If, like me, you're in your twenties, I would hazard a guess that there are certain movies you harbour a strange nostalgic affection for, regardless of how well they may stand up critically today. Films such as Legend, maybe, and Labyrinth? How about The Dark Crystal, Willow, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The Neverending Story, Clash of the Titans, Return to Oz? Chances are that, between 1980 and 1989, as a much smaller and more innocent version of your now-cynical and embittered self, you will have seen some of these movies in the cinema accompanied by one or both of your parents as you chomped on a toxic hotdog and glugged a vat of Coca-Cola. Or you may have owned a well-played home recorded VHS tape. For the eighties truly were the bumper years for fantasy movies with across-the-board appeal, and that's not even counting Star Wars, which kicked the whole phenomenon off.

I have fond memories of each of the above movies, and since acquiring a DVD player a couple of years ago I have been able to replace my shagged-out videotapes with their crystal clear extras-laden successors. Much pleasure they have given me too, but there is one film which, for reasons I can't quite put my finger on, has remained my personal favourite. Krull, released in 1983 and directed by Peter "Bullit" Yates, is a slightly odd but highly entertaining mish-mash of traditional fantasy, gentle horror and eighties science fiction, with a cliched plot and collection of stock swords n' sorcery characters, that spunkily manages to be more than the sum of its seemingly mundane parts.

Strangely, it apparently did not perform well at the box office, but it has since gained an affectionate cult following amongst fantasy buffs and eighties-fans. It has popped up regularly on the TV schedules ever since, and a couple of years ago was released on DVD, and it's a splendid way to spend a couple of hours on a lazy weekend afternoon.

The credits open with a strange dark structure slowly moving through space towards an Earth-like planet, whereupon it turns upright and lands, revealing itself to be a huge fortress of jagged black rock. A legion of masked soldiers pour out, clearly with unfriendly intentions, while a voiceover seemingly intoned by a close relative of Gandalf informs us that they are the Slayers, servants of the Beast, who have conquered and enslaved many worlds, and have now arrived on the planet Krull to pillage and plunder. This has forced the two ruling families of Krull, previously at war with one another, into an uneasy alliance, which they have decided to cement by having the son and daughter from each family marry, and unite Krull under a single banner. The wedding ceremony does not quite go to plan, however, as the Slayers gatecrash the party, kill the relatives, kidnap the bride, leave the groom for dead and torch the castle. Which isn't very nice.

The young prince, Colwyn (Ken Marshall), awakens the next morning surrounded by bodies to find himself being tended by Ynyr (Freddie Jones), a wiseman who informs him that his bride, Lyssa (Lysette Anthony) is being held captive by the Beast in the black fortress. The Beast intends for Lyssa to be his queen, or he will slaughter the populace. Colwyn, as the last hope for Krull, must travel to the black fortress and defeat the Beast, but must first retrieve a magical spinning bladed weapon known as the Glaive from a mountain peak, in order to have any chance against the Beast.

Thus Colwyn and Ynyr set out on their journey, and along the way recruit a colourful cast of followers, including Rell the Cyclops (the late Bernard Bresslaw), Ergo the crap magician (David Battley), and a band of outlaws led by the gruff Torquil (the great Alun Armstrong). But life is never easy in fantasy movies, and they are hindered by numerous obstacles on their quest, such as the murderous Widow of the Web (Francesca Annis, under a pile of make-up), and the sinister Changeling (John Welsh), not to mention the Slayers, until they reach the foot of the black fortress and prepare for the final battle with the Beast..

Yes, it all sounds rather cliched and unoriginal, but Krull somehow pulls you in with its energy, gung-ho heroics and neat little touches. For example, when a Slayer is killed, a bizarre creature bursts out of its head and burrows into the ground, and as well as swords, they fire a kind of laser beam. The production values are also lavish and sumptuous - In particular, the interiors of the black fortress are of a startlingly original and surreal design, with shifting corridors and moving walls causing various kinds of havoc, and there is the great twist of having the fortress change its location with each sunrise. The Beast is not quite clearly seen, but is instead filmed through various strange distortions and filters, and is voiced to wonderful effect by Shakespearean actor Trevor Martin.

The film's action setpieces are performed with great flair and aplomb, particularly during the climactic scramble on the slopes of the black fortress, and in a swamp-set showdown with a group of Slayers. As a fantasy film, this is packed with the kind of elements you'd expect, including wizards, shape-shifters, magic temples, and one marvellously tense scene set in a giant spider's web. The special effects occasionally show their age, but generally hold up admirably well in today's CG world.

The plot is pretty perfunctuary - Prince rescues princess, fights evil forces etc - and there are some chunks of dialogue cheesier than a ten year old lump of stilton, but Krull is a lavish film obviously made with care, and its affection for the genre keeps it steady and never less than highly enjoyable. It is a little disappointing that the Glaive hardly gets used, as it is only put into action in the last fifteen minutes, but it's a funky little thing and I'd really like to know where to get one.

Ken Marshall as Colwyn makes a suitably dashing, if slightly un-macho hero, while the rest of the cast are a veritable who's who of acting talent prior to getting their big breaks. Liam Neeson plays a supporting role as a womanising traveller, Robbie Coltrane plays a grumbling bandit, and British viewers will recognise a teenaged Todd Carty, who would later become a household name in the TV shows Grange Hill, Eastenders and The Bill. Alun Armstrong, also a big TV name in the UK, puts in a fine turn as the outlaw leader, Torquil, whilst Lysette Anthony does the princess in distress routine well enough, although suffers a little from a naff dubbing job.

Also of note is James Horner's fantastically rousing musical score, one of the finest I've heard in a movie, featuring full-blown orchestral anthems, ethereal choral work and memorably overblown fanfares. It's not exactly subtle, but it's exciting, beautifully realized, and adds much to the action, particularly in one pulse-pounding scene where our heroes ride a herd of super-fast horses called "fire mares" across mountains and valleys (the scenery in this film, incidentally, is quite stunning).

All told, Krull still holds up today as a hugely enjoyable slice of superior swashbuckling. It features an endearing mixture of action, science fiction, horror and swordplay, not to mention an intriguing variety of beards, and after twenty years I still love it. It is well worth checking out if you're partial to The Lord Of The Rings or any kind of fantasy-themed material, and will certainly entertain kids for a couple of hours. A classic in its own way, and a treat for any fantasy fan.

DVD Extras: Someone has put alot of care into this DVD release, as Krull is surprisingly stuffed with some decent extras. There are two audio commentary tracks - One featuring stars Ken Marshall and Lysette Anthony, the other featuring director Peter Yates and editor Ray Lovejoy. There is a Journey To Krull making-of featurette lasting half an hour with some good backstage footage and interviews, made for promotional purposes in 1983. Additionally, there are four excellent photo galleries featuring cast portraits, artwork, design concepts and promotional materials, biographies and filmographies, the original trailer, and nicely animated menus. There is also a curiously quirky extra in the form of the Marvel comics adaptation of the film, shown frame by frame, complete with music and sound effects. It's an oddity, and something I've never seen before in a DVD release, but a nice example of how more than a little thought has gone into this package.

Krull Fan Site: www.geocities.com/Area51/Dreamworld/8663/krull/




Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up to Age 4