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DEATHSTALKER (1983)
Director: James Sbardellati
Back when Vestron Video was spitting out releases onto VHS like gangbusters, I rented a sword and sorcery film I thought may hold up against titan films like "Excalibur". This film was "Deathstalker." Was I wrong? Boy, was I wrong? Not really...
Deathstalker has been slayed by critics who've cared to comment and pretty much ostracized by any average film goer who has seen it.
I'm guessing the reasons why, are the amount of ridiculous things taking place.
Patchwork dubbing (English speaking film, but ADR is a real bitche), over the top violence, aggressive male domination onto a female specimen (more than once), a lack of poetic narrative. Just to name a few reasons, those should be enough for now.
What I think some people do not appreciate is that Deathstalker was and is a film that has a really neat way of unfolding, strictly from a film making point of view. There isn't much of a story that hasn't been told better before, but the cinematography takes on a soft, hazy, dreamlike quality and coupled with the matted effects and light show, this film really does stand up as a small work of art, regardless of the abundance of soft X rated material on display.
I like naked chicks and I like people getting beat over the head with limbs from time to time. This movie definitely does not take itself seriously at all in that respect. It delivers the goods for the popcorn crowd, bored on a Thursday night, or maybe a sleepover session.
What Deathstalker falls short on with epic storytelling is replaced with what Deathstalker nails with epic effects and entertainment value. You don't walk into this film taking it as an Arthurian contender, rather, you sit down and watch well executed light effect work being stacked up and creating a very contrasted atmosphere with the visuals.
I can only relate to my own opinion and cannot try to convince anyone of the coolness factor regarding film stock and effect work as enough justification to believe Deathstalker is an important film, but I can express my like for this film by summing it up with one word: Analog.
If these effects and sets were replaced with that disgustingly smooth and artificial looking CGI garbage that can't even catch the same environmental light and shading, then Deathstalker would be as bad as some people say it is.
But it isn't that bad. It's actually quite good as a sword and sorcery film with some bonus material in the form of breasts and fishing wire.
The story does move along in an industry standard format. The editing does ensure this. The use of dialog bits running underneath scene changes is a quilt job that reminds people with a craftsman eye that "by any means necessary" is the name of the game when you're on a budget.
Before I suspected anything about craft or technology, I was entertained by Deathstalker. I liked the look of it, I liked the music, and I certainly didn't mind seeing scenes acted out where a dominant male warrior takes his feeding of sexual urge. Look closer, she didn't mind. I know that sounds awful, but these are medieval times. Excuse me, were medieval times. Sorry.
It's a cool movie. Best on blu ray for the full effect of effect work. Nice, simple, glowy swords, lightning crawls, clairvoyant imagery, mood lighting at night. I mean, if we're going tit(pun) for tat here, "Excalibur" (a tremendous film) had brutal sex scenes, and I don't believe they were very pure at heart.
I am just saying...Try watching Jim Wynorski's unforgivable Deathstalker II and you'll be running to part 1 like it's oxygen.
Director: James Sbardellati
Back when Vestron Video was spitting out releases onto VHS like gangbusters, I rented a sword and sorcery film I thought may hold up against titan films like "Excalibur". This film was "Deathstalker." Was I wrong? Boy, was I wrong? Not really...
Deathstalker has been slayed by critics who've cared to comment and pretty much ostracized by any average film goer who has seen it.
I'm guessing the reasons why, are the amount of ridiculous things taking place.
Patchwork dubbing (English speaking film, but ADR is a real bitche), over the top violence, aggressive male domination onto a female specimen (more than once), a lack of poetic narrative. Just to name a few reasons, those should be enough for now.
What I think some people do not appreciate is that Deathstalker was and is a film that has a really neat way of unfolding, strictly from a film making point of view. There isn't much of a story that hasn't been told better before, but the cinematography takes on a soft, hazy, dreamlike quality and coupled with the matted effects and light show, this film really does stand up as a small work of art, regardless of the abundance of soft X rated material on display.
I like naked chicks and I like people getting beat over the head with limbs from time to time. This movie definitely does not take itself seriously at all in that respect. It delivers the goods for the popcorn crowd, bored on a Thursday night, or maybe a sleepover session.
What Deathstalker falls short on with epic storytelling is replaced with what Deathstalker nails with epic effects and entertainment value. You don't walk into this film taking it as an Arthurian contender, rather, you sit down and watch well executed light effect work being stacked up and creating a very contrasted atmosphere with the visuals.
I can only relate to my own opinion and cannot try to convince anyone of the coolness factor regarding film stock and effect work as enough justification to believe Deathstalker is an important film, but I can express my like for this film by summing it up with one word: Analog.
If these effects and sets were replaced with that disgustingly smooth and artificial looking CGI garbage that can't even catch the same environmental light and shading, then Deathstalker would be as bad as some people say it is.
But it isn't that bad. It's actually quite good as a sword and sorcery film with some bonus material in the form of breasts and fishing wire.
The story does move along in an industry standard format. The editing does ensure this. The use of dialog bits running underneath scene changes is a quilt job that reminds people with a craftsman eye that "by any means necessary" is the name of the game when you're on a budget.
Before I suspected anything about craft or technology, I was entertained by Deathstalker. I liked the look of it, I liked the music, and I certainly didn't mind seeing scenes acted out where a dominant male warrior takes his feeding of sexual urge. Look closer, she didn't mind. I know that sounds awful, but these are medieval times. Excuse me, were medieval times. Sorry.
It's a cool movie. Best on blu ray for the full effect of effect work. Nice, simple, glowy swords, lightning crawls, clairvoyant imagery, mood lighting at night. I mean, if we're going tit(pun) for tat here, "Excalibur" (a tremendous film) had brutal sex scenes, and I don't believe they were very pure at heart.
I am just saying...Try watching Jim Wynorski's unforgivable Deathstalker II and you'll be running to part 1 like it's oxygen.