Here's a watchable if predictable mixture of STAR WARS-style action transported into the then-popular sword-and-sorcery setting, given a UK slant with a cast of famous and soon-to-be-famous British character actors and actresses and entertaining enough for those of a childish disposition. KRULL is basic in the extreme, a straightforward tale of heroism and good vs. Evil with one or two moral lessons to be learned along the way. The plot is so predictable that adults might well find it tiresome, but kids should have a field day with all of the colourful special effects that the film offers.
The one thing missing is the lack of any notable action sequences, astonishing really considering the genre of film this is. We get some half-hearted battles copied from the laser gun fights in STAR WARS and that's about it; even the big climax is let down through uninspired back projection and a murky man-in-a-rubber-suit posing as the evil overlord. The best bits of the film involve "changelings", weird and evil doppelganger imitations and an excellent interlude involving a giant spider's web (with bonus Francesca Annis) and the superbly-animated white spider that lives inside it.
The film is colourful and the effects stand up to today's standards, ignoring the shoddy back projection that mars the finale. The locations are very impressive and the film is bolstered by a strong score that fits the bill nicely. The leads are pretty wooden in their roles, though. Ken Marshall is the blond-haired "nice but dim" heroic lead and very uninteresting with it. Lysette Anthony has nothing to work with, but gets to run around some nice impressionist sets in a pretty dress, which is something I suppose. However the supporting cast is where this film hits the mark, with good roles for Freddie Jones, Alun Armstrong, Liam Neeson, Robbie Coltrane, and Todd Carty, and an excellent swan song performance from CARRY ON star Bernard Bresslaw as the best-looking cyclops ever seen in a film. British viewers will amiably spend the length of the film spotting familiar faces and trying to remember the respective names of the actors involved.
The one thing missing is the lack of any notable action sequences, astonishing really considering the genre of film this is. We get some half-hearted battles copied from the laser gun fights in STAR WARS and that's about it; even the big climax is let down through uninspired back projection and a murky man-in-a-rubber-suit posing as the evil overlord. The best bits of the film involve "changelings", weird and evil doppelganger imitations and an excellent interlude involving a giant spider's web (with bonus Francesca Annis) and the superbly-animated white spider that lives inside it.
The film is colourful and the effects stand up to today's standards, ignoring the shoddy back projection that mars the finale. The locations are very impressive and the film is bolstered by a strong score that fits the bill nicely. The leads are pretty wooden in their roles, though. Ken Marshall is the blond-haired "nice but dim" heroic lead and very uninteresting with it. Lysette Anthony has nothing to work with, but gets to run around some nice impressionist sets in a pretty dress, which is something I suppose. However the supporting cast is where this film hits the mark, with good roles for Freddie Jones, Alun Armstrong, Liam Neeson, Robbie Coltrane, and Todd Carty, and an excellent swan song performance from CARRY ON star Bernard Bresslaw as the best-looking cyclops ever seen in a film. British viewers will amiably spend the length of the film spotting familiar faces and trying to remember the respective names of the actors involved.