Deathstalker

A warrior named Deathstalker is sent on a quest by a witch to find a chalice, an amulet, and a sword, soon he finds himself making new allies whilst battling warriors, creatures and a wizard.

Off the back of Conan the Barbarian (1982) director James Sbardellati's (credited as John Watson) offering is in the vein of The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982) but lacks the scope. Writer Howard R. Cohen's adult orientated plot is paper thin.

Modelled on He-man Rick Hill (with a mix of Peter Weller and Dolphin Lundgren) does a good enough job as Deathstalker. Wearing very little the late Lana Clarkson steals the show. Richard Brooker as Oghris is notable. Gratuitous nudity galore, unnecessary rape, produced by Roger Corman it has all the production pitfalls you'd expect, including cheap sets and choppy editing, but is high in concept and is entertaining for the most part. Óscar Cardozo Ocampo's music raises the production and staged fight scenes, even if a little intrusive at times. The giant pig-man gladiator fight scene setup is a highlight even if nothing like the promotional art. Also the showdown is interesting even if borrowed from Superman II (1980) where Flash Gordon's Ming-like sorcerer Munkar played by Bernard Erhard gets to shine a little.

Overall, it takes itself seriously, it's violent, with wall to wall scantily-clad leads and extras. It has a strange appeal, oozing low budget eighties sword and sorcery shenanigans. One of the better Conan cash-ins, even if the poster art is better than the film.

I've seen plenty of cheesy B Movies that rode behind on the success of Conan the Barbarian and Excalibur, and can without a doubt say that this is the best of the lot. The early to mid 80s were the pinnacle of fantasy adventure films, and there are a lot of them from this time. Most are very poorly done with atrocious dialogue and unimaginative (go figure) action sequences. I'm not saying that Deathstalker lacked either of these flaws, it did not, but it made up for it somewhat with ambition and attitude. I must confess that it has been many years since I've seen this film, and it may not stand up as well on a second viewing. But I've always known the difference between a good and bad B movie. I actually miss the times that bred Deathstalker a bit. Although most of the fantasy adventure movies were bad, they at least tried to take themselves seriously. The neat thing about the movie is that it is not epic in scope. For those used to Lord of the Rings or the like, this may actually be a refreshing change. If you haven't seen Conan the Barbarian, watch this movie first, to save the best for last.

The makers of this movie gave absolutely ZERO F**ks, and i respect that. Kill the bad guys, Save the girls, pretty straightforward and fun. Good guy is a blank slate easy to identify with and the bad guy is a good and easy target to hate. lots of random careless nudity and plenty of 'classy' one liners. It's nothing to write home about certainly but those of you who like the 80's metal movies like Conan will love it. pretty basic as far as plot and story line but that's nothing you won't expect from the poster. I think it has great potential as a background movie for any good D&D campaign or reckless party. Epic Metal Movie, get drunk and enjoy

The man known as Deathstalker (Rick Hill) is asked by an old king to rescue his daughter from the evil wizard Munkar (Bernard Erhard). Deathstalker rejects this plea saying that the days of heroes are over. But when all sword-fighters of the land are called by Munkar to a tournament, he can't resist...

"Deathstalker" picks up all the clichés of fantasy movies, from wizards and princesses to mystical artifacts with great powers, and it adds a whole lot of sex and violence. Actually that happens to a degree that it gets hilariously funny. For example a giant kills a dwarf with several strokes of a heavy war hammer - and only a bit of blood red mud remains. Or the female warrior Kaira (Lana Clarkson) fights topless throughout the film. Go figure. "Deathstalker" goes w-a-y over the top, the ironical music indicates this was probably intended, and the action scenes are at least better directed than those of all the following flicks.

Lana Clarkson became the "Barbarian Queen". Screenplay writer Howard Cohen went on to script "Barbarian Queen" and "Deathstalker 3". Rick Hill returned for "Deathstalker 4". Executive producer Roger Corman spent another 75 bucks (roughly estimated) on the 3 Deathstalker sequels and "Wizards of the Lost Kingdom", to name but a few. And why not, if "Deathstalker" was a success.

If you take this as a fantasy, you'll probably be disappointed: it's as second-grade as they come, with a total blank for a hero and plenty of chaotically staged swordfights. But if you take it as a soft-porn film, you may be more pleased; there is a stimulating (if brief) sex scene midway through, and abundant nudity throughout, though only the beautiful Lana Clarkson escapes the film's depraved attitude toward women. Anyway, the film certainly isn't as bad as the two Ferrigno "Hercules" movies.....(*1/2)