KRULL (1983)
director: Peter Yates
Rated: PG
Krull is just a good fantasy. Boy, does it take its time, too. It's 2 hours long. I think the perfect time to watch it is before bed, in installments. It's just not a movie to be on the edge of your seat for. It's silly and yes, it's even a bit dated, but the committed James Horner score hardly rips off John Williams at all (fingers crossed behind back). Honestly, though - it's a damn fine score.
This is a huge, epic, feel good yet tries to be suspenseful-film. I enjoyed the dialog. There's nothing brilliant about it, it's just there...existing. What I
did like about the acting and dialog was that, for the most part, it wasn't offensive. I didn't find myself cringing. Big points for that!
This is just a super-chill flick you can enjoy as a sci fi fantasy. True,
Krull rips off
Star Wars to a degree, but for me, it's forgivable because I simply don't care. It's not
Star Wars. It's
KRULL, and it is different enough. But damn, there are some serious parallels.
Everything seems to be handled very competently; the special effects (great blue and red lasers), the score (as mentioned - and James Horner pulls out a lot of stops for this particular film, even going so far as to use some chord progressions in folk songs known throughout ages of humankind), the acting is down to earth enough to establish camaraderie between the cast, and the story, though derivative, has a beginning, middle and an ending.
Hey, what else do you need for a 1983 science fiction fable?
I think
Krull is one my new favorite fantasy films based on its ability to remain calm and not disgust me, and the aesthetics of color within the film. It really does look beautiful.