Kull the Conqueror
Rafaella DeLaurentiis, who produced Conan The Barbarian and its sequel, Conan The Destroyer, has returned to bring us another of Robert E. Howard's mythological characters to life in Kull The Conqueror. The story follows Kull (Kevin Sorbo), a former slave and barbarian warrior, who is handed the kingdom of Valusia as its demented king lies dying. Eager to see him dethroned, rivals resurrect a mummified satanic priestess, Akivasha (Tia Carrere), to seduce Kull and bring about his ruin. This done, Akivasha seizes control of the realm herself, and sets about establishing a kingdom of darkness, leaving Kull to return to save the day.
Kull The Conqueror is a fun adventure, more in the tradition of Ray Harryhausen's fantasy films than either of the first two Conan films. There are moments which unintentionally elicit giggles; Tia Carrere comes across more as a pouty sorority girl than a 3000-year-old satanic priestess, but the film is such a campy romp to begin with, that it all proves very entertaining.
Kull is not noteworthy for outstanding performances, Sorbo pretty much playing the heroic beach hunk he plays every week on Hercules. The diamond in the rough, however, is French actress Karina Lombard, as Kull's feisty but loyal love, Zareta. Lombard's beauty and Gallic poise lend Zareta an arresting nobility and passion, making her the most appealing and convincing of all the film's characters.
Visually and aurally, the film is an amusing historic pastiche. The exterior of Kull's palace is filmed in medieval Slovakian ruins, while its interior owes to Egyptian designs (both historic and in the Cecil B. DeMille tradition). Joel Goldsmith's music for the funeral scene makes use of Gregorian chant, while the costumes span a variety of sources: Greek chitons, medieval mail, and 1970s platform sandals.
Joel Goldsmith's score is impressively
heroic and romantic for the most part; unfortunately, in the
action scenes it breaks into abominable heavy metal riffs which
prove a detriment to the film. (Goldsmith actually delivered
a traditional orchestral score but was forced into adding the
drums and guitars by the producer.) Whatever its faults, in the
end, Kull The Conqueror proves a fun, colorful, and entertaining
adventure, and well-worth a video rental.
Paul Andrew MacLean
Shelton CT 06484 USA
(800) 232-2224 voice
(800) 775-2729 fax
LadyJanet@RenaissanceMagazine.com