Krull (1983)

Director: Peter Yates

Starring: Ken Marshall, Lysette Anthony

Run Time: 117 mins

Certificate: PG

 

Plot Outline: In order to unite two feuding kingdoms against a common enemy in the Slayers, Prince Colwyn and Princess Lyssa decide to marry and create one unified kingdom. But the wedding is interrupted by The Beast's army of Slayers who capture the Princess and hold her captive in the Black Fortress. It is up to Colwyn to rescue her, collecting a motley group of magicians and robbers along the way to join his quest.

The Review: This fantasy film is a rather unique cross between a Star Wars style futuristic adventure and an old fashioned Dungeons and Dragons style fantasy film. Labelling a film 'fantasy' often warns off people from seeing it because they can almost instantly tell you what is going to happen, etc. Krull falls into that trap. It's nothing flash at all but it gets the job done, and done well for that matter. The acting isn't great and the two leads are disappointing which counts against it. Plus there is a lack of cohesion between certain scenes making you wonder what the purpose of certain scenes is and it also gets vague in other scenes, making you feel as though it's been rushed in places. However once the film starts, you are just swept away with it's innocent charm. I don't know what it is exactly but the more I see this film, the more I enjoy it. I've read other reviews of this and other people say the same. We can't put our fingers on it although we can come close. There is a great supporting cast featuring British stalwarts such as Alun Armstrong, Bernard Bresslaw, Freddie Jones and even Liam Neeson and Robbie Coltrane are along for the ride in early screen roles. The swamp scenes are great and exciting, especially combined with another rousing James Horner score. Despite the fact all of his music sounds the same, it doesn't matter because it's excellent. Both Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Aliens benefited from a rousing Horner score and this is no exception. Unfortunately, the film is marred by a poor finale when they eventually get to the Black Fortress. The Beast is a poor creation and doesn't look very realistic and the final duel between Colwyn and the Beast is also a let down. You would have expected something that packed more of a punch but unfortunately, we don't get it. The glaive weapon is built up throughout the film as the most powerful weapon in the universe but in the end, it isn't that which defeats the Beast. That really sums up the film. It doesn't do anything flash and if a bit more effort had been put in, then it would have been a classic.

Final Verdict: The invention of DVD has certainly improved some films greatly and this is definitely one of them. Krull looks and sounds better than ever. And it includes plenty of what fantasy films are all about in abundance: fun and imagination.

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