ROGER CORMAN'S SWORD AND SORCERY COLLECTION(1983-1987)**1/2 out of **** includes DEATHSTALKER(1983), DEATHSTALKER(1987), THE WARRIOR AND THE SORCERER (1984) & BARBARIAN QUEEN(1985) all Rated R and approximately 75 minutes per film Released by New Horizons and Shout Factory Home Video
Now that the new reboot/remake of CONAN THE BARBARIAN is in theaters, Shout Factory Home Video has now released on one DVD set of two discs, four of Roger Corman produced low budgeted ripoffs of the very popular Conan films of the 1980's starring Arnold Swarzenneger and here is my review of all four films.
The first of these films was DEATHSTALKERmade on a very low budget in Argentina starring Richard Hill as adventurer and mercenary Deathstalker who goes on the quest for three artifacts that if found will give the possessor great power.But first Deathstalker must save a captured princess played by Playboy model and former Hugh Hefner girlfriend, Barbi Benton from an evil sorcerer/warlord with the help of a female warrior played by Lana Clarkson(BARBARIAN QUEEN).Unfortunately the script and the direction of the film is pedestrian with badly staged action sequences despite makeup effects by John Carl Buechler(FRIDAY THE 13TH movie series)Surprisingly the film did well at the box office and drive-ins that three more Deathstalker sequels were made and Corman re-used the same action sequences and production values shot for this film as well as the film score, for the other Deathstalker films and other sword and sorcery films made in Argentina.
DEATHSTALKER II is really a sequel in name only and is really the most entertaining film in the whole DVD set. That is because Jim Wynorski who also directed for Corman such entertaining films such as THE LOST EMPIRE(1982), CHOPPING MALL(1985), BIG BAD MAMA II(1986) and the remake of NOT OF THIS EARTH(1988),wrote and directed this film starring John Terlesky(CHOPPING MALL) who plays Deathstalker with equal amounts of panache and tongue in cheek humor,who must assist a deposed queen played by Monique Gabrielle(EVIL TOONS) to regain her besieged kingdom from an evil sorcerer played by John Lazar(BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS), his female assistant played by Toni Naples (TRANSYLVANIA TWIST) and an evil doppelganger of the queen also played by Gabrielle. The whole film is played like a Bugs Bunny cartoon with plenty of derring do and acerbic satirical humor that makes the film worthwhile
THE WARRIOR AND THE SORCERER is really a rather poor remake of Akira Kurosawa's YOJIMBO (1961) and Sergio Leone's A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS(1964) with David Carridine(TV's KUNG FU, KILL BILL I & II) as Kain a mercenary swordsman who must help a beautiful sorceress played by Maria Socas(DEATHSTALKER II) to defeat an evil warlord played by Luke Askew(THE WILD BUNCH). Unfortunately Carridine plays his role in a very detached and boring manner as if he is just cashing a paycheck by phoning his performance. Although made in 75 minutes,the film is an interminable bore to watch
Finally there is BARBARIAN QUEEN which for the most part is watchable thanks to the energetic and rather sexy performance by the late Lana Clarkson( in 2003 she was murdered by record producer Phil Spector) in the lead role who must rescue her younger sister played by Dawn Dunlap(FORBIDDEN WORLD) and her people who have been put into slavery by a barbarian warlord and his army.Ms. Clarkson is quite good in her role especially in the action scenes that a sequel immediately followed this film and she also appeared in some of the other Corman action films made at that time
This DVD set has all four film in anamorphic widescreen and has audio commentaries for both DEATHSTAKER and DEATHSTALKER II. The commentary for the first Deathstalker made by the film's director and star is quite boring and non revealing while the second audio commentary made for Deathstalker II with director Wynorski and stars Terlesky and Naples is loads of fun with a lot of interesting information about the making of the film. There is also theatrical trailers for all four films with a photo gallery of DEATHSTALKER II.
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