Iron Warrior

This is the third sequel to Ator The Fighting Eagle. Ator was a cheapo Italian barbarian movie that was bad that I did like. This flick is even cheaper, cheesier and more poorly acted. Ator( a different actor from the original film) must help the princess reclaim her kingdom from a evil witch that also has Ator's evil twin brother under her command. This is a clumsy film and is super cheesy, even by 80's standards. The fight sequences are mostly bad, the chemistry between Ator and The Princess is not there, making the love story really awkward. The editing and overall continuity of the movie is really bad. In the realm of cheapozid sword and sorcery flicks, Iron Warrior scrapes towards the bottom of the barrel of beefcake fantasy action. It's good for a laugh, but I would much rather watch Death stalker or any movie in that series over this.

This is very different from the standard sword 'n sandal pics, and indeed the other two Ator films. It feels more like an art house film. Lots of swirling cloths, slomo-scenes, coloured filters, weird hair styles and make up and a WTF?! Ending. Our princess wears dresses made of swirling cloths in either scarlet or blue, she has pink lips and one pink eyebrow (weird) and her hair is kinda gathered into this crest like a Greek helmet which is just odd. Ator, has his hair done like a girl, beautifully braided and is too neat and styalised to be the 'warrior hero' he is supposed to be. The whole thing feels like a rock video, or an advert for something. The one great thing is that it isn't dubbed.

This is by the director of the awful 1973 'Beauty of the Barbarian' and had I known that I might not have bought it. This is a terrible film. Nothing much happens, its very very arty ie: pretty in a very 80's kind of way, but not much substance. The music is again poorly chosen, though its not as cringeworthy as the skippy the kangaroo stylee stuff from 'beauty of the barbarian'. The characters are underdeveloped, and although Miles O'Keeffe is undeniably lovely to look at, even he cannot save this film. The ending is sudden, weird and non sensical, if you can make it that far. The special effects like Phaedra's spinning hula hoop are tacky. There is no tension, no emotion, no real story and even the sword fights aren't particularly exciting. Still, it is quite pretty, the scenery (its filmed in Malta) is beautiful, and it does have a shirtless Miles O'Keeffe.

I can understand why fans of Sword and Sorcery films might be disappointed with this film. However it is a distinctive tale with some genuinely artistic direction. The Maltese locations are inspired especially when you consider the mystique surrounding those early cultures.

The action sequences don't stand up to modern scrutiny, but the hero certainly looks the part. Trogar isn't the worst unstoppable creature I've seen. The two leads are restrained - you might say 'wooden' but that works well if you accept the film's legendary feel.

The real liveliness of the film comes from the Witchy bad girl who is clearly having fun; and the Timelord-style goddesses who oppose her.

The film isn't exciting but neither is it predictable. The script isn't bad at all and seems to have some ambitions with regard to dualism and the need for balance in the universe.

I won't throw my copy away.

I saw another Ator movie on MST3K under the title "Cave Dwellers". It was one of the worst-made movies I've ever seen. Unfortunately, I saw Iron Warrior without the benefit of the MST3K crew, and it was very hard to endure. The film concerns the quest of Ator to stop a witch, but most of the time he just wanders around with no apparent agenda. He occasionally fights his brother, now the silver skull-masked "Master of the Sword", and is featured in many, many slow-motion scenes which seem to exist solely to make the movie last longer. Painfully boring, but it's a little better than Cave Dwellers in that it has some blood and nudity.

Ator must battle with Phaedra, an evil sorceress and her unstoppable warrior, who has a secret connection to our heroes past.

Director Alfonso Brescia ambitious Iron Warrior is a low budget mix of Excalibur, Clash of the Titans, with a touch of Alejandro Jodorowsky wackiness and Duran Duran music video prowess to name a few. Opening with Carlo Maria Cordio's endless credit title music (oddly reminiscent of Star Trek The Next Generation), we're then sold the aesthetically pleasing locations of the Mediterranean's Malta and Gozo. However, the sunny visuals take away from Iron Warrior some much needed atmosphere. Nevertheless, Brescia's Italian production doesn't shy away from brief nudity, some Lucio Fulci inspired make up and shock moments.

Brescia while disregarding Ator's established character origins (in Ator Flight of the Eagle (1982) and Ator 2 - L'invincibile Orion, released in America as The Blade Master 1984)) at best offers stylised 80's bold geometric shape makeup, and fan blown hair with vibrant costumes, reds, greens and flowing material passing the camera. There's a handful of beautiful women thrown including Iris Peynado, notable is the stunning Princess Jana, actress Sabina Gersak. Offering a poor mans Conan swordplay. There's Superman (1978) Krypton-like prison rings trapping a witch, with Ator played again by Miles OKeeffe, a chiseled lean He-Man, along with nemesis Trogar (Franco Daddi) a Skeletor meets with Action Force's Destro type sword wielding nemesis. He employs slow-motion, sped up film, wide shots and old Bewitched/Randall and Hopkirk vanishing editing tricks. The avant-garde mix of student-like experimental film elements is endless.

If theatrical, over the top, choppy Italian sorcery fantasy salami is your thing, Iron Warrior is a must see.