Rating: 
Summary: Illusion is about the only thing holding this movie together
Review: Clive Barker is a genius, but Lord of Illusions just doesn't work for me. You have this guy Nix who calls himself The Prophet; he can do all kinds of real magic, yet he seems to be content in assembling a handful of incompetent cultists in the middle of nowhere, kidnapping a young girl, and juggling fire. He walks around in a T-shirt woefully incapable of covering his huge beer-belly, so it's hard to take him that seriously. Just as we're getting to know the guy, his former disciple Swann and three other escaped cultists swoop in and manage to bind him, after which they bury him deep in the ground so no one will ever find him. Now we jump ahead thirteen years. The kidnapped girl is married to Swann, and both begin to worry when a member of the Nix vanquishing party is killed, sensing that someone is trying to bring The Prophet back. Here's where private detective Harry D'Amour steps in, stumbling his way around the major events (and deaths) that have to do with Nix's "death" and imminent return. His detective skills and the magical abilities of Swann aren't enough to keep The Prophet in his grave, and the movie ends up coming full circle back to its beginning, featuring a final showdown between Swann and Nix.Personally, I think Scott Bakula was a bad choice to play D'Amour; he is just not the hard-nosed private detective type, and his character's lack of any real identity or personality makes him seem an illusion of sorts himself (despite the fact he is supposed to be the protagonist). The romantic link that develops between D'Amour and Dorothea Swann (Famke Janssen) is simply lifeless. The clues he finds along the way basically fall into his lap, and I am hard pressed to explain how he figured out where to go and whom to talk to about a subject he knew very little about early on. This serves to highlight the fact that the script just isn't very good, even though Clive Barker himself wrote it. There is very little character development, several discoveries and arbitrary actions are presented without explanation, and there are plot holes each step along the way. You would think that a movie called Lord of Illusions would actually feature some impressive illusions-you'd think so, but you would be wrong. This is most unfortunate because I think the concluding special effects were meant to offset the weakness of the plot. Many of the special effects were patently fake and highly disappointing. It's hard for a movie to succeed with a combination of bad casting, bad plot, and bad effects. At the end, you may well be asking yourself what this movie was really about.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the BEST of Clive Barker, but still pretty much worth it
Review: Clive Barker made history in horror film-making in 1986, with the release of his debut film "Hellraiser". "Lord of Illusions" tries to live up to the legend of its big brother by touching a very interesting subject: magic and the fact that it may be more than just an illusion portrayed by phony Las Vegas performers. However, a hole-invaded plot and some sins of excess end up crashing a wonderful idea, turning it into just another horror flick. The film's prologue, set 13 years before the main story, actually gets you hooked up right away. It sets the pace for this dark and insane background that we see the rest of the movie. The whole cult idea is a good example of the lack of spirituality and "magic" of modern life, and in this climate the character of Nix (brilliantly played by Von Burgen) comes up as an evil prophet who promises to cleanse the world by showing people the power of magic. Only his dearest disciple, a young man known as Swann, suspects his real intentions and rises up against him, binding him inside an magical iron mask. Nix returns 13 years later in search for vengeance, and detective Harry D'Amour (a regular figure in Clive Barker's literary works) finds himself deep into the plot of magic, evil, and revenge. From then on, the movie's coherence suffers heavy losses. Barker tries to submerge the spectator in a surrealistic nightmare, but fails in delivering the real gusto that we acquired the first 10 minutes. For our surprise, Swann is no longer the lead, and his actions are shadowed by a superficial love affair between D'Amour and Dorothea, a woman that Swann saved from Nix 13 years ago, when she was still a child. Despite what other people may think, Scott Bakula is not miscast as Harry D'Amour. The real problem is that we, as spectators, never really care about this detective character that comes out of nowhere in order to solve a so-called mystery, whose solution is already known to us. In fact, I believe that the real protagonist of the whole story should not have been D'Amour, but Swann. His fragility and occasional lack of courage made him a much more interesting character. The fact that he fears Nix so much adds up to the credibility of his persona. Once again, as a spectator, I wanted to know more about Swann's gang, his relationship with Nix, and the love that he felt towards Dorothea, whose presence in the story is not completely justified. The ending, predictable to the bone, doesn't leave a good taste in our mouths either. For this edition, director Clive Barker includes some deleted scenes now integrated in the film. Most of them are superfluous, but others add a little more punch to the story. The best ones are an extended tour through the Castle of Magic and the sequence where we see all of Nix's followers, 13 years later, gathering for the return of his master. There is also a scene including a weird nightmare that Dorothea has, but this is a failed attempt to give her character more participation. There is not much to say about the Features, since they only include some deleted scenes and some bios. Anyway, if you are a Clive Barker fan and like some pretty imaginative artwork, then Lord of Illusions will work for you. But don't expect too much from it. This movie sins of pretending a fancy storyline, and lacks the brutal simplicity that makes "Hellraiser" a much superior film. It will not scare you, but at least you'll admit that it could have been a pretty good movie.
Rating:
Summary: THE REAL WORLD
Review: Clive Barker's books have always mystified me...he is definitely one imaginative soul, but at the same time so "soulless." In this movie, which he wrote, produced and directed, is soulless. Filled with campy gore effects, MTV style direction, and uneven performances, LORD OF ILLUSIONS is not a fully satisfying horror film. Daniel van Bergen's Nix is well done, but where did he get his powers and why did he lay dormant for thirteen years, and who is responsible for all the bad stuff going on now? And Kevin J. O'Connor, flat as a pancake, seems to be just as bad but why? And HOW did he escape the swords? And why does Scott Bakula act so bored (looking quite buff, though), and Famke Janssen in her pre X-men days looks like a refugee from the Great Gatsby.
Nonsensical fun, but Barker continues to be overhyped.
Rating: 
Summary: One of his best!
Review: Clive Barker's books have always mystified me...he is definitely one imaginative soul, but at the same time so "soulless." In this movie, which he wrote, produced and directed, is soulless. Filled with campy gore effects, MTV style direction, and uneven performances, LORD OF ILLUSIONS is not a fully satisfying horror film. Daniel van Bergen's Nix is well done, but where did he get his powers and why did he lay dormant for thirteen years, and who is responsible for all the bad stuff going on now? And Kevin J. O'Connor, flat as a pancake, seems to be just as bad but why? And HOW did he escape the swords? And why does Scott Bakula act so bored (looking quite buff, though), and Famke Janssen in her pre X-men days looks like a refugee from the Great Gatsby.
Nonsensical fun, but Barker continues to be overhyped.
Rating:
Summary: THE REAL WORLD
Review: Clive Barker's books have always mystified me...he is definitely one imaginative soul, but at the same time so "soulless." In this movie, which he wrote, produced and directed, is soulless. Filled with campy gore effects, MTV style direction, and uneven performances, LORD OF ILLUSIONS is not a fully satisfying horror film. Daniel van Bergen's Nix is well done, but where did he get his powers and why did he lay dormant for thirteen years, and who is responsible for all the bad stuff going on now? And Kevin J. O'Connor, flat as a pancake, seems to be just as bad but why? And HOW did he escape the swords? And why does Scott Bakula act so bored (looking quite buff, though), and Famke Janssen in her pre X-men days looks like a refugee from the Great Gatsby.
Nonsensical fun, but Barker continues to be overhyped.
Rating: 
Summary: Good movie, excellent DVD
Review: Great for a horror film. This is the director's cut. The commentary by Clive Barker, writer and director, is feature-length. Direction and photography both excellent. The movie within the horror genre is worth only four stars, but the DVD quality and many extras bring the package up to a five-star level, in my opinion.
Rating:
Summary: Wanted to be a God, turned into Rot
Review: Hearing the expression "I was born to MURDER the World" from the Nix character is worth watching or owning this movie. That's rich.
Rating:
Summary: Compulsively watchable
Review: I don't quite know why...well, I do...but this is one of my favorite movies. I have seen it on TV at least ten times over the years and if I come across it, I have to watch it. Part of the attraction is Scott Bakula. He was perhaps at his most beautiful in 1995 and the skin shots of him are wonderful. So are the clothed shots. I just like looking at him. And the bad guys are great, so Barkerianly creepy. But, yeah, I watch it for Scott. So throw me out of the movie critics society.
Rating:
Summary: Good movie
Review: I enjoyed Lord of Illusions. I like Scott Bakula and he was the reason I got the movie. It's a different role for him. He plays a private eye who's hired to help find out about all the deaths occuring in the illusionist world. He runs into several obstacles, but in the end the hero saves the day. I enjoyed the movie and think that anyone who likes Bakula and/or the supernatural world would be interested in this movie. Happy watching to any and all sci-fi movie goers.
Rating:
Summary: Better than the later Hellraiser films.
Review: I grew up in Manson country, (indeed met the gentleman before the murders began), so perhaps I am inclined toward films about murderous cults. This one is better than almost all of the others I have ever seen, with big-budget style effects, reasonably good acting, and a 'supernatural' plot. (I hate that word...if something exists, it is natural, no? And the premise of horror films is that what you are seeing is real, no? And, if you think about it, you must admit humans don't really KNOW anything...we could be part of God's dreams...so what can we truly say does NOT exist?) Sorry for the digression... Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this film. It is a more serious rendition of themes that have been either camped-up or treated as material for so-called comedy too many times. The DVD is excellent.
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