Sometimes, when I revisit a fondly remembered film from my youth, said film holds up despite the passage of time. Sometimes, it doesn't. The Sword and the Sorcerer falls into the latter category.
Not having seen The Sword and the Sorcerer in decades, I was hoping that this would be a masterwork, ala Conan the Barbarian (1982), even thought all I really remembered was Talon's *THREE* bladed sword, whose parallel blades shoot off! Woo-hoo! Seriously, at the time, I thought this sword was one of the coolest things ever.
However, on the re-watch, I found that the poor fight choreography, the preponderance of clichés, the special effects that haven't aged well and the easily correctable script problems were off-putting: For example, it's not spelled out, but Talon banging Princess Alana was probably incest.
Still, to be fair, The Sword and the Sorcerer is certainly not a poor Sword & Sorcery yarn. I mean, there's a sword (with *THREE* blades!?!) and a sorcerer, can't be much more Sword & Sorcery than that, right? Plus, it's got a hot princess (the super lovely Kathleen Beller), the requisite gore, violence and nudity for a Hard "R" and a story that zips along and that remains interesting, if sometimes goofy, throughout.
In The Sword and the Sorcerer, evil King Cromwell seeks to conquer the known world by resurrecting Xusia of Delos, an evil archmagus. Team Evil's path to global domination begins by knocking over the peaceful Kingdom of Ehdan and murdering all of the Ehdanian royal family except for the youngest son, Talon, who gets away with the *THREE* bladed sword. Then, Cromwell makes the smart play of trying to assassinate Xusia before the sorcerer inevitably turns on him.
Unfortunately, Cromwell mucks up the assassination and Xusia escapes. Years later, both the surviving wizard and the surviving prince, now a famous mercenary leader, return to Ehdan to seek their vengeance. The movie ends pretty much as you would expect.
Where The Sword and the Sorcerer is more impressive is how it differs from the host of other post-Conan fantasy action films: drawing much from Errol Flynn swashbucklers, the film laced with humor and Talon is as likely to fire off a quip as swing his sword. Also, the double villain structure allows for some clever treachery and backstabbing. And, the princess shows more spunk than the typical helpless damsel, using the patented knee to the balls technique.
Plus, Lee Horsely is a much, much, much better actor than Arnold Schwarzenegger. For example, Messr Horsely plays Talon with easy wit and good comedic timing. And director Albert Pyun isn't afraid to go after the laughs either: after the rousing "let's go save our leader" speech in the brothel, the movie immediately jump cuts to the would-be rescuers in the dungeon. Hi*LAR*ious!
If you're looking for a fun, campy pulp action film and are willing to relax your brain, The Sword and the Sorcerer isn't a bad choice. Alternately, if you want to see a sword with *THREE* blades, this is the movie for you!
Not having seen The Sword and the Sorcerer in decades, I was hoping that this would be a masterwork, ala Conan the Barbarian (1982), even thought all I really remembered was Talon's *THREE* bladed sword, whose parallel blades shoot off! Woo-hoo! Seriously, at the time, I thought this sword was one of the coolest things ever.
However, on the re-watch, I found that the poor fight choreography, the preponderance of clichés, the special effects that haven't aged well and the easily correctable script problems were off-putting: For example, it's not spelled out, but Talon banging Princess Alana was probably incest.
Still, to be fair, The Sword and the Sorcerer is certainly not a poor Sword & Sorcery yarn. I mean, there's a sword (with *THREE* blades!?!) and a sorcerer, can't be much more Sword & Sorcery than that, right? Plus, it's got a hot princess (the super lovely Kathleen Beller), the requisite gore, violence and nudity for a Hard "R" and a story that zips along and that remains interesting, if sometimes goofy, throughout.
In The Sword and the Sorcerer, evil King Cromwell seeks to conquer the known world by resurrecting Xusia of Delos, an evil archmagus. Team Evil's path to global domination begins by knocking over the peaceful Kingdom of Ehdan and murdering all of the Ehdanian royal family except for the youngest son, Talon, who gets away with the *THREE* bladed sword. Then, Cromwell makes the smart play of trying to assassinate Xusia before the sorcerer inevitably turns on him.
Unfortunately, Cromwell mucks up the assassination and Xusia escapes. Years later, both the surviving wizard and the surviving prince, now a famous mercenary leader, return to Ehdan to seek their vengeance. The movie ends pretty much as you would expect.
Where The Sword and the Sorcerer is more impressive is how it differs from the host of other post-Conan fantasy action films: drawing much from Errol Flynn swashbucklers, the film laced with humor and Talon is as likely to fire off a quip as swing his sword. Also, the double villain structure allows for some clever treachery and backstabbing. And, the princess shows more spunk than the typical helpless damsel, using the patented knee to the balls technique.
Plus, Lee Horsely is a much, much, much better actor than Arnold Schwarzenegger. For example, Messr Horsely plays Talon with easy wit and good comedic timing. And director Albert Pyun isn't afraid to go after the laughs either: after the rousing "let's go save our leader" speech in the brothel, the movie immediately jump cuts to the would-be rescuers in the dungeon. Hi*LAR*ious!
If you're looking for a fun, campy pulp action film and are willing to relax your brain, The Sword and the Sorcerer isn't a bad choice. Alternately, if you want to see a sword with *THREE* blades, this is the movie for you!
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