This flick delivers!
Added 11/6/2009
I've been watching the price on this movie for about a year, and it ranged from seventy five bucks to about thirty. I finally caught one used for twenty three and nabbed it.I'm glad I did. When I was a kid I can remember seeing this in video stores, and thought how amazing the cover was. Now that I've actually viewed the film, I would have to say It doesn't quite live up to the artwork,but It's still pretty fun! Yes it's low budget, and plods along without too much story,but it still has a lot of charm. Blood, Dwarves, a big Pig/Orc dude,nekkid wenches, swords choppin off heads, Fun Fun Fun! I've read other negative reviews about how cheap it is, or how the swords don't fit in that time period...It's a fantasy dummy. Big Pig faced dudes didn't fit that time period either!! You want historical accuracy go watch the history channel! This is an 80s B Movie and it's a good one. That's why it commands a high price. You can't even start to compare this to something like Lord of the Rings( wich I'm sure most of the Teenie Boppers out there are going to do) because this was a whole different time. Nothing from 1983 is going to look like the movies nowadays. But if you like Fantasy , Sword Play movies, you'll like this. I'm very glad to have this one in my collection.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Cheap Conan knock-off
Added 2/27/2008
The swords and sorcery genre was hit hard in the 80's with a barrage of movies. Some of them were good, but many more of them bad. You can blame Conan the Barbarian for making the genre famous and for inspiring every hack writer and moviemaker in Hollywood to jump on board. Deathstalker is just such a movie. With it's extremely low budget look and even lower standards of writing I find it hard to validate any reason why the movie was even created other than to ride in the coattails of Conan and other such movies.
Corman Corman Corman... For such a well-known director you sure do make some really bad movies sometimes. Deathstalker is just such a movie. I can get over the low budget aspect. I can get over only having three songs played throughout the entire movie. What I CAN'T get over is the poor excuse for a plot. Deathstalker has one of the worst plot structures I have ever seen in a movie. Add to that the low budget and weak soundtrack and you really don't have anything to work with as far as making a good movie.
Deathstalker seems to be nothing but a grandstanding of T and A. Lots of scantily clad women in thongs running around a bunch of dirty guys chasing after them. That is the extent of the many scenes in the movie. The story feels like it has no direction to it. Sure there is a plot that was mentioned by an old lady who is in the movie twice, but I can't help but ask why the heck this Deathstalker guy even cares. He comes off as a self-centered brute as it is. Why he decided to save the world is beyond me.
The sets and special effects are laughable. I actually saw stones painted on a wooden platform to make it look like an old castle wall. Makeup and masks are definitely a Corman cost cut. There is some gory violence in the movie, but much of it is cheaply done. The sound is also cheap. Not only do you get redundant music like I mentioned but also those little annoying dialog dubs such as the lamest screams of the dying I have heard in a long time. This movie doesn't have much going for it at all.
Deathstalker has nothing going for it other than camp value, and that it has plenty. Maybe you can play drinking games on how many times the same song is played. I dunno. I suppose if you are really into swords and sorcery it wouldn't hurt to rent it, but there are so many better movies out. Ultimately Deathstalker is not worth your time. If you catch it on TV at least you wouldn't have put any money or effort to find it.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
I've seen worse
Added 3/29/2007
Those of you slamming this one haven't seen enough bad movies. Take my word for it I have seen an abundence of bad movies. This one doesn't stink. "Red Sonja" stinks. I guess partly because with Arnold Schwarzenegger in it I thought it might have a decent story, acting, and music like "Conan the Barbarian". Was I ever wrong. This one doesn't take itself so serious I don't think. That or it was campy enough it seemed to catch my interest. Fans of silly sword and sandal movies probably won't hate it.
0 out of 4 people found this helpful.
|
Non-existent, uncomprehensible mess of fantasy schlock-making.
Added 3/4/2006
DEATHSTALKER is perfect for B-fantasy movie fans; this barely 80-minute travesty of filmmaking features everything hecklers can ask for--non-existent plotting, terrible acting (save for at least a raspy-sounding old lady), laughable scripting and schlock editing, and bargain-basement style background settings. There are no characters that come across as likeable or interesting (in particular, the lead doesn't have ANYTHING appealing about him), and the actors assembled barely do anything to rise above the F-grade material. If that's not enough, then how about the lack of a compelling plot (which this movie has nothing of the sort) to make DEATHSTALKER qualify as a major turkey? I was also offended that the women in this movie barely serve any purpose other than to 1) be topless and/or scantily clad; 2) get raped; 3) have sex with the hero; 4) all of the above. In addition, the background music is hideous; a bizarre mess of electronic noise, cheesy choral bursts, and blaring orchestral cacophony. Ear numbing and eye numbing all in one packed with nary a thing to keep one interested, DEATHSTALKER is probably best suited for folks looking for something to laugh at (and believe me, there's plenty of that in here). Otherwise, I do not recommend this 100th-grade CONAN wanna-be to anyone in the least.
2 out of 4 people found this helpful.
|
Deathstalker DVD
Added 7/19/2005
Quality of color and sound of DVD is first rate. The packaging was basic, but acceptable.
1 out of 3 people found this helpful.
|
This flick delivers!
Added 11/6/2009
I've been watching the price on this movie for about a year, and it ranged from seventy five bucks to about thirty. I finally caught one used for twenty three and nabbed it.I'm glad I did. When I was a kid I can remember seeing this in video stores, and thought how amazing the cover was. Now that I've actually viewed the film, I would have to say It doesn't quite live up to the artwork,but It's still pretty fun! Yes it's low budget, and plods along without too much story,but it still has a lot of charm. Blood, Dwarves, a big Pig/Orc dude,nekkid wenches, swords choppin off heads, Fun Fun Fun! I've read other negative reviews about how cheap it is, or how the swords don't fit in that time period...It's a fantasy dummy. Big Pig faced dudes didn't fit that time period either!! You want historical accuracy go watch the history channel! This is an 80s B Movie and it's a good one. That's why it commands a high price. You can't even start to compare this to something like Lord of the Rings( wich I'm sure most of the Teenie Boppers out there are going to do) because this was a whole different time. Nothing from 1983 is going to look like the movies nowadays. But if you like Fantasy , Sword Play movies, you'll like this. I'm very glad to have this one in my collection.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Cheap Conan knock-off
Added 2/27/2008
The swords and sorcery genre was hit hard in the 80's with a barrage of movies. Some of them were good, but many more of them bad. You can blame Conan the Barbarian for making the genre famous and for inspiring every hack writer and moviemaker in Hollywood to jump on board. Deathstalker is just such a movie. With it's extremely low budget look and even lower standards of writing I find it hard to validate any reason why the movie was even created other than to ride in the coattails of Conan and other such movies.
Corman Corman Corman... For such a well-known director you sure do make some really bad movies sometimes. Deathstalker is just such a movie. I can get over the low budget aspect. I can get over only having three songs played throughout the entire movie. What I CAN'T get over is the poor excuse for a plot. Deathstalker has one of the worst plot structures I have ever seen in a movie. Add to that the low budget and weak soundtrack and you really don't have anything to work with as far as making a good movie.
Deathstalker seems to be nothing but a grandstanding of T and A. Lots of scantily clad women in thongs running around a bunch of dirty guys chasing after them. That is the extent of the many scenes in the movie. The story feels like it has no direction to it. Sure there is a plot that was mentioned by an old lady who is in the movie twice, but I can't help but ask why the heck this Deathstalker guy even cares. He comes off as a self-centered brute as it is. Why he decided to save the world is beyond me.
The sets and special effects are laughable. I actually saw stones painted on a wooden platform to make it look like an old castle wall. Makeup and masks are definitely a Corman cost cut. There is some gory violence in the movie, but much of it is cheaply done. The sound is also cheap. Not only do you get redundant music like I mentioned but also those little annoying dialog dubs such as the lamest screams of the dying I have heard in a long time. This movie doesn't have much going for it at all.
Deathstalker has nothing going for it other than camp value, and that it has plenty. Maybe you can play drinking games on how many times the same song is played. I dunno. I suppose if you are really into swords and sorcery it wouldn't hurt to rent it, but there are so many better movies out. Ultimately Deathstalker is not worth your time. If you catch it on TV at least you wouldn't have put any money or effort to find it.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
I've seen worse
Added 3/29/2007
Those of you slamming this one haven't seen enough bad movies. Take my word for it I have seen an abundence of bad movies. This one doesn't stink. "Red Sonja" stinks. I guess partly because with Arnold Schwarzenegger in it I thought it might have a decent story, acting, and music like "Conan the Barbarian". Was I ever wrong. This one doesn't take itself so serious I don't think. That or it was campy enough it seemed to catch my interest. Fans of silly sword and sandal movies probably won't hate it.
0 out of 4 people found this helpful.
|
