canyonwalker (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
canyonwalker) wrote2022-08-15 04:52 pm
canyonwalker) wrote2022-08-15 04:52 pm
Movie Review: Krull (1983)
A few days ago we watched the movie Krull from 1983. It's streaming on HBO Max.
My motivation for watching Krull was an online review I read a week or two ago. The author noted that Krull was a box office and critical flop in its time and opined that failure was for three reasons that also make it a cult classic. One, the movie was a crossover fantasy/science fiction at a time when audiences were not ready for f/sf. Two, the movie is dark, and audiences didn't like movies that were dark. The smash hit f/sf movie in 1983 was Return of the Jedi, and what everyone liked best about it was the Ewoks. The annoyingly cute, so-bad-they-almost-ruined-the-plot Ewoks. Three, the movie's use of cliched tropes and over-the-top dramatics is actually a parody of the tropes and dramatics overused in swords-and-sorcery movies of the era.
Within a few minutes of starting the movie it was obvious why it was a commercial and critical flop. The movie has some redeeming qualities, but ultimately the storyline makes no sense. It's full of cliches and contradicts itself every 5 minutes.
To summarize the plot: Space aliens in a ship that looks like a rocky mountain spire land on the planet Krull. Their soldiers, called Slayers, easily decimate the sword-wielding people of Krull with laser blasters and shock-spears. They kidnap the princess and bring her back to their leader, The Beast, inside the mountain/ship. The prince, who narrowly survived the attack, assembles a raggedy band of followers and helpers to rescue her and destroy the aliens.
So, what are the redeeming qualities? Well, the movie was ambitious with its staging and special effects. Sitting here in 2022 it's easy to laugh at how primitive some of the 1983 vintage effects look, like the scene where the protagonists are navigating quicksand in the swamp. But for 1983 technology that was actually pretty ambitious. Indeed, that's part of why it was a commercial flop; they spent tens of millions (in 1983 dollars) on special effects, and the film didn't earn back its cost.
The other redeeming quality is the movie's imagination. Yes this is ultimately a good news/bad news thing. Imagining an f/sf crossover was thinking outside the box. The idea of aliens with blasters vs. swords-and-sorcery has so much potential. But the movie completely squanders that potential with a storyline that makes no sense. It's like it's a D&D adventure written by a 12 year old.
Krull does worse than simply not making sense. It tries to make sense, throwing details into plot and dialog every scene, only to contradict half those details 5 minutes later. It's like a D&D adventure written by six 12-year-olds, each one writing a different part of the adventure.
My motivation for watching Krull was an online review I read a week or two ago. The author noted that Krull was a box office and critical flop in its time and opined that failure was for three reasons that also make it a cult classic. One, the movie was a crossover fantasy/science fiction at a time when audiences were not ready for f/sf. Two, the movie is dark, and audiences didn't like movies that were dark. The smash hit f/sf movie in 1983 was Return of the Jedi, and what everyone liked best about it was the Ewoks. The annoyingly cute, so-bad-they-almost-ruined-the-plot Ewoks. Three, the movie's use of cliched tropes and over-the-top dramatics is actually a parody of the tropes and dramatics overused in swords-and-sorcery movies of the era.
Within a few minutes of starting the movie it was obvious why it was a commercial and critical flop. The movie has some redeeming qualities, but ultimately the storyline makes no sense. It's full of cliches and contradicts itself every 5 minutes.To summarize the plot: Space aliens in a ship that looks like a rocky mountain spire land on the planet Krull. Their soldiers, called Slayers, easily decimate the sword-wielding people of Krull with laser blasters and shock-spears. They kidnap the princess and bring her back to their leader, The Beast, inside the mountain/ship. The prince, who narrowly survived the attack, assembles a raggedy band of followers and helpers to rescue her and destroy the aliens.
So, what are the redeeming qualities? Well, the movie was ambitious with its staging and special effects. Sitting here in 2022 it's easy to laugh at how primitive some of the 1983 vintage effects look, like the scene where the protagonists are navigating quicksand in the swamp. But for 1983 technology that was actually pretty ambitious. Indeed, that's part of why it was a commercial flop; they spent tens of millions (in 1983 dollars) on special effects, and the film didn't earn back its cost.
The other redeeming quality is the movie's imagination. Yes this is ultimately a good news/bad news thing. Imagining an f/sf crossover was thinking outside the box. The idea of aliens with blasters vs. swords-and-sorcery has so much potential. But the movie completely squanders that potential with a storyline that makes no sense. It's like it's a D&D adventure written by a 12 year old.
- The aliens killed almost everybody, what do we do? Oh, wait, there's a wise old man who says a magical weapon will stop them. But what does it do? Shh, you'll find out in time!
- We've got to find where the villains are hiding! Wise old guy says there's exactly ONE way to find out, it's this old seer. Oops, the seer failed his roll. Well, luckily there's exactly TWO ways to find out, the other's in this swamp. Oops, we were attacked there. Well, luckily there's exactly THREE ways to find out, the third is from this spider-queen, if she doesn't kill us all first...
- Oh, and the aliens, who flew across the galaxy in a space ship? Well, their whole ship teleports around the planet once a day. So why was the whole opening scene about it flying through space? Why not just teleport to the planet? Shhh, you're ruining it!
- That fancy weapon (5 bladed star) that it's in all the artwork does nothing until the climax, when it basically flies out of the hero's hand and then does everything while the protagonists stand back and watch. As a friend of mine quipped, mockingly, "I AM THE ALL WISE AND ALL POWERFUL. AND I HAVE NO LEGS. CARRY ME, MORTAL."
Krull does worse than simply not making sense. It tries to make sense, throwing details into plot and dialog every scene, only to contradict half those details 5 minutes later. It's like a D&D adventure written by six 12-year-olds, each one writing a different part of the adventure.