Review of Hawk the Slayer (1980) by Tom H — 15 Jan 2009

[u][font=Times New Roman][size=4]Dragonslayer[/size][/font][/u].

[font=Times New Roman][size=4]1981 US Director: Matthew Robbins[/size][/font].

[font=Times New Roman][size=4]Score: 8[/size][/font].

[font=Times New Roman][size=4]For fantasy genre films in the 1980s, this one would easily be in my top ten best list?if I in fact had a top ten best fantasy films of the 1980s list?maybe that?s something I?ll work on later. The story of the wizard?s apprentice who tries to step into the shoes of his dead (well turns out he was only ?mostly? dead) master is a well put together story. The acting isn?t bad at all. [i]Star Wars[/i] fans should be able to spot Ian McDiarmid as the priest that faces the dragon and gets toasted. There are some really great characters written into this story and they are brought to life by the actors very well.[/size][/font].

[font=Times New Roman][size=4]The music score is very well done. It not only supports the screen action but adds to it in many of the tense and suspenseful scenes. The special effects are outstanding. Now bear in mind we are talking about a movie released in 1981. By today?s standards they still hold up OK at around average level or so for an independent or lower budget production but for an early 80s fantasy film these effects were top notch. [i]Dragonslayer[/i] was one of the movies we would totally geek out to when friends and I would get together to do some Role Playing Games (the real kind, you know with paper and dice and face to face with friends in the same room). It?s definitely worth a viewing if you somehow haven?t seen it yet but consider yourself a fan of the fantasy film genre.[/size][/font].

[font=Times New Roman][size=4]Notes: HV-BN Suggested Age: 8+[/size][/font].

[u][font=Times New Roman][size=4]Hawk the Slayer[/size][/font][/u].

[font=Times New Roman][size=4]1980 UK Director: Terry Marcel[/size][/font].

[font=Times New Roman][size=4]Score: 6[/size][/font].

[font=Times New Roman][size=4]Don?t roll your eyes at me. Yes, although I didn?t give it a ?high? score I do recommend this movie. I?ll be the first to admit it is a lot of nostalgia and memories of good times with friends wrapped along with this film that makes me rate it at a recommended level. Oh well, it?s my review and I can do that if I want to. If for nothing else, the pure comedic value alone is enough to recommend this movie to fantasy film fans. We have a one handed guy with a crossbow that fires at the rate of an AK-47, an elf that shoots arrows at a similar rate, and a bad guy (played by Jack Palance) that just chews up the script like a starving man. Fans of the [i]Rocky Horror Picture Show[/i] might just barely recognize Patricia Quinn in the role of the blind sorceress.[/size][/font].

[font=Times New Roman][size=4]Alrighty then, I?ll take off my geek hat for a minute and be honest about the film itself. The acting isn?t bad in most places but a few people really do some stuff that makes you laugh?except they weren?t being comedic at the time. The music score is typical 1980s fantasy style which means it tries to be mystical and wispy but comes out a bit corny and juvenile. The plot is not bad. The story line is a good, though standard, high fantasy adventure. The special effects are inconsistent. Sometimes with the help of fast editing and all they are pretty good. Other times they are laughable. My Role Playing group would often turn to this movie when we took a break from gaming over the week end to watch it, laugh at it and generally have fun with it. Give it a watch, just for the heck of it.[/size][/font].

[font=Times New Roman][size=4]Notes: HV Suggested Age: 8+[/size][/font].