The Sword and the Sorcerer

Director - Albert Pyun (Cyborg, Radioactive Dreams)

Starring - Lee Horsley (Nightmare Man, Showdown at Area 51), Kathleen Beller (Glitter, The Godfather: Part II), and Simon MacCorkindale (Jaws 3-D, NightMan)

Release Date - 1982

Genre - Adventure/Fantasy 

Tagline - "A lusty epic of revenge, dungeons and dragons, wizards and witches, damsels and desire, anda warrior caught in between"
Format - UHD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I wrote my review for Steel Dawn several weeks ago I spoke about how growing up with films like Conan the Barbarian, the Destroyer, and Red Sonja really sparked a love interest in adventure fantasy films.  I really enjoyed the sword and sandal films and would watch as many as I could.  I have so many of these films in my collection now and I often revisit them from time to time.  One of those films that often caught praise from fans was The Sword and the Sorcerer.  This is one of the most iconic adventure fantasy films to come out of the 80s and, honestly, it's one that I've never cared for.  I tried to watch it numerous times growing up but I could never get into it.  However, It's been a solid 25 years since I last tried to watch it.  When Shout Factory announced the release of the film on UHD I was curious.  Could I finally appreciate the film that I didn't like when I was younger or would I continue to disagree with the films avid fans?  I want to thank Scream Factory for always supporting Horror Society and myself.

     The film follows an evil King (Richard Lynch) who summons an evil necromancer to dethrone another king and banishing his only son.  While the king grows in power we jump a decade and the banished son has returned as a great warrior ready to fulfill his birth right.

     I love the goofy, cheesy, and testosterone fueled fantasy adventure films featuring hulking men, beautiful women, villainous kings, some magic, and a great deal of epic battles.  The Sword and the Sorcerer has all this but for some reason it fails to pull it all together into something that I enjoyed.  The acting in this one is the right amount of cheese meets overdramatic emotions resulting is that cliched yet enjoyable fantasy adventure characters.  It's not the most memorable performances from the cast but it's the most enjoyable part of the entire film.  The story for this one tosses everything that makes these types of films so much fun but struggles to find it's footing.  On paper this film is fantastic but when you put everything together you find yourself a little overwhelmed at times and underwhelmed at others.  The film has a major issue with pacing and the scenes are horribly put together.  Finally, the film has some light blood here or there but don't expect a blood bath or an outrageously gory film.  The deaths are just part of the story and nothing to stand out.  Overall, The Sword and the Sorcerer gets a lot of love but this is one of the many times that find myself feeling completely different.  I loved the acting and the characters but the story is such a chore for me to finish.  I really want to love it but I can't.  This is one I can't willingly recommend but if you are like me and love fantasy adventure films then maybe this one is up your alley.