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Krull (1983)
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Movie Review by Thom
September 4th, 2007
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But For The Snobbery
Though Krull is widely mocked as '80's fantasy cheese, to dismiss it so readily is to throw out the proverbial baby with the bathwater. Not all bad movies are made up of entirely bad parts, and if a movie has enough good parts, one can often enjoy it on the merits of those parts alone; such is the case for me with Krull, which is well-written if not so well executed.
Krull begins with a land under siege by a creature referred to only as the Beast, who dwells in the Black Fortress and has at his command legions of Slayers, humanoid creatures that vomit up a big slimy tadpole when they die. Two kingdoms decide to come together to fight the beast, led by Prince Colwyn (Ken Marshall) and Princess Lyssa (Lysette Anthony). Their wedding, which is to take place shortly after the film begins, is broken up by the armies of the aforementioned Beast, Lyssa captured and taken to the Black Fortress, and everyone else killed, save Prince Colwyn who is gravely wounded.
Colwyn is nursed back to health by the Gandalfian Ynyr (Freddie Jones) and together the two set off the rescue Lyssa and kill the Beast. Along the way they pick up addition souls - all with various agendas and personalities - Torquil (Alun Armstrong), Kegan (Liam Neeson), Rhun (Robbie Coltrane), Rell the Cyclops (Bernard Bresslaw), and wizard wannabe Ergo the Magnificent (David Battely).
Krull's dialog and character development is very good, especially for fantasy fare of the day, and the special effects still hold up fairly well. There are some themes and moral lessons subtly at work that add some layers of depth (greed, courage, purpose), and it is all around a fun ride, full of adventure, wonder, and even a little originality.
Though not up to par with something as grandiose as Lord of the Rings (up to this point what is?), Krull should not be dismissed simply because certain snobs say it should be so. Judged on its merits, it can be found to have some weight and worth.
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