#141. Krull (1983)

DVD Synopsis: Journey into a mystical time and place that belongs to neither the past nor the present, where extraordinary creatures of myth work their incredible magic, and where a horrific, omnipotent Beast is the ruler. This is the planet of Krull! Prince Colwyn sets out on a daring mission to rescue his young bride who is held captive by the Beast. But slayers and alien beings under the command of the Beast oppose him at every turn. Colwyn must first reach a faraway cavern to recover the legendary Glaive, a flying blade capable of phenomenal powers.

Krull is a combination of fantasy and sci-fi, where knights on horseback wielding swords mix it up with aliens from another world (who don't fight fair, seeing as they use lasers). 

The story, concerning a young king who sets out to rescue his new bride from the clutches of an evil overlord, is as basic as they come, and there are times when the film definitely drags (About 4 or 5 minutes are dedicated to simply watching the hero climb a mountain). But the various wonders present in this magical world more than make up for any of the film's shortcomings, and the special effects are especially impressive.  There's a giant glass spider in one scene that looks convincingly ominous, but my favorite effect occurs whenever the Slayers, the army created by the evil lord to do his bidding, are killed: before they fall over, a giant bug crawls out of their head and burrows it's way into the ground. 

A battle between past and future, good and evil, chivalry and technology, Krull is an adventure that's been billed, in previous home video releases, as “Excalibur meets Star Wars”, and it's a label that fits the film to a T.

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