Krull: Rare & Under Appreciated #1

Is there anybody out there that likes Krull? Unlike The Last Starfighter, Tron or The Black Hole (which all have cult followings AND remakes in the works), Krull is the forgotten and neglected fantasy film from 1983 that remains shunned and unloved.

I love it though! It's shamelessly a Star Wars rip off (a young man and wise man team up with comedy relief, a giant and some rogues to rescue the princess and save the galaxy). Although it wears the clothes of a fantasy movie, it really wants to be a space opera...the bad guy's fortress is a spaceship and his minions fire laser beams. Columbia Pictures clearly threw a ton of money at it, and it looks fantastic (although Brit helmer David Yate's direction is distantly unremarkable and lacking in urgency). The epic eastern European locations, Peter Suschitzky's (he of Empire) lush photography and Stephen B. Grime's clean cut, unfussy production design all help to make this a quality production.

With the exception of the film's impetuous (but solid) lead, Ken Marshall, the casting is superb with Freddie Jones, Francesca Annis and John Welch as the wisdom providers and Alun Armstrong, Liam Neeson, Todd Carty and Robbie Coltrane, all excellent and individually distinctive, as the motley crew of escaped criminals that aid the young King on his quest. However, originating in Krull is the phrase "Bernard Bresslaw Factor", thanks to that actors wooden performance as Rell, the Cyclops. It relates to any British actor who is completely out of his depth acting in an American produced blockbuster. Worth a special mention is the design of the Beast's evil foot soldiers, The Slayers. Both alien and supernatural looking at the same time, they help provide a unique look and threat throughout the movie.

Finally, there are two things of rare, outstanding natural beauty in Krull. The first, is that of female lead, Lysette Anthony, who is mind slaughteringly adorable as Princess Lyssa. An English model, known as 'The Face of the Eighties' due to her fashion defining features, Anthony illuminates every shot she's in, despite being far too girlie to comprehend.

The other is that of James Horner's score. Horner was still at the beginning of his career at this time, before lack of imagination and the relentless rehashing of his own work became the norm. This, along with his Star Trek and Battle Beyond The Stars scores, represented Horner at his career defining best. Krull's score is a triumphant masterpiece; romantic, majestic and sweeping in a way that 99.9% of contemporary composers can only dream of (only Michael Giachinno comes close these days).

So while Krull is a little old fashioned and more than a little cliched, it's got great actors playing cool characters, tons of quality, Derek Meddings effects, all wrapped up in an action packed bundle with posh British totty and a grand orchestral blanket. Still pretty damn good.