The Sword and the Sorcerer

Rating:
Summary: The best of the worst!
Review: I love this film!! I saw this, at the ripe old age of 31, way back in 1982, when the sword and sorcery genre was just getting started....in fact, with this movie and "Conan The Barbarian". "Conan" struck me as being ridiculous, especially with Arnold wearing a phylactery on his head with his forehead showing, unlike every illustrated image I had ever seen of Robert E. Howard's hero. James Earl Jones' Thulsa Doom was BEYOND ridiculous with that pathetic longhaired wig that just didn't jibe with his features.

Now, "Sword & the Sorcerer" didn't have the bucks behind it that "Conan" did, however, it is MUCH truer to the spirit of both the novels and Marvel comics stories that I remember reading when I was in college. Though the acting in some spots is laughable, this movie has a definite "matinee" quality that makes you root, if only internally, for the hero and his friends.

I only just recently realized that Lee Hornsley played Talon, the hero, because he doesn't even remotely resemble Matt Houston or his "Paradise" character in the role. Other TV people pepper the cast with their presence, but the weirdest cast member HAS to be Joe Regalbuto as one of Talon's freebooting colleagues. Hard to imagine Frank Fontana playing a pirate, isn't it? Richard Lynch, a man who has made a career out of playing truly despicable characters, plays Titus Cromwell, a usurper king who has to be patterned after Hollywood's generic image of Alexander the Great. He OOZES evil in the role, relishing every snarl and hiss he speaks. Kathleen Beller, who has to have the prettiest brown eyes and long lashes in TV, plays the hero-girl and love interest Alana.

While the art direction is actually pretty good for the time it was made, and holds up over time, and the cinematography is almost exemplary, the TRULY hammy acting is what gives this movie its funky, campy charm! Richard Lynch assays a line in the movie that will go down in cinema history as one of the classics of the "Yonduh lies da cassul of my fodduh" school, when he tells George Maharis' Count Machelli that he must "Obey" his "orduhs". Maharis follows a few scenes later with an equally comically read line "...He must be one of SHOOSIA'S demons!". (That's actually spelled "Xusia", but Maharis' too-American reading of it lengthens the "u" sound in the word and puts an "sh" where a "z' sound should be in the beginning of the name.)

ALL the characters are portrayed rather broadly, with some of the corniest double-entendrés and dialogue you're likely to ever see in a movie made after 1939! Like I said, this is the charm of the movie....it's actually very witty in parts, and one character, Captain Morgan, the only black with a speaking part in the flick, utters some of the funniest diction you'll ever hear as he says "Blast you, Eric! Spread the word of Talon's plight!" in tones so clipped, you'll swear he just learned English. Phonetically!

Talon, it turns out, is the long lost son of the king Cromwell slayed when Talon was a young prince to obtain his peaceful kingdom, and to compensate for this loss, he has turned into a soldier of fortune, helping other kings retain or regain their kingdoms for a price. Alana, the daughter of one of his father's advisors, pleads her case with him, not knowing who he is, to rid his native Ehdan of the usurper Cromwell, so her brother, Prince Mikah, can sit on the throne as the "rightful heir". This Talon does, never revealing to anybody else but Cromwell who he really is. Along the way, there are various cartoon gorey scenes that a two year old could tell were fake, (though they're STILL pretty gruesome,)some actually pretty good music, very colorful frames, and some of the most comically corny dalogue and acting you'll ever see in a movie. It's easy to believe that the people involved INTENDED to make this movie so campy, because it's pretty consistent throughout.

This movie can be had dirt cheap, NEW, on VHS, so I recommend you get it, pop open a brewsky with your GF or buddies.

Rating:
Summary: The best of the worst!
Review: I saw this movie with my design team at the end of my senior year in college after a lot of beer and long nights. I remember it being one of the worst films I had ever seen but that it didn't matter how bad it truly was. The 3-bladed sword caught our attention at the end and we had a fine time dissecting its aluminum properties (a lot of beer!) The dialog was campy, the plotline completely silly, but that sure was some sword! I recommend this to anyone who wants a campy silly movie to go with their beer.

Rating:
Summary: A WELCOME ADDITION...
Review: I was certain that I would never own a copy of The Sword and the Sorcerer in this day and age when it is seemingly forgotten - especially a copy on DVD. And yet, to my complete shock, I stumbled across it, brand new, and picked it up at once to add it to my ever-expanding collection of fantasy films. The Sword and the Sorcerer is a rather obscure contender from the early '80s, and at a glance seems like a Conan the Barbarian clone given the poor box art and the many parallels between the films. The Sword and the Sorcerer has nothing on said classic fantasy, however, but offers many delights all its own, even if they are clothed sometimes in distasteful cheeseball ambience. While Conan the Barbarian is a dark, vengeance-driven epic, The Sword and the Sorcerer is a lighter (and, yes, vengeance-driven) adventure story with a healthy dosage of comedy that shows the film tries not to take itself too seriously. This sense of humor is what sets it apart from the rest, and is probably its finest attribute given its less respectable production values and acting.

The plot revolves around Prince Talon, a mercenary warrior who seems to lack much in the way of principle, who has wandered the land for many years seeking to reclaim the kingdom of Adon and avenge the deaths of his family at the hands of the evil Titus Cromwell. And yet Titus is not the only villain, for the sorcerer Xusia, whom Titus betrayed and thought slain by his own hand, has returned to claim vengeance of his own. All the while, the rabble of Adon prepare for revolution, with an unwitting Talon as their shining hope.

This is certainly not a film that would ever garner high praise from all viewers, but to those who enjoy barbarian-style '80s fantasy with a touch of humor and a surprisingly interesting story, this is something you should consider adding to your collection. It is far more fun than a movie of this mold has a right to be, and I consider its DVD debut a very welcome, if surprising, thing. Now somebody get to work on that Beastmaster DVD...

Rating:
Summary: The Pits
Review: I watched it with my wife, and we both agree that it was horrible. The plot is hard to follow, and the story is rather lame. It barely qualifies as a fantasy movie. I ended up throwing it away. I should have gotten one of the Conan or old Sinbad movies; they are piles better.

Rating:
Summary: Horrible!
Review: I'm shocked at all these rave reviews. This movie is so horrible!

First of all, it speeds through a plot that drags with no body. This movie is confusing and empty of a good plot and dialogue.

I liked Krull way better than this and for some reason Krull got worse reviews. *shrugs* I don't understand. I guess to each their own.

One thing I can say it is better than Beastmaster 2, so if you are up for a cheesy sorcery movie than go for it, but honestly there are so many better fantasy movies out there. If I had a second chance, I wouldn't have wasted my dollar on renting it.

Rating:
Summary: Sword & The Sorcerer
Review: If you like fantasy movies like Conan the Barbarian or 13th Warrior or any movies along those lines i would highly recommend you do not miss this one.

It stars Lee Horsley (Aka Matt Houston) as Prince Talon who carrys around a three bladed sword. Two of the blades can shoot off impaling anyone one there path.

This movie just has action from start to finish i for one. won't miss out on it

Rating:
Summary: Sucks. Bad,
Review: If you like movies like "Krull" or "Beastmaster," this movie will NOT amuse you. I could barely tell one character from another; the plot was so stupid, at an hour and forty minutes, it felt like work finishing it. There's action, sure, and a few nude scenes to keep morons occupied for a few minutes.

I love sword and sorcery movies, and while this looks like a gem for your DVD collection, belive me, it is not. This is just as bad as "Dungeons and Dragons." I guess I should add, for the sake of fairness, if you liked "Dungeons and Dragons," you'll love this. But if you thought it was another tired attempt by corporate Hollywood to suck dollars from your pockets, stay away from this loser.

Let me put it this way: "Gor" is a better movie than this one.
Luckily, I rented the film, so I could return it. You'd be better off drinking the fifteen bucks you'd spend on this sucky movie. At least you'll feel magical.

My advice, watch Krull 20 times before you see this p.o.s. once.

Rating:
Summary: Sucks. Bad,
Review: If you like movies like "Krull" or "Beastmaster," this movie will NOT amuse you. I could barely tell one character from another; the plot was so stupid, at an hour and forty minutes, it felt like work finishing it. There's action, sure, and a few nude scenes to keep morons occupied for a few minutes.

I love sword and sorcery movies, and while this looks like a gem for your DVD collection, belive me, it is not. This is just as bad as "Dungeons and Dragons." I guess I should add, for the sake of fairness, if you liked "Dungeons and Dragons," you'll love this. But if you thought it was another tired attempt by corporate Hollywood to suck dollars from your pockets, stay away from this loser.

Let me put it this way: "Gor" is a better movie than this one.
Luckily, I rented the film, so I could return it. You'd be better off drinking the fifteen bucks you'd spend on this sucky movie. At least you'll feel magical.

My advice, watch Krull 20 times before you see this p.o.s. once.

Rating:
Summary: Sucks. Bad,
Review: If you like movies like "Krull" or "Beastmaster," this movie will NOT amuse you. I could barely tell one character from another; the plot was so stupid, at an hour and forty minutes, it felt like work finishing it. There's action, sure, and a few nude scenes to keep morons occupied for a few minutes.

I love sword and sorcery movies, and while this looks like a gem for your DVD collection, belive me, it is not. This is just as bad as "Dungeons and Dragons." I guess I should add, for the sake of fairness, if you liked "Dungeons and Dragons," you'll love this. But if you thought it was another tired attempt by corporate Hollywood to suck dollars from your pockets, stay away from this loser.

Let me put it this way: "Gor" is a better movie than this one.
Luckily, I rented the film, so I could return it. You'd be better off drinking the fifteen bucks you'd spend on this sucky movie. At least you'll feel magical.

My advice, watch Krull 20 times before you see this p.o.s. once.

Rating:
Summary: Fun, low budget sword-and-sorcery if that's your taste
Review: In the ancient days of the early '80s, many Conan-imitation fantasies stalked the land. Most of them were cheap, dreary, and unwatchable. But the best of this low-budget bunch was the successful 1982 flick, "The Sword and the Sorcerer." Director Albert Pyun has gone onto to direct a slew of very cheesy movies, often featuring kickboxing, but this is his best film. People who love brawny sword-swingin' action will get a kick out of it. Yes, it's done cheaply, but there's some honest imagination in it, and the plot -- although filled with massive holes as deep as torture pits -- actually seems as if the writers took some time to think it up. The story still follows the basic clichés of this type of fantasy -- saving princesses, a vengeance-seeking hero, a resurrected evil wizard -- but it flows well and keeps you interested.

Of course,the film has tons of problems, and anyone who isn't seriously into the fantasy genre or early 80s movies will probably hate it. The sets are inexpensive and unimpressive, the photography cramps the action to stretch the budget, visual effects are minimal, and the acting is at best only adequate (but still better than most films of this kind). Lee Horsley plays the wise-cracking hero Talon, who wields a silly but rather cool three-bladed sword. Talon joins the resistance against evil King Cromwell (veteran b-movie villain Richard Lynch) in order to rescue a princess (Kathleen Beller). Behind it all lurks a monstrous sorcerer (Richard Moll under some well-done make-up) who has it in for Cromwell for betraying him and manipulates the resistance for his own ends. The story builds up to a surprisingly exciting finale that flexes some furious muscle and spills copious amounts of blood.

Unlike fantasy movies made today, "The Sword and the Sorcerer" is adult in tone: the violence gets quite bloody and extreme, and casual nudity is sprinkled throughout. The DVD from Anchor Bay is an adequate presentation. The picture is letterboxed and enhanced for widescreen TVs. There is some grain, but the well-lit scenes look quite clear. The sound comes in 2.0 surround and 5.1. The 5.1 mostly expands the music to the back speakers, but it sound good considering the age and budget of the film. The only extras are two trailers (almost exactly the same) and a TV spot. As usual with Anchor Bay, there are no subtitles whatsoever, not even in English.

For night with people who love sword-slashing fun and don't mind some silly budget-cutting, "The Sword and the Sorcerer" is a good bet.