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The late Peter Yates' 1983 fantasy epic "Krull" is a fascinatingly strange bouillabaisse of ideas. Like "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe," it blends medieval wizardry with high-tech science fiction. The story follows a brave hero named Colwyn (Ken Marshall) who has to rescue his kidnapped bride Lyssa (Lysette Anthony) from a giant, evil monster known only as the Beast. Tapping into the fantasy aspects of the story, Colwyn and Lyssa have shared fire superpowers, passed between them via a magical baptismal font at their wedding. Once Lyssa is kidnapped, Colwyn is tasked with finding a mystical, five-pronged weapon called the Glaive, a shuriken version of Excalibur. There is a magical shapeshifter, a cyclops, and on-screen wizardry. The Beast's Black Fortress is protected by a spell that causes it to relocate entirely every day. Liam Neeson played a jocular, axe-throwing bandit named Kegan. He was recruited by Colwyn to be a member of his fellowship.

As part of our Enchanted 80s week, we look back at the action family epic, Krull…

How can you remain objective about a film you enjoyed so much as a youngster? The answer, of course, is that you can't. And it's true that, when viewed in 2011, the influences of 80s fantasy film, Krull, are more apparent than ever. It borrows freely from Greek and Arthurian myths, Tolkien, and most noticeably, a certain sci-fi blockbuster directed by George Lucas.

And yet, at the same time, it's impossible for me to view Krull without a sense of genuine affection. This is made easier by the fact that, while it's showing its age in places, Krull is a well-made film, and an entire galaxy away from other cheap, quickly made knock-offs that showed up in the wake of Star Wars. This is probably thanks in large part to the experience of Peter Yates,...

10. The Wizard of Oz (The Wizard of Oz, 1939)

He was supposed to have all the answers through his wonderful wizardry but what they came to find out is that he wasn’t exactly what he seemed. That didn’t stop the Wizard of Oz from helping solve all of their problems, he just went about it in a different way. So what, he isn’t really a Wizard, but come on, the movie is named after him!

9. Ulrich and Galen (Dragonslayer)

Ulrich (Ralph Richardson) is an old wizard and Galen (Peter MacNicol) is his young apprentice. The two wizards are hired by a king to rid him of his agreement with the dragon that calls for sacrificed virgins in exchange for leaving their villagers alone. After taking the gig, Ulrich meets his death, leaving the young and relatively inexperienced Galen to uphold their agreement and save the king’s daughter...