A quick glance at the other reviews here on Epinions will show that what you are about to read differs drastically from the apparent norm.
1997's Kull the Conqueror, starring Kevin Sorbo (best known fore his role as Hercules), is a fantasy movie involving swords, sorcery, demons, and cheesy one-liners. The movie obviously draws inspiration from various well-known sources, most notably Conan the Barbarian, and features just about every cliché in the book. If you're too uptight about your movies to have anything to do with a highly derivative film, then you're bound to absolutely loathe Kull the Conqueror. However, if you're willing to put aside everything you know about fantastic worlds, flashy special effects, and A-list acting, Kull will provide an enjoyable movie experience worth coming back to time and again. Kull the Conqueror opens with a short narrative about how the kingdom was once ruled by the demons of Acheron who, several millennia ago, were defeated by the goddess Valka. A single flame of the fires of Acheron was left to burn for all eternity as a reminder of those evil times, and the kingdom of Velusia was built from Acheron's ashes.
Queue a short action scene in which our hero, Kull, is battling a legion of troops wearing nothing but pants and carrying a large, double-bladed axe. As it turns out, Kull is just finishing up a series of tests in order to become part of the royal legion, but unfortunately he lacks the noble blood and citizenship of Velusia to be allowed entry, despite his obvious battle prowess. General Taligaro insults Kull and his barbaric fighting style and lack of noble blood just before being summoned to the castle because the king is slaughtering his heirs. Through a turn of fate, Kull winds up as king of Velusia and General Taligaro, who was one of two remaining heirs to the throne, silently vowed to get rid of the outsider and claim the crown as his own.
One plot against the new king's life, one summoning of an ancient demon queen, and a bit of sorcery and general foul play later, Kull finds himself on an epic quest to defeat an ancient evil, save the world, regain his crown, and even fall in love. While it is true that you probably won't find anything new in the story of Kull the Conqueror, the tale is at least spun in an entertaining way which, at the very least, features a few good action sequences.
I will have to warn that the following contains a bit of personal bias: perhaps the greatest thing about Kull the Conqueror is that the movie uses a variety of weapons in its action sequences, not the least of which are greataxes. While many fantasy movies occasionally thrown in an axe or a flail, they tend to be over-laden with swords of all kinds – longswords, rapiers, greatswords, you name it. While there are plenty of longswords involved in Kull the Conqueror (the General makes a point of calling them "nobles' weapons" and insults Kull for not being well-versed in their usage), you will find axes, morningstars, flails, and the planks of busted ships in this movie. Perhaps this doesn't mean much to most people, but if you're sick of seeing the same old sword fights, Kull will at least offer a bit of interesting material in the way the weapons of the movie are handled, which does help break up the monotony of combat somewhat. The fight scenes aren't always the well-choreographed, but they're generally fast-paced and enjoyable to watch regardless of whether or not you're a sucker for various medieval weapons.
One of the other great things about Kull the Conqueror is its soundtrack. I normally don't devote much time to talking about soundtracks, especially in fantasy movies, because they're usually typical fair; sweeping orchestral melodies and choirs abound. While Kull does contain some of that – and what it does have is performed well – perhaps the most unique feature of the movie's sound is its guitars, drums, and general hard rock feel. It may seem out-of-place in a medieval setting at first, but the razor sharp guitar riffs and pounding drums make for an excellent accompaniment to the movie's action. This movie has one of the few soundtracks I wouldn't mind owning.
It's a good thing the music is so great too, because you may need it to help you ignore some of the bad one-liners and cheesy dialogue that happens during most of the movie's action sequences. Unfortunately, the movie's overall script is handled in a similar way, and you'll likely be able to guess how characters will respond to certain things. Some of the acting in the movie is rather dry, especially on the part of Zareta (Karina Lombard) who serves as Kull's love interest, but there are a few performances which, at the very least, aren't bad at all.
Kull the Conqueror's special effects are handled in a similar fashion. Most of the CGI is sub-par even for 1997, but there are a few scenes which, while they don't particularly glisten, are at least well-polished. For instance, the transformation from mummified corpse to beautiful (if you consider Tia Carerre beautiful) woman is handled fairly well, but the evil demon cloaked in fire looks like something out of the 80s.
While Kull may not necessarily surprise you with its story or enrapture you with its special effects, it is definitely a movie which – to toss around yet another cliché – has a whole equal to greater than the sum of its parts. If you are willing to set aside the notion that all movies need to be big-budget, blockbuster extravaganzas, you may find Kull the Conqueror to be an entertaining experience. At the very least, the movie is worth a rent, though you may find that its simplistic charm is worth several repeat viewings in the years to come.
