Review of Krull (1983) by Am Q — 21 Mar 2010

Man did I love this movie as a kid! It hasn't aged well but it still works. Story is the basic heroic fantasy plot, king has to defeat an evil wizard with the help of a magical weapon and rescue the princess, etc.

When the weapon is as cool as the glave (even though Marshall hardly uses the damn thing!), the baddies are as creepy as anything that Dr Who could throw at you as a kid and the princess is trapped in as weird a prison as the Black Fortress, how can you not wish the protagonists well?! The ragtag mob of adventurers are strange and likeable and (as a kid anyway) you care about them.

Great British cast that has some hidden gem performances, like Liam Neeson and Robbie Coltrane in cameo performances way, way before they became famous names. Bernard Bresslaw as Rell the cyclops is one of my favourite characters from my childhood.

Pretty sad I know. Some creepy scenes as well and the swamp fight/seer death scenes and the sinking sand scene will always be ingrained in my memory. Scarred from my childhood I guess. If only the sequel rumours were true, extra mark for nostalgia heaven.

I'll have to watch it in another 10 years to see if I still like it.