- Title: Krull
- IMDb: link
Flashback Friday takes us back to 1983, a young king, a captured queen, a motley band of heroes, a quest across a desolate landscape, some questionable special effects, a monstrous beast, a prophecy, and a fortress that relocates across the planet at every dawn. A sword-and-sorcery epic with sci-fi trapping such as alien soldiers with laser rifles, Krull introduces us to Prince Colwyn (Ken Marshall) and Princess Lyssa (Lysette Anthony) whose marriage will unite two warring kingdoms against an invading alien force until they steal the bride on her wedding day.
With the help of an old one (Freddie Jones), a group of prisoners (whose numbers include Alun Armstrong, Robbie Coltrane, and Liam Neeson), a cyclops (Bernard Bresslaw) who has foreseen its own death, and a magician (David Battley) with the ability to change his shape, Colwyn sets to on a series of quests to obtain a legendary weapon, find the ever-moving Black Fortress, slay the Beast (Tim Dry and Trevor Martin), and save his love.
Shot mostly on 23 different sets at Pinewood Studios, director Peter Yates‘ $30 million epic which relied on practical effects, wire work, miniatures, blow-ups and models, earned back only about half its costs bombing at the box office and receiving mixed responses from both critics and audiences. The film is an admittedly mixed bag, both in story and effects with elements that work and quite a few that do not (but provide some nostalgic fun from a pre-CGI age making it a bit of a guilty pleasure for those of the right age).
Memorable moments include Ynyr‘s (Jones) reunion with the Widow of the Web (Francesca Annis), any time Anthony stares directly into the camera with her bright blue eyes, the cyclops meeting its fate, the climactic use of the film’s trademark weapon – the Glaive, the visual designs of the interior of the Black Fortress, and the film’s generally well-received soundtrack composed by James Horner. While I refuse to argue Krull is good by any objective standard, what I will say is it can be quite fun for the right audience. The film has been released multiple times on home video and can be found on various streaming services (often available for free).
Watch the trailer
