daily Wire production, the series is not “right wing” in any modern sense. Unless by right wing, they mean it champions virtue, nobility, courage, honor, and self-sacrificing love. If so, then it is very right wing.
We need more art like The Pendragon Cycle. Our hearts need these stories, and our souls are better because of them.
(The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin is available on The Daily Wire’s streaming platform. The series is not rated but it would be appropriate for older teens and above. I would rate it a hard PG-13 for violence and some revealing attire.)
- Review: The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin - April 22, 2026
- Pray in the Window, Not the Street Corner - April 20, 2026
- Review: NEEDTOBREATHE – The Long Surrender - April 2, 2026
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