Film Reviews:

Kull the Conquerer

(John Nicollela, US, 1997)

As something of a fantasy fan (just in case you hadn't realised), I was looking forward to Kull. It stars Kevin Sorbo (from TV's Hercules), but the screenplay was originally intended as the third Conan film for Arnold Schwarzenegger with a plot revolving around a barbarian slave becoming king and subsequently freeing all in slavery.

Warning: Robert E. Howard purists beware! The film is aimed squarely at American metal-head teens, complete with horribly inappropriate 'American rock music' soundtrack. It begins straight enough but winds up becoming a gag-filled, big-screen version of Sorbo's Hercules. Tia Carrere adequately plays the female lead as the sexy but deadly incarnation of an ancient evil spirit. A sadly wasted effort that would have been very intruiging as the third Conan film had it got made early enough in Schwarzenegger's career.

Rob Dyer