Krull (1983)

I can see why Krull has developed a cult status but unless you get stung by that magic bug, it’s just ok at best. Plenty of cool visuals don't make up for a story that's nothing special. If you’re seeing it (as I did) because you’ve heard that it’s a knock-off of Star Wars, it really isn’t.

On planet Krull, an ancient prophecy is about to come to pass. “A girl of ancient name shall become queen and she shall choose a kind. Together they shall rule their world, and their son shall rule the galaxy”. That’s when the “Beast” arrives. The hideous, shape-shifting, mind-reading, creature whose mountain-like spaceship contains a legion of stormtroopers. When the Beast attacks the wedding ceremony of Prince Colwyn (Ken Marshall) and Princess Lyssa (Lysette Anthony), it kidnaps the bride and leaves everyone else but her groom dead. It’s up to Colwyn to assemble an army, save his wife, and take down the invading force.

Let's address the Star Wars business first. Though sources on the web have drawn comparisons between Krull and George Lucas' universe (which is why I watched this back-to-back with Revenge of the Sith), the only similarities are superficial: the opening shot of the Beast’s mountain flying in space, and its armies of stormtroopers armed with laser guns. Not at all what I expected but that might be a good thing, right?

Krull takes a long time to get going. The heroes need to find the Beast’s fortress… which teleports to a different location every day. They visit wise man after wise man to find out where it’s going to show up next. It's all padding before the action. There are no grandiose battles where armies clash, no monsters in forbidden cavers for our hero to face, just a lot of climbing cliffs and talking to old people. The movie could have regained some points by having interesting characters, but you won’t find any. Colwyn is bland, so is the princess. The Beast wants to marry the woman for reasons that are never explained. Only two of the characters we meet along the way are memorable: the bumbling wizard Ergo (David Battley). There are a lot of wizards in this movie, but he stands out because he can’t get any spell right. He gets some nice character development when he kinda-sorta adopts a young boy Titch (Graham McGrath). These two are the most exciting humans you'll find on this twin-sunned, twin-mooned planet.

The picture's appeal resides entirely on ts visuals. This is a beautiful movie with many sweeping shots of the countryside, mountains, and cliffs. It’s got some pretty good special effects, including a stop-motion creature that couldn’t have been animated better if Ray Harryhausen and Willis O'Brien had done it themselves. The Beast’s lair also stands out. Halfway between something out of the mind of Salvador Dali and Jesper Myrfors’ Cosmic Horror it’s a maze of claws, teeth, gaping mouths, twitching eyes, and looks terrific.

Oh, I know what you’re thinking. “When is he going to mention The Glaive?” For those unfamiliar with the film, our hero must obtain a magical weapon to defeat the beast that frankly, is a whole lot cooler to imagine than it is to see on-screen. It’s a 5-pointed switchblade/boomerang. It doesn’t shoot beams like the movie cover might lead you to believe, so don’t get too excited.

If you want a Lord of the Rings knock-off varnished with a thin layer of Star Wars and you’ve got some friends in the right mood, Krull might be just the thing for you. I’m speaking theoretically. I didn’t find much enjoyment in the story but I did enjoy the visuals. Krull is ok. (On DVD, December 12, 2015)

#Dune, first released in cinemas #OnThisDay in 1984⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #TitleScreen #OTD #DavidLynch #KyleMacLachlan #FrancescaAnnis #BradDourif #FreddieJones #RichardJordan #EverettMcGill #KennethMcMillan #JürgenProchnow #Sting https://www.instagram.com/p/CXeZzYyh-bn/?utm_medium=tumblr

Dune

Dune | 80s Cult Movie, David Lynch, Kyle MacLachlan | 1985 original print | vintage Japanese chirashi film poster #movie #movieposter #chirashiposter #filmposter #davidlynch #kylemaclachlan #virginiamadsen #francescaannis #80sfilms #1980s #dunefilm #dunemovie #movieposterdesign #japaneseposter #japanesemovieposter https://etsy.me/305jHNG https://www.instagram.com/p/CA_PT33Fnq0/?igshid=6qnxrxe8eyy0

#Krull ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Ludicrously lavish and, by turns, lavishly ludicrous, “Krull” is a wonderfully wasteful, overindulgent high fantasy misfire that still manages to entertain even as it baffles and frustrates in equal measure. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Read more at thecraggus.com ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #CraggusComfortMovies #LysetteAnthony #TheGlaive #TheBeast #Fantasy #SciFi #MovieReview #MovieReviews #FrancescaAnnis #RobbieColtrane #LiamNeeson #BernardBresslaw #AlunArmstrong #toddcarty https://www.instagram.com/p/B-7ItQwFEH2/?igshid=zcs3mpbf0iww

#FrancescaAnnis everyone 🔥

It’s GD boilin’ in here 🔥🔥🔥

The Children with #francescaannis #roncook #deborahfindlay. The Tide is High (at Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, New York)

Just Pinned to Movies on TMT: Dune (1984) Directed & Screenplay by #DavidLynch Based on #Dune by #FrankHerbert Starring #FrancescaAnnis #LeonardoCimino #BradDourif #JoseFerrer #LindaHunt #FreddieJones #RichardJordan #KyleMacLachlan #VirginiaMadsen #SilvanaMangano #EverettMcGill #KennethMcMillan #JackNance #SianPhillips #JurgenProchnow #PaulSmith #PatrickStewart #Sting #DeanStockwell #MaxvonSydow #AliciaRoanneWitt #SeanYoung #Hollywood #hollywood #picture #video #film #movie #cinema #epic #story #cine #films #theater #filming https://ift.tt/2zJDfZy

#FrancescaAnnis #NetWorth and Know her #incomesource, #career, early life, affairs

francescaannis replied to your post: “francescaannis replied to your post: “Newest information on US airings...”:

I'm not surprised that Victoria has gotten so much more interest, given it's historical relevance. But yes you're right, HF barely got any promo at all. I can hardly find anything from ITV about it on social media whereas they flooded their pages about Victoria. So annoying. I wonder why they did that? I mean, if you're going to broadcast something, even if you don't like it, then at least commit to helping as much as possible. So weird.

and given it’s going off the back of the young victoria film which everyone loved and so drew into those fans to it. Perhaps ITV just didn’t see the potential of it or idk but whatever the case it’s still sad because honestly, with all these cop/crime dramas and gritty stories they keep on producing, I really just want a nice show with a lovely cast and costumes etc. 

#Krull, first released in cinemas #OnThisDay in 1983⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #TitleScreen #OTD #PeterYates #KenMarshall #LysetteAnthony #FreddieJones #FrancescaAnnis #BernardBresslaw #DavidBattley #AlunArmstrong #LiamNeeson #RobbieColtrane #ToddCarty https://www.instagram.com/p/CR67hA1p4xg/?utm_medium=tumblr

Dune

#Krull, first released in cinemas #OnThisDay in 1983 Poster art by #JoshKirby (@joshkirbyart) #CoolArt #Art #PrinceColwyn #KenMarshall #PrincessLyssa #LysetteAnthony #FreddieJones #FrancescaAnnis #PeterYates https://www.instagram.com/p/B0f5A_kg7Xj/?igshid=17pyur6k5temr

#Krull, first released in cinemas #OnThisDay in 1983 Poster art by #JoshKirby (@joshkirbyart) #CoolArt #Art #KenMarshall #LysetteAnthony #FreddieJones #FrancescaAnnis #DavidBattley #BernardBresslaw #LiamNeeson #PeterYates

francescaannis replied to your post: “*updates*”:

LOVE this!

I’m so glad! :D