Conan Who?
Kull the Conqueror Steals the Throne As Fantasy King

From my previous reviews, you may have been able to guess that I am a big fan of science fiction. Checking my video collection and the movies I've seen, I'd have to admit that sword and sorcery fantasy is high on my list, too. The difference being that Hollywood has a hard time making a decent fantasy movie. As a movie, Kull the Conqueror is better than average. Compared to other fantasy films, it shines.

Kull the Conqueror
Kevin Sorbo leaves the world of Hercules behind to play another legendary hero in Kull the Conqueror. (Universal, 1997)
Directed by: John Nicolella
Written by: Charles Edward Pogue (screenplay), based on the characters and worlds of Robert E. Howard
Starring: Kevin Sorbo, Tia Carrere, Karina Lombard, and Harvey Fierstein

Rated PG-13 (for fantasy action violence and sensuality)
Running time: 95 min.

FilmGuru's Rating : 6 out of 10.

Kevin Sorbo (television's Hercules: The Legendary Journeys) plays the barbarian king so perfectly, one would assume (correctly) he has experience with swords and demons. Unlike Schwarzenegger's breakthrough performance as Conan the Barbarian, Sorbo plays an intelligent barbarian who steals the throne of Valusia when he kills their king. This is not the grunting, unintelligible stereotype Conan created. Kull is a man of ideals and nobility, even if not from noble blood.

The story of Kull is top-notch fantasy fare. A barbarian is named king and proceeds to make enemies of the noble houses. In an effort to topple Kull, his enemies resurrect a 3,000 year old demon named Akivasha (Tia Carrere) who enchants him and becomes his queen. Meanwhile, a fortune teller named Zareta (Karina Lombard) predicts that this marriage will end in death. Akivasha kills Kull on their wedding night and blames Zareta for poisoning the king.

Of course, Kull is not dead. It wouldn't be much of a movie if he was. No, Akivasha has spared his life in the hopes that he will join her. When he does not, she orders his death, but he escapes. Then Kull, Zareta, and a Valkan priest must go on a quest to find the "breath of Valka" to extinguish the flame of Akivasha.

The writing in Kull is crisp and witty. At one point the king is being introduced to the fairest daughters of noble houses so that he may find a bride. One girl is described as "pure as the driven snow," to which Kull replies, "I've met her before. She's not that pure." A wonderful performance by Harvey Fierstein adds some great comic relief. His role as Juba, an old "friend" of Kull's who cannot be trusted, brings some of the most lighthearted moments to the movie.

Kull, needless to say, is not a movie for everyone. This overt teenage boy fantasy is punctuated by heavy metal background music in case you forgot for one instant who the movie's target audience is. Actually, though, the heavy metal music works well in the fight scenes, and adds a new dimension to the sword fantasy.

This movie is not a work of art, nor is it based on a literary masterpiece. Robert E. Howard (the creator of both Conan and Kull) was a writer of pulp fiction, and wrote the base gut-wrenching, pulse-pounding action of a barbarous life. Kull the Conqueror lives up to that legacy, and may even find a whole franchise in the years to come.