Excalibur has not only Liam Neeson, but also young Gabriel Byrne, Helen Mirren and Ciaran Hinds. Personally, I like the movie quite a bit, despite some clunkiness and cheese. It's impressive how Nigel Terry gets transformed from a rather stupid-looking kid to someone with a kingly presence, just with the addition of a beard.

Plus, the sex scene between Igrayne and Uther is kind of hot. Well, except I learned (years after I saw the film) that the actress who played Igrayne was the director John Boorman's daughter, which is kind of skeevetastic when you think about it.

Also Patrick Stewart! The (oh so young) actors and art direction are impressive, but the script is pretty awful, IMO.

Jessica, how much on-screen violence is there?

There's enough. It's not so overwhelming or graphic that I had trouble watching, but it's not shied away from either.

Alicia, I thought Hero was one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen. The story does drag, although I thought it picked up more near the end. Whereas all I've heard about Flying Daggers is that it's pretty, but that it has even less story than Hero. Am I wrong?

... the actress who played Igrayne was the director John Boorman's daughter...

and the actor who played Mordred is Charlie Boorman. Nepotism? Yes please.

It was Charlie who went with Ewan McGregor on that around-the-world motorcycle trip last year. Ooh, as evidenced here: [link]

This was also on the same page as Summer and Charlize: [link]

A new stop-motion animated movie from Tim Burton with Johnny Depp's voice. Cool!

and the actor who played Mordred is Charlie Boorman.

That was young Mordred. Adult Mordred was played by Robert Addie, who thereafter became Guy of Gisborne in ...

... Robin of Sherwood. It's all connected.

Whereas all I've heard about Flying Daggers is that it's pretty, but that it has even less story than Hero. Am I wrong?

IMO, yes, but I honestly don't know what people thought was missing from Hero (which I didn't find boring or plotless), so I'm probably the wrong person to answer. But I thought Daggers was better on every level.

Just a brief note: The Sphere is even worse than The Abyss

Well, yes. In the makes-no-sense department, the short version of The Abyss just has that one final asspull, while the entirety of The Sphere is a steaming pile of nonsense.

Also, if you are willing to blink any time the aliens are onscreen, The Abyss is actually a clever, efficient slasher pic of the cabin-fever subtype. Got to love an antagonist who spends a whole conversation cutting slices out of his own arm.

To sort of repeat whatt Nutty said, drop the last half hour, The Abyss isn't a bad movie.

Drop the alien subplot altogether, and The Abyss is a good movie.