Krull - Part of the eighties’ backbone of cheese

I’ll start off my saying that 'Krull' isn’t a particularly great movie.  Secondly, I’ll also add that I love it.  I think part of its charm is its cheapness and the fact that it tries so hard to be 'Star Wars' (but with swords).  I saw it when I was a boy in the eighties and I think it’s the perfect film for any boy, largely because they won’t have seen too many films and will only marvel at the special effects (which, by today’s standards, aren’t that special) and enjoy the ride.

It’s about a princess who’s captured by a beast (or ‘The Beast’ to be precise) and taken off to his castle where she must marry him.  That is, of course, unless the handsome prince doesn’t rescue her and save the kingdom.  So, nothing too original there.  It's effectively a fairytale set in space.

It’s hard to say why Krull is so good.  You just have to appreciate it for what it is.  The lines are pretty corny, but they are delivered with such gusto that you can forgive their failings.  Also, don’t expect too much logic.  The baddies (or ‘Slayers’) use laser guns which only really shoot about two shots before they decide to just use them to bludgeon people with them.  Why?  Who knows, just go with it.  But, while we're on the subject of weapons, if there's one thing that 'Krull' does right is have a cool weapon for our dashing, bearded hero, i.e. the 'Glade.' Seriously, this five-pointed frisbee is right up there with light sabres and Pulse rifles in terms of cool on-screen weapons of mass destruction.

Then you have the thumping soundtrack from James Horner.  Eagle-eared viewers will notice that the soundtrack (no matter how good it is) is pretty much ripped off from 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan' (with a hint of 'Aliens' thrown in!), but it’s so good, there’s no harm in hearing it again.

So, in summary... dialogue = bad.  Special effects = not special at all.  Originality = non existent.  Characters = a little annoying (Ergo, I’m thinking of you).  But, despite all that, I still love it.  It’s a classic ‘so-bad-it’s-good’ type film.  If you’ve seen (and loved) any or all of: 'Flash Gordon, Masters of the Universe, Star Crash or Hawk the Slayer,' then this is in their league (and, for the record, I own all of them – classics!).

It’s worth it alone for the fact that you get to watch one of the greatest fantasy weapons ever seen on screen, but throw in the cracking soundtrack, the sheer effort everyone puts in and the early appearances of such future giants as Liam Neeson and Robbie Coltrane and you have a true classic good time. 

8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one