[IMDB link] [Netflix link] I’d seen it before, but only as a kid. The 5-pointed weapon shown in the trailer made me want to see this right when it came out in 1983. (And was used by Jesus in the South Park Easter episode.) (Also, Peter Griffin in Family Guy saw this movie in an episode.) Anyway, Carolyn had never seen it, so it was time to share in this 25-year-old movie.
PEOPLE: This was probably the best movie the two lead actors (Ken Marshall, Lysette Anthony) ever did, and they’re both basically TV actors now. The director is some old director I’ve never seen any movie of other than “Breaking Away” as a kid. Liam Neeson was really the only name that rings a bell, and even that is barely.
QUIRKS: A fantastical adventure through a strange alien world, complete with many of the standard fantasy tropes and conventions. It really falls into a lot of the trappings of most fantasy movies. In that sense, it is generic. Yet, like any good fantasy movie, we are taken to a rich, unique world, encountering strange alien phenomenon. In this sense, I don’t think you can do much wrong, as long as your special affects are bearable. And while this movie was made in 1983, it still has a feel comparable to other fantasy greats such as The Dark Crystal. The story just isn’t quite as good, and there is little backstory to explain why things are.
CONCLUSION: It’s still a fantastical voyage, even if the story isn’t quite as fleshed out as it should be. There are some parallels between this and Legend (Speaking of Legend, the director’s cut is finally available), what with being trapped by the lord of darkness while he tries to make you marry him (a common fantasy trope).
Anyway, I rated Krull 7 on IMDB (where it is rated 5.9 on average) and 3 stars on Netflix, though I wonder if that is too low.
RECOMMENDATION: Fantasy lovers should see this. It’s one of the better fantasy movies of the 1980s. It’s along the same lines as Legend, Labyrinth, and the The Dark Crystal.
MOVIE QUOTE: “I am Ergo the magnificent. Short in stature, tall in power, narrow of purpose and wide of vision.”
FRIENDS’ RATINGS: Ian & Jordan really liked it.
Mood: hungry
Music: NoFX – Truck Stop Blues
January 26, 2009 at 12:38 PM
I loved this movie as a kid. I caught it on cable a few weeks ago. Fun stuff.
Oh, and that director, Peter Yates, does have one unquestioned classic in his resume, Bullitt, with Steve McQueen. A pretty diverse director, really. He did that one, plus a weird-ass 70s cult classic (Mother, Jugs, and Speed), THE classic biking movie (Breaking Away), plus a passable Jaws knockoff (based on another novel by Jaws author Peter Benchley, The Deep).
And I’ll bet you’ve seen Liam Neeson more than you realize. I mean, he was Arthur Schindler in Schindler’s List, and he was Bruce Wayne’s mentor/nemesis in Batman Begins along with a lot of other pretty big roles.
Yeah, Dark Crystal definitely beats the pants off of it, but it ranks high for me purely on nostalgia value.
January 26, 2009 at 1:19 PM
Heh yea, Liam is just one of those people I don’t notice often. Apparently. Becau9se of course I saw S’s List and B Begins! :)
I used to watch Breaking Away with my parents as a kid. But what I remember now gives me zero interest to ever re-watch it. I just don’t get into 70s flicks much, or dramas — combine the two, and I run screaming in the other direction.
And, agreed on The Dark Crystal!
January 26, 2009 at 2:52 PM
I can’t believe you would mention fantasy greats without mentioning “The Neverending Story”.
January 26, 2009 at 2:55 PM
I don’t quite like it as much as the others…
January 31, 2009 at 4:22 AM
[...] watch The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (2005), Stardust, Labyrinth, Lord Of The Rings, Legend, Krull, The Dark Crystal, or Pan’s Labyrinth. Not epic, but [...]
March 17, 2009 at 2:50 PM
[...] Krull (1983) [...]
August 23, 2009 at 7:09 AM
[...] Watch Krull instead. Same difference, faster plot. The fantasy world in Krull might not LOOK as good, but the movie is simply better. They are, largely, the same thing: Fantasy [...]
November 22, 2009 at 7:07 AM
[...] on Netflix, and up to 7/10 on IMDB. After seeing so many sub-par fantasy movies like Legend and Krull … It’s nice to see one that is better than a “generic [...]