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Deathstalker
This film goes along with the current "theme" of films that I've been seeing in that it is a somewhat odd film that is set around the middle ages. It follows the typical line of evil ruler in the kingdom and the young hero has to over throw them, but it does so in an entertaining manner, so the common story doesn't detract from the film itself.
The story, as I've commented is a pretty typical one as you look at the basic outline of the plot. The evil ruler, the young hero both try for the mystical powers that control the kingdom, and it ends as you'd typically expect it to end. What works well in the film is the absurdity of the film when it fills in the details making the story. The various deformed characters and the pig-man are just some of the few ways that they make it odd. Add in the sidekick character and the odd and entertaining scene in the king court (which looks basically like a dungeon), there are plenty of memorable parts to the film.
As I've hinted at, the characters are rather unique for the most part in the film. This doesn't mean that they are well acted. There are some of them that aren't that bad, but they generally end up blending together into a bunch of roles that aren't really all that differentiated from the other roles in the film. And improved acting really wouldn't have improved this film as its strength was how odd it made its characters look and the story.
This film definitely comes across as a cult classic. It has some fairly iconic characters, cheesy (but effective) one-liners, and a fairly absurd fleshing out of a typical plot. It won't ever be considered a great film, but if you like the '80's (and '70's) B list films where you know that half the time they made the film just to be a little odd, then you should enjoy this film.
Overall Grade: B
Story: B+
Acting: C
Audio/Visual: C+
This film goes along with the current "theme" of films that I've been seeing in that it is a somewhat odd film that is set around the middle ages. It follows the typical line of evil ruler in the kingdom and the young hero has to over throw them, but it does so in an entertaining manner, so the common story doesn't detract from the film itself.
The story, as I've commented is a pretty typical one as you look at the basic outline of the plot. The evil ruler, the young hero both try for the mystical powers that control the kingdom, and it ends as you'd typically expect it to end. What works well in the film is the absurdity of the film when it fills in the details making the story. The various deformed characters and the pig-man are just some of the few ways that they make it odd. Add in the sidekick character and the odd and entertaining scene in the king court (which looks basically like a dungeon), there are plenty of memorable parts to the film.
As I've hinted at, the characters are rather unique for the most part in the film. This doesn't mean that they are well acted. There are some of them that aren't that bad, but they generally end up blending together into a bunch of roles that aren't really all that differentiated from the other roles in the film. And improved acting really wouldn't have improved this film as its strength was how odd it made its characters look and the story.
This film definitely comes across as a cult classic. It has some fairly iconic characters, cheesy (but effective) one-liners, and a fairly absurd fleshing out of a typical plot. It won't ever be considered a great film, but if you like the '80's (and '70's) B list films where you know that half the time they made the film just to be a little odd, then you should enjoy this film.
Overall Grade: B
Story: B+
Acting: C
Audio/Visual: C+