★ 5 / 10
Well, still suffering from the man flu that
CinemaSerf
Well, still suffering from the man flu that induced me to watch the first (1983) version of this, I was curious to discover why it had taken four years to…
Well, still suffering from the man flu that induced me to watch the first (1983) version of this, I was curious to discover why it had taken four years to regurgitate it... Well, that might have been because it's a completely new team behind this slightly better iteration of "Conan" meets "Barbie". This time, the eponymous character (John Terlesky) hooks up with "Reena the Seer" (otherwise known as "Princess Evie" - Monique Gabrielle) and after a few adventures, they end up working together to battle the evil sorcerer "Jarek" (John Lazar), and an equally malevolent and nimble clone of herself, so she can reclaim her throne. As with the first film, it borders on the soft porn at times with Terlesky's clothing defiantly clinging on for grim death whilst all the ladies' garments go to the four winds. The plot is almost exactly the same as the earlier iteration for this hero, as is the ending and I wouldn't have been surprised if they just tinkered round the edges of what passed for the script too. To be fair, Terlesky has a little more charm to him, he looks like he knows this is awful and that he realises that he also getting paid. So too, does Gabrielle - but as an actress, she is pretty woeful. It's got pirates and Amazons to keep things lively, and as an action adventure in a sort of Peplum vein, it passes 90 minutes easily enough - just never again.
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★ 6 / 10
Enjoyably Tongue-In-Cheek Sword And Sorcery Conan Knock Off Adventure
ShootingShark
In ancient days, Deathstalker is a thief and swordsman who befriends Evie, a strange young woman who promises him great rewards if he can rid the land of the…
In ancient days, Deathstalker is a thief and swordsman who befriends Evie, a strange young woman who promises him great rewards if he can rid the land of the evil sorcerer Jarek. Deathstalker takes up the challenge, but can he defeat this powerful villain, and has Evie told him the whole story
Okay, this movie's a bit cheesy and goofball, with cardboard sets and a scene-chewing cast, but I can't help but enjoy it a lot. Like Piranha, it knows it's cashing in on the success of a better film, but that doesn't stop it being witty, exciting and fast paced. We get medieval barroom brawls, slavegirl mud fights, a tussle in a crypt with a gang of zombies, a wrestling match with an Amazon, a pit and pendulum torture number and a steamy vampire seduction scene. Wynorski sensibly keeps everything moving along nice as you please, with the next fight, joke, fleshpot or scare never far away. He's a really good director, with a fine eye for a shot, clever timing and a complete lack of pretension; check out any of his other films (my favourite is Transylvania Twist). The cast are fun - Terlesky coasts on his goofy good looks as the amiable Deathstalker, and Gabrielle and Naples are both saucy delights, frequently in eye-popping costumes which seem to defy both gravity and human physiology. Topping it all off is a toe-tappingly pleasant muzak score by Chuck Cirino, all kooky chords and crescendos. B-movie afficionados (and if you aren't one, stop taking films so seriously) will find much to enjoy in this good-natured, sexy, low-budget adventure flick. A straight-to-video movie, also known as Deathstalker II: Duel Of The Titans, it has little connection with the more mundane 1983 movie Deathstalker, and two plodding sequels (Deathstalker And The Warriors From Hell and Deathstalker IV: Match Of Titans).
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The poster is better than the movie!