''Krull'' is a 1983
science fantasy swashbuckler film[Nathan, Ian (10 October 2015)]
"Krull review"
''Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
''. Bauer Media Group
Heinrich Bauer Publishing (german: Heinrich Bauer Verlag KG), trading as Bauer Media Group, is a German multimedia conglomerate headquartered in Hamburg. It operates worldwide and owns more than 600 magazines, over 400 digital products and 50 r ...
. Retrieved 28 August 2017. directed by
Peter Yates
Peter James Yates (24 July 1929 – 9 January 2011) was an English film director and producer.
Biography Early life
Yates was born in Aldershot, Hampshire. The son of an army officer, he attended Charterhouse School as a boy, graduated from ...
and written by
Stanford Sherman. It follows Prince Colwyn and a fellowship of companions who set out to rescue his bride, Princess Lyssa, from a fortress of alien invaders who have arrived on their home planet.
The film stars an
ensemble cast, including
Kenneth Marshall as Prince Colwyn,
Lysette Anthony
Lysette Anne Chodzko (born 26 September 1963), known professionally as Lysette Anthony, is an English actress and model. She is known for her roles in the film ''Husbands and Wives'' (1992), as Princess Lysssa in the 1983 fantasy epic ''Krull ...
as Princess Lyssa,
Trevor Martin
Trevor Gordon Martin (17 November 1929 – 5 October 2017) was a British stage and film actor known for playing popular British characters.
Early life and education
Martin's parents were from Dundee; he was raised in Enfield, and after m ...
as the voice of the Beast,
Freddie Jones
Frederick Charles Jones''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916-2005.''; at ancestry.com (12 September 1927 – 9 July 2019) was an English actor who had an extensive career in television, theatre and cinema productions for a ...
as Ynyr,
Bernard Bresslaw as Rell the Cyclops,
David Battley
David John Battley (5 November 1935 – 20 January 2003) was a British actor of stage and screen, mainly appearing in comedy roles.
Early life
Battley was born at Battersea, London, the elder son of John Battley, a post-Second World War Labour ...
as Ergo the Magnificent,
Tony Church
James Anthony Church (11 May 1930 – 25 March 2008) was an English actor, who has appeared on stage and screen. In 1989 he became the Dean of the National Theatre Conservatory, which is the teaching arm of the Denver Center Theatre Company in ...
and
Bernard Archard as kings and the fathers of Colwyn and Lyssa,
Alun Armstrong
Alan Armstrong, known professionally as Alun Armstrong, is an English actor. He grew up in County Durham in North East England, and first became interested in acting through Shakespeare productions at his grammar school. Since his career began ...
as the leader of a group of bandits that include early screen roles for actors
Liam Neeson
William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Tony Awards. In 2020, he was placed 7th on ''The I ...
and
Robbie Coltrane
Anthony Robert McMillan (30 March 195014 October 2022), known professionally as Robbie Coltrane, was a Scottish actor and comedian. He gained worldwide recognition in the 2000s for playing Rubeus Hagrid in the ''Harry Potter'' film series. H ...
,
John Welsh as The Emerald Seer,
Graham McGrath
Graham McGrath (born 29 July 1971) is an English actor with film, television, radio and theatre credits. He currently also works for Merlin Entertainments based near London in Surrey, England. He had tuition at the Junior Academy of the Royal A ...
as Titch, and
Francesca Annis as The Widow of the Web.
Development on the film began in 1980, when
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
President
Frank Price
Frank Price (born May 17, 1930) is a television writer and executive during the 1950s to 1970s, and a Hollywood studio chief in the 1980s. He held a number of executive positions including head of Universal TV in the 1970s; president, and later ...
gave producer Ron Silverman the idea to produce a fantasy film. ''Krull'' underwent an expensive production process, mainly due to the designers having to make numerous alterations to the sets corresponding to the rapidly evolving script. The movie was shot at several
sound stages
A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a soundproof, large structure, building, or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or ...
at
Pinewood Studio. Actors such as Marshall, Bresslaw, and Jones performed dangerous stunts during filming.
An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, ''Krull'' was released in July 1983. The film was a
box-office bomb
A box-office bomb, or box-office disaster, is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the production, marketing, and distribution costs combined exceed the revenue after ...
upon release, and critical opinion has been mixed, both upon release and in retrospect. Numerous reviewers have highlighted its visual effects and soundtrack, while several critics have criticized its plot as being derivative and nonsensical. The film has gone on to achieve
cult film status.
Plot
A narrator describes a prophecy regarding "a girl of ancient name that shall become queen", who "shall choose a king, and that together they shall rule their world, and that their son shall rule the galaxy."
The planet Krull is invaded by an entity known as the Beast and his army of Slayers, who travel the galaxy in a mountain-like spaceship called the Black Fortress. In a wedding ceremony involving the couple exchanging a handful of flame, Prince Colwyn and Princess Lyssa plan to marry and form an alliance between their rival kingdoms, in the hope that their combined forces can defeat the Beast's army. The Slayers attack before the ceremony is completed, killing the two kings, devastating both armies, wounding Colwyn, and kidnapping the princess.
Colwyn is found and nursed by Ynyr, the Old One. Ynyr tells Colwyn that the Beast can be defeated with the Glaive, an ancient, magical, five-pointed throwing star. Colwyn retrieves the Glaive from a high mountain cave, before setting out to track down the Black Fortress, which teleports to a new location every day at sunrise. As they travel, Colwyn and Ynyr are joined by the magician Ergo "the Magnificent" and a band of nine thieves, fighters, bandits, and brawlers. Colwyn offers to clear their criminal records, successfully enlisting Torquil, Kegan, Rhun, Oswyn, Bardolph, Menno, Darro, Nennog, and Quain. The
cyclops Rell later joins the group.
Colwyn's group travels to the home of the Emerald Seer and his apprentice, Titch. The Emerald Seer uses his crystal to view where the Fortress will teleport to, but the Beast's hand magically appears and crushes the crystal. The group travels to a swamp that the Beast's magic cannot penetrate, but lose Darro to a Slayer attack and Menno to quicksand. An agent of the Beast, a changeling, kills the Emerald Seer before the seer can confirm the next location of the Fortress, and assumes the seer's form, but is uncovered and killed by Rell and Colwyn.
While the group rests in a forest, Kegan goes to a nearby village and gets Merith, one of his wives, to bring food. The Beast remotely commands Merith's changeling helper, who attempts to seduce Colwyn in order to convince Lyssa that Colwyn does not love her; but Colwyn rejects the helper's advances. The helper notes that she could have killed Colwyn but refused to out of love. Seeing this through a vision provided by the Beast, Lyssa notes that this shows proof that love triumphs over might, but the Beast forces her to consider his offer to be his queen so that he can halt the attacks of the Slayers.
Ynyr leaves the group to seek the Widow of the Web, an enchantress who loved Ynyr long ago and was exiled to the lair of the Crystal Spider for murdering their only child. The Widow reveals where the Black Fortress will be at sunrise. She also gives Ynyr the sand from the enchanted hourglass that kept the Crystal Spider from attacking her and will keep the badly injured Ynyr alive on his journey back to the group. As the Crystal Spider attacks the Widow, Ynyr flees the web and returns to the group to reveal the location of the Black Fortress. As he speaks, he loses the last of the sand and dies.
The group captures and rides magical Fire Mares to reach the Black Fortress before it teleports again. The Slayers at the Fortress kill Rhun, while Rell sacrifices himself to hold open the crushing spaceship doors long enough to allow the others to enter. The Slayers shoot Quain and Nennog, and Kegan sacrifices his life to save Torquil as they journey through the Fortress. When Ergo and Titch get separated from the others and are attacked by the Slayers, Ergo magically transforms into a tiger to kill the Slayers and save Titch's life.
Colwyn, Torquil, Bardolph, and Oswyn are trapped inside a large dome. Colwyn attempts to open a hole in the dome with the Glaive, while the other three search for any other way out. The three fall through an opening and are trapped between slowly closing walls studded with huge spikes, which kill Bardolph.
Colwyn breaches the dome and finds Lyssa. He attacks the Beast, injuring it with the Glaive, which becomes embedded in the Beast's body. With nothing to defend themselves against the Beast's counterattack, Lyssa realizes that they must quickly finish the wedding ritual. This gives them the linked power to manipulate fire, with which Colwyn slays the Beast. The Beast's death frees Torquil and Oswyn from the spike room, and they rejoin Colwyn and Lyssa, then Ergo and Titch, as they make their way out of the crumbling Fortress, which is pulled off of the planet and into space.
Colwyn and Lyssa, now king and queen of the combined kingdom, name Torquil as Lord Marshal. As the surviving heroes depart across a field, the narrator repeats the opening prophecy that the son of the queen and her chosen king shall rule the galaxy.
Cast
*
Ken Marshall
Kenneth Marshall (born June 27, 1950) is an American actor.
Early life
Marshall graduated from Saint Joseph High School in Saint Joseph, Michigan, in 1968. After playing violin in high school for musicals, Marshall tried his luck on stage, ...
as Colwyn, a prince who fights with a sword and the Glaive.
*
Lysette Anthony
Lysette Anne Chodzko (born 26 September 1963), known professionally as Lysette Anthony, is an English actress and model. She is known for her roles in the film ''Husbands and Wives'' (1992), as Princess Lysssa in the 1983 fantasy epic ''Krull ...
as Princess Lyssa. Her voice was re-dubbed by American actress
Lindsay Crouse
Lindsay Ann Crouse is a retired American actress. She made her Broadway debut in the 1972 revival of ''Much Ado About Nothing'' and appeared in her first film in 1976 in ''All the President's Men''. For her role in the 1984 film ''Places in the ...
as the producers wanted the Princess to have a more mature-sounding voice.
[''Krull'' DVD Cast and Crew Commentary]
*
Trevor Martin
Trevor Gordon Martin (17 November 1929 – 5 October 2017) was a British stage and film actor known for playing popular British characters.
Early life and education
Martin's parents were from Dundee; he was raised in Enfield, and after m ...
as the voice of the Beast. Nick Maley, one of the special-effects makeup designers, designed the Beast
as a "self contained
animatronic
Animatronics refers to mechatronic puppets. They are a modern variant of the automaton and are often used for the portrayal of characters in films and in theme park attractions.
It is a multidisciplinary field integrating puppetry, anatomy a ...
suit
providing not only facial movement but also lung, heart and body-fluid movement all without a single external cable."
Lawrence Watt-Evans
Lawrence Watt-Evans (born 1954) is one of the pseudonyms of American science fiction and fantasy author Lawrence Watt Evans (another pseudonym, used primarily for science fiction, is Nathan Archer).
Biography
Born in Arlington, Massachusetts, as ...
of ''
Starlog'' noted that the Beast is not clearly visible and can be seen "only through various distortions, as if he isn't quite a part of normal three-dimensional space at all".
*
Freddie Jones
Frederick Charles Jones''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916-2005.''; at ancestry.com (12 September 1927 – 9 July 2019) was an English actor who had an extensive career in television, theatre and cinema productions for a ...
as Ynyr, The Old One, as well as the film's narrator.
*
David Battley
David John Battley (5 November 1935 – 20 January 2003) was a British actor of stage and screen, mainly appearing in comedy roles.
Early life
Battley was born at Battersea, London, the elder son of John Battley, a post-Second World War Labour ...
as Ergo the Magnificent, the film's
comedic relief who has the
shapeshifting ability to turn into various animals.
*
Bernard Bresslaw as Rell the Cyclops (credited as Cyclops). He uses a large trident. The character was designed by
Nick Maley.
For Cyclops,
prosthetic makeup
Prosthetic makeup also called special make-up effects and FX prosthesis) is the process of using prosthetic sculpting, molding and casting techniques to create advanced cosmetic effects. Prosthetic makeup goes back to the beginning of film maki ...
covered the actor's eyes while a radio controlled the character's "solo" eyeball that was placed on his forehead.
Bresslaw was only able to look through one eye hole while in costume, which made it difficult for him to move around and know where he was going.
Yates explained that he was mostly "acting blind", so during the swamp scene, he and the actors had to protect him from walking into the swamp.
*
Alun Armstrong
Alan Armstrong, known professionally as Alun Armstrong, is an English actor. He grew up in County Durham in North East England, and first became interested in acting through Shakespeare productions at his grammar school. Since his career began ...
as Torquil, a man who favours an axe and is leader of a group of bandits that includes
Liam Neeson
William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Tony Awards. In 2020, he was placed 7th on ''The I ...
as Kegan, an axe-wielding polygamist;
Robbie Coltrane
Anthony Robert McMillan (30 March 195014 October 2022), known professionally as Robbie Coltrane, was a Scottish actor and comedian. He gained worldwide recognition in the 2000s for playing Rubeus Hagrid in the ''Harry Potter'' film series. H ...
as Rhun (voice dubbed over by
Michael Elphick
Michael John Elphick (19 September 1946 – 7 September 2002) was an English film and television actor. He played the eponymous private investigator in the ITV series ''Boon'' and Harry Slater in BBC's ''EastEnders''. He was nominated for ...
), who fights with a spear;
Dicken Ashworth
Dicken Ashworth (born 18 July 1946) is an English actor.
Career
Ashworth's film credits include '' King of the Wind'', '' Force 10 from Navarone'', ''Tess'', '' Krull'' and '' Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit''.
On television, ...
as Bardolph, who favours daggers;
Todd Carty
Todd Carty also known as Todd John Jennings (born Todd Robert Carty; 31 August 1963) is an English actor and director who has grown up on television screens in a variety of roles. His stage appearances have ranged from pantomime to serious dram ...
as Oswyn, who uses a staff;
Bronco McLoughlin as Nennog, who throws a net;
Gerard Naprous
Gerard is a masculine forename of Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic origin, variations of which exist in many Germanic and Romance languages. Like many other Germanic name, early Germanic names, it is dithematic, consisting of two meaningfu ...
as the archer Quain; and
Andy Bradford and
Bill Weston as whip-wielders Darro and Menno.
*
John Welsh as The Emerald Seer.
*
Graham McGrath
Graham McGrath (born 29 July 1971) is an English actor with film, television, radio and theatre credits. He currently also works for Merlin Entertainments based near London in Surrey, England. He had tuition at the Junior Academy of the Royal A ...
as Titch, the Seer's young apprentice.
*
Francesca Annis as The Widow of the Web. A 23-piece aging makeup was applied to Annis's face for the role.
*
Tony Church
James Anthony Church (11 May 1930 – 25 March 2008) was an English actor, who has appeared on stage and screen. In 1989 he became the Dean of the National Theatre Conservatory, which is the teaching arm of the Denver Center Theatre Company in ...
as King Turold and
Bernard Archard as King Eirig, fathers of Colwyn and Lyssa respectively.
*
Clare McIntyre as Merith, one of Kegan's many wives.
*
Belinda Mayne
Belinda Mayne is a British actress who has appeared in film, television and theatre in Germany, the UK, and the US since 1974 when she made her first appearance in ''Strangers''.
Partial filmography
References
External links
*
{{DEF ...
as Vella, Merith's assistant.
Production
Writing
![Steve Tesich 001](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Steve_Tesich_001.jpg)
In 1980,
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
president
Frank Price
Frank Price (born May 17, 1930) is a television writer and executive during the 1950s to 1970s, and a Hollywood studio chief in the 1980s. He held a number of executive positions including head of Universal TV in the 1970s; president, and later ...
asked producer Ron Silverman if he and his partner Ted Mann wanted to create a fantasy film.
Silverman agreed to do so and hired
Stanford Sherman to work on the screenplay.
Sherman wrote the "bare bones" of the plot and Columbia quickly approved it. While the essence of the plot was never altered during development and production, the first draft of the film was titled ''The Dragons of Krull'', where the Beast was initially planned to be a dragon; however, the creators changed the Beast to a more "reptilian" creature for the final film, leading to the final title ''Krull''.
Steve Tesich was brought in to write a "second version" of the script.
Tesich's version of the screenplay was discarded as dialogue-heavy and lacking in special effects, so the first script was used and re-edited instead.
There was one point in the writing process where it was planned that Lyssa would turn into the antagonist near the end of the story, but this was not part of the final screenplay, given that the production team didn't want her to be "less than pure".
Lysette Anthony
Lysette Anne Chodzko (born 26 September 1963), known professionally as Lysette Anthony, is an English actress and model. She is known for her roles in the film ''Husbands and Wives'' (1992), as Princess Lysssa in the 1983 fantasy epic ''Krull ...
, the actress who played Lyssa, explained that she "thought that was a little boring".
After the first draft was finished, the writing and production team considered
Peter Yates
Peter James Yates (24 July 1929 – 9 January 2011) was an English film director and producer.
Biography Early life
Yates was born in Aldershot, Hampshire. The son of an army officer, he attended Charterhouse School as a boy, graduated from ...
to direct the film. Two months after they asked him to join the project and after he finished directing ''
Eyewitness'' (1981), Yates read the screenplay of ''The Dragons in Krull''. He was "intrigued" with what he read and accepted the position of directing the film as a "challenge". He reasoned in a 1983 interview that ''Krull'' would be one of those rare films that "can take full advantage of today's special effects techniques" and would differ from his more realistic previous works in that he would have to make the movie entirely based on his imagination. The film was in a year of pre-production, which involved Sherman editing the script, Yates creating storyboards,
Stephen B. Grimes and
Derek Meddings
Derek Meddings (15 January 1931 – 10 September 1995) was a British film and television special effects designer. He was initially noted for his work on the " Supermarionation" TV puppet series produced by Gerry Anderson, and later for the ...
coming up with set concepts, and
Ken Marshall
Kenneth Marshall (born June 27, 1950) is an American actor.
Early life
Marshall graduated from Saint Joseph High School in Saint Joseph, Michigan, in 1968. After playing violin in high school for musicals, Marshall tried his luck on stage, ...
and Anthony being cast as Colwyn and Lyssa, respectively.
Despite persistent rumours that the film was meant to tie-in with the game ''
Dungeons & Dragons
''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TS ...
'',
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson.
In the 1960s, Gygax created an ...
stated, "To the best of my knowledge and belief the producers of ''Krull'' never approached TSR for a license to enable their film to use the ''D&D'' game IP."
Filming
Yates described making ''Krull'' as "complicated" and "just so enormous".
Special effects artist Brian Johnson stated in a 2009 interview that Yates hated working on the film so much that in the middle of shooting, he took a vacation to the Caribbean, which led to the special effects artists taking a three-week break from the project. The production was initially arranged to be shot at several locations because ''Krull'' was first planned as a medieval-style motion picture.
However, as it went through multiple drafts, the screenplay transformed into entirely fantasy, which meant most of the film would be shot on
sound stages
A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a soundproof, large structure, building, or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or ...
, and only a minority of the sequences would be filmed in actual locations in Italy and England for only a few weeks.
A total of 23 huge sets were built and the film was shot at more than ten sound stages at
Pinewood Studios. ''Krull'' was a very expensive film to produce, with a budget of $30 million.
Marshall and Meddings reasoned that the huge budget was due to several changes of concepts in the script that led the designers to have to repeatedly alter the designs of the sets.
![007 Stage](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/007_Stage.JPG)
Filming began on 25 January 1983. The first sequence shot was the scene where Ynyr (Freddie Jones) climbs a huge spider web in order to confront the Widow of the Web. Jones did not use any safety wires because the wires would have been visible. Stop-motion animator Steve Archer spent two weeks creating the first model of the spider in the scene, which was later changed.
Yates's direction of the action scenes that take place at the beginning of ''Krull'' was inspired by
swashbuckler films
Swashbuckler films are a subgenre of the action film genre, often characterised by swordfighting and adventurous heroic characters, known as swashbucklers. Real historical events often feature prominently in the plot, morality is often clear-cu ...
such as ''
Captain Blood'' (1935). However, he wanted to figure out new weapons that gave the scenes a unique swashbuckling feel. Marshall practiced his moves for the sequences a week before filming began. However, by the time shooting of these scenes started, the costumes for the Slayers were recently finished, so much of the fight choreography was altered at the last minute based on the limitations of the costumes.
Pinewood's
007 Stage
The Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage is one of the largest sound stages in the world. It is located at Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, and named after James Bond film producer Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli.
The stage was ori ...
, one of the largest sound stages in the world, was used for the swamp scene, wherein the Slayers and several changelings encounter Colwyn and his group.
Yates described the swamp set as "quite nasty ... we always had people bumping into things."
It was filmed during what Marshall described as a "very harsh winter", and the set was too big to be entirely heated, leading to the actors feeling cold and exhausted.
The crew members had a hard time seeing through the mist, which led to them accidentally getting into water that consisted of "cork chips".
Rehearsing the scene where Colwyn and his group are being chased by the Slayers in the Black Fortress involved stuntmen taking the part of Colwyn so that Marshall could conserve energy for filming. The scene involved Colwyn and his men encountering a corridor where the floor opened underneath them via two set pieces "the size of a small house" that were powered by liquid and broke apart before quickly slamming back together.
Marshall explained that doing the sequence gave him nightmares after it was completed. When shooting of the scene began, Marshall took more time to say his lines than the production crew expected, leading to him not making it from the tunnel in the first take. Only one crew member noticed this and was able to stop the machines controlling the pieces, but Marshall "knew that if the machine didn't stop in five seconds,
ewould be dead". Another take of the sequence was shot the next day with Yates instructing that the speed of the machine be slower. However, Marshall insisted on the machine being sped up and, in the final take, was successful in getting away from the set pieces. Marshall explained, "I had no feeling in my heel for months afterward. It was really hard doing stunts afterwards, too."
Special effects
Meddings led the special effects department of ''Krull''.
British artist
Christopher Tucker
Christopher Tucker (1946 – December 2022) was a British make-up artist for theatre and film. He specialized in the creation of prosthetic make-up for horror films. Among his notable works were the make-up effects for '' The Elephant Man'', '' ...
was also originally in the project but left due to creative differences.
Nick Maley and his crew produced several effects six weeks before filming began.
The effects department of went for challenging visual effects and designs that were unusual to achieve in the early 1980s.
Meddings described how the special effects were made for the movie:
Meddings created miniatures for the setting of the film's titular planet. The model Meddings constructed for Lyssa's castle was twenty feet high. Shots of it were done in Italy using
forced perspective
Forced perspective is a technique that employs optical illusion to make an object appear farther away, closer, larger or smaller than it actually is. It manipulates human visual perception through the use of scaled objects and the correlation ...
to make it look taller than it really was. The model of the Black Fortress was twelve feet high, and an
electrical system was used to create the light within it. Because the Black Fortress disintegrates at the end of the film, it was constructed "like a jigsaw puzzle with parts able to be pulled apart on cue."
In ''Krull'', Ergo uses his magic to transform into creatures such as puppies and geese. Meddings used an effects strategy that showed these transformations differently from traditional
cross dissolve methods, reasoning that it had "been done to death".
He explained:
Soundtrack
![James-horner-07](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/James-horner-07.jpg)
The
film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...
was composed by
James Horner
James Roy Horner (August 14, 1953 – June 22, 2015) was an American composer. He was known for the integration of choral and electronic elements, and for his frequent use of motifs associated with Celtic music.
Horner's first film score was in ...
and performed by
The London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's Hall Orche ...
and the
Ambrosian Singers. It has been commended as part of the composer's best early efforts.
The soundtrack is considered a high point of the film.
Ryan Lambie, reviewing for ''
Den of Geek
''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a bi-annual magazine.
History
''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ...
'' wrote, "The 70s and 80s seemed to be the era of great sci-fi and fantasy themes, and Horner's is high up on the list of the best, providing the film a grandiose sweep to match the broad vistas of ''Krull''s location photography."
The score features traditional
swashbuckling
A swashbuckler is a genre of European adventure literature that focuses on a heroic protagonist stock character who is skilled in swordsmanship, acrobatics, guile and possesses chivalrous ideals. A "swashbuckler" protagonist is heroic, daring, ...
fanfares, an overtly rapturous love theme, and other musical elements that were characteristic of fantasy and adventure films of the 1980s, along with incorporating avant-garde techniques with string instruments to represent some of the monstrous creatures. Additionally, to accompany the main antagonists, the Beast and its army of Slayers, Horner utilised
Holst-like rhythms and groaning and moaning vocals from the choir. Also of note is a recurring "siren call" performed by female voices that starts and bookends the score, and appears numerous times in the story to represent the legacy of the ancient world of Krull.
Horner's score is reminiscent of earlier works, particularly ''
Battle Beyond the Stars
''Battle Beyond the Stars'' is a 1980 American space opera film produced by Roger Corman, directed by Jimmy T. Murakami, and starring Richard Thomas, Robert Vaughn, George Peppard, John Saxon, Sybil Danning and Darlanne Fluegel. Intended as ...
'' and ''
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan''. Some pieces of the music would later be reused in
''Aliens'' and
''The Rocketeer''. Other segments would also be used for the ambiance of the
Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Chessy, Seine-et-Marne, Chessy, France, east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, resort hotels, Disney Nature Resorts, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and a golf course. Disney ...
attraction
Space Mountain: Mission 2.
The score has been released numerous times on album by various labels. The first was a 45-minute condensed edition released by
Southern Cross Records in 1987, featuring most of the major action cues, three renditions of the love theme, and the music from the end credits; however, music from the main title sequence was omitted. Southern Cross Records later released special editions in 1992 and 1994 (the latter a Gold disc), expanding on the previously released tracks, featuring the main title music and other action cues.
In 1998, Super Tracks released the complete recorded score in a two-CD set with elaborate packaging and extensive liner notes by David Hirsch.
In 2010, La-La Land Records re-issued the Super Tracks album, with two bonus cues and new liner notes by Jeff Bond in a limited edition of 3,000 copies, which sold out within less than a year. La-La Land reissued an additional 2,000 copies of the album in 2015.
The following is the track listing for the 1983 Southern Cross Records vinyl album:
A-Side:
# "Riding the Fire Mares"
# "Slayer's Attack"
# "Widow's Web"
# "Colwyn and Lyssa (Love Theme)"
B-Side:
# "Battle on the Parapets"
# "The Widow's Lullaby"
# "Destruction of the Black Fortress"
# "Epilogue and End Credits"
This is the tracklist for the 1992 expanded CD release:
# Krull Main Title and Colwyn's Arrival (7:34)
# The Slayers Attack (9:17)
# Quest for the Glaive (7:22)
# The Seer's Vision (2:17)
# "The Battle in the Swamp" (2:40)
# Quicksand (3:37)
# Leaving the Swamp (1:59)
# The Widow's Web (6:17)
# Colwyn and Lyssa Love Theme (2:34)
# The Widow's Lullaby (5:01)
# Ynyr's Death (1:39)
# Ride of the Fire Mares (5:21)
# Battle on the Parapets (2:52)
# Inside the Black Fortress (6:14)
# Death of the Beast and Destruction of the Black Fortress (8:33)
# Epilogue and End Credits (4:52)
The following is the tracklist for the 2010 La-La-Land Records album:
Disc One:
# Main Title and Colwyn's Arrival (7:34)
# The Slayers Attack (9:18)
# Quest for the Glaive (7:23)
# Ride to the Waterfall (0:53)
# Lyssa in the Fortress (1:28)
# The Walk to the Seer's Cave (4:10)
# The Seer's Vision (2:18)
# The Battle in the Swamp (2:39)
# Quicksand (3:38)
# The Changeling (4:04)
# Leaving the Swamp (1:58)
Disc Two:
# Vella (3:46)
# The Widow's Web (6:18)
# The Widow's Lullaby (5:01)
# Ynyr's Death (1:41)
# Ride of the Firemares (5:22)
# Battle on the Parapets (2:53)
# Inside the Black Fortress (6:13)
# The Death of the Beast and The Destruction of the Black Fortress (8:31)
# Epilogue and End Title (4:52)
# Colwyn and Lyssa Love Theme (2:35)
# The Walk to the Seer's Cave (Album Edit) (2:16)
# Theme from Krull (4:48)
Reception
On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the film has an approval rating of 30% based on reviews from 23 critics. On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
the film has a score of 45 out of 100, based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". The film made over $16.5 million in the US, failing to bring back its reported budget of $27–30 million.
However, it has gained a cult following over the years since its release.
''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' called ''Krull'' a "blatantly derivative hodgepodge of ''
Excalibur
Excalibur () is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. It was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. Excalibur and the Sword in th ...
'' meets ''
Star Wars''."
They conclude that the "professionalism of director Peter Yates, the large array of production and technical talents and, particularly, the mainly British actors keep things from becoming genuinely dull or laughable."
["Krull"](_blank)
''Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
''. Penske Media Corporation
Penske Media Corporation (PMC) () is an American digital media, publishing, and information services company based in Los Angeles and New York City. It publishes more than 20 digital and print brands, including ''Variety'', ''Rolling Stone'', ...
. 31 December 1982. Retrieved 28 August 2017. Roger Ebert and
Gene Siskel, reviewing ''Krull'' on their show ''
At the Movies'', gave the film two thumbs down and called it "one of the most boring, nonsensical, illogical fantasies in a long time."
[A Star Is Born (1954), National Lampoon's Vacation, Class, Staying Alive, Krull, 1983 — Siskel and Ebert Movie Reviews](_blank)
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
Christopher John reviewed ''Krull'' in ''
Ares Magazine'' #16 and commented that "It is a hot, hollow wind which only reminds us of what a pleasant breeze feels like, and angers us because it isn't one."
Colin Greenland
Colin Greenland (born 17 May 1954 in Dover, Kent, England) is a British science fiction writer, whose first story won the second prize in a 1982 Faber & Faber competition. His best-known novel is ''Take Back Plenty'' (1990), winner of both majo ...
reviewed ''Krull'' for ''
Imagine
Imagine may refer to:
* Imagination
Music Albums
* ''Imagine'' (Armin van Buuren album), 2008
* ''Imagine'' (Eva Cassidy album), 2002
* ''Imagine'' (Janice Vidal album), 2012
* ''Imagine'' (John Lennon album), 1971
** ''Imagine: John Lennon' ...
'' magazine, and stated that "If as much attention had been paid to the plot as to the visuals, instead of all this
'''It is the time. I/we must go/stay alone/ together''
' stuff, perhaps it wouldn't be so hard to care what happens next."
Critic
Janet Maslin
Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for ''The New York Times''. She served as a ''Times'' film critic from 1977 to 1999 and as a book critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000 Maslin ...
found ''Krull'' to be "a gentle, pensive sci-fi adventure film that winds up a little too moody and melancholy for the ''Star Wars'' set" and praised director Yates for "giving the film poise and sophistication, as well as a distinctly British air."
Baird Searles
William Baird Searles (1934–1993) was a science fiction author and critic. He was best known for his long running review columns for the magazines '' Asimov's'' (reviewing books), '' Amazing'', and ''Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (reviewing films, ...
described ''Krull'' as "an unpretentious movie ... with a lot of good things going for it."
["Films", '']F&SF
''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Press. Editors Anthony Boucher ...
'', January 1984, pp. 66–68.
A retrospective review by
AllMovie journalist Jason Buchanan hailed it as "an ambitious sci-fi/fantasy that even in its failures can usually be forgiven for its sheer sense of bravado."
[Buchanan, Jason]
"Krull (1983) – Peter Yates"
AllMovie. Rovi Corporation
TiVo Corporation, formerly known as the Rovi Corporation and Macrovision Solutions Corporation, was an American technology company. Headquartered in San Jose, California, the company is primarily involved in licensing its intellectual property ...
. Retrieved 27 August 2017. Ryan Lambie, reviewing for ''
Den of Geek
''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a bi-annual magazine.
History
''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ...
'' in 2011, called it "among the most visually creative and downright fun movies of the enchanted 80s" and "an entire galaxy away from other cheap, quickly made knock-offs that showed up in the wake of ''Star Wars''."
[Lambie, Ryan (28 June 2011)]
"Looking back at Krull"
''Den of Geek
''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a bi-annual magazine.
History
''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ...
''. Dennis Publishing. Retrieved 27 August 2017. In a 2006 retrospective, ''
PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'' critic Bill Gibron found many problems with ''Krull'', but noted that it had an "amusement amalgamation" rare for a film released in the early 1980s, where "if you don't like one particular character or circumstance, just wait – something completely different is just around the corner."
He summarized that it's "the perfect pick up film – a movie you can catch in snatches while it plays on some pay cable channel. No matter what point you come in on the story, no matter what sort of scene is playing out before you, the lack of continuity and context actually allows you to take pleasure in the individual moment, and if so inclined, to stick around for another exciting sample in just a few minutes."
Writing about the film in 2009, Eric D. Snider summarized, "against all odds, ''Krull'' crams itself with magic, fantasy, and heroic quests, yet still manages to be boring. This is an impressive feat in and of itself. You'd almost have to be doing it on purpose."
Cinematography
A common critical praise of ''Krull'' was the visuals and special effects,
Lambie describing them as "quite captivating".
Buchanan wrote, "Even if it does seem overly familiar at times there is just enough originality injected into the visualization of the film that it's hard to dismiss it as just another ''Star Wars'' clone."
Searles called the film "very beautiful, in fact, a neglected quality in these days when it seems to have been forgotten that film is a visual medium".
''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'' stated that ''Krull'' "had visual imagination to spare, including its sequences of flame-hoofed horses and a particularly scary pre-''LOTR'' segment with a giant spider." Lambie called the Glaive "one of the coolest fantasy armaments of the decade",
while Buchanan described it as "highly original".
However, Watt-Evans disliked the weapon's name. He explained that an actual
glaive
A glaive (or glave) is a European polearm, consisting of a single-edged blade on the end of a pole. It is similar to the Japanese naginata, the Chinese guandao, the Korean woldo, and the Russian sovnya.
Overview
Typically, the blade is arou ...
was a "sort of pole-arm, a long stick with a long blade on the end" and not a "brass starfish". He stated that while "glaive" was a vague term and there wasn't an actual word that defined the weapon, "the writer should have made
nother nameup rather than borrowing one which doesn't fit."
The effects have also garnered detractors. ''
The House Next Door'' critic Steven Boone stated that ''Krull'' "stands out because it has some of the clunkiness and uncertain production design of a cheapie like ''
Beastmaster'', but its visuals fairly pulse like something from the Spielberg–Lucas realm".
["Summer of '83: Krull"](_blank)
''The House Next Door''. Slant Magazine. 16 June 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2017. Gibron wrote that the film doesn't have "the polished level of visuals that fans were used to (thanks to American companies like ILM)".
In a 2001 ''
DVD Talk
DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman.
History
Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...
'' review, Gil Jawetz called the effects "totally fake and funny" like most other 1980s films.
[Jawetz, Gil (1 April 2001)]
"Krull"
''DVD Talk
DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman.
History
Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...
''. Internet Brands
MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands is an American new media company based in El Segundo, California, United States, that operates online media, community, and e-commerce sites in vertical markets. The company also develops and licenses internet ...
. Retrieved 28 August 2017. Ian Nathan, in a 2015 ''
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'' magazine piece, wrote that they "may have satisfied young boys at the time but have become frail and silly with age".
He was especially critical towards the visuals of the ending, labeling them as "all too derivative", lacking "polish", and only "mildly distracting".
However, Nathan also noted that the film did present some interesting designs and concepts, including
doppelgängers that sneak into Colwyn's gang and a witch named The Widow of the Web trapped in "the heart of a web".
Screenplay
A frequent criticism in multiple reviews of ''Krull'' is of its writing. Lambie believed that ''Krull'' is "perhaps a little too derivative to earn a place in the major league of 80s fantasy movies".
Gibron described ''Krull'' as a "forgettable battle between good, evil and a strange circular weapon", stating that its "confusing mythology left many an intended audience member scratching their adolescent head".
[Gibron, Bill (30 September 2006)]
"Short Cuts – Guilty Pleasures: Krull (1983)"
''PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
''. Retrieved 26 August 2017. This "confusing mythology" included the "dopey reasons" for the story's essential characters dying and parts of the story that "got lost inside all manner of interstellar/medieval malarkey".
Writer Annie Frisbie opined that the film's representation of the relationship between Colwyn and Lyssa was "way too vague",
reasoning that "the dialogue between Colwyn and Lyssa is so generic that it doesn't come close to achieving that odd blend of universality and intimacy that makes love stories sing".
Snider described ''Krull'' as a "film that dares you not to laugh at it", opining that "its plot reads like an oral report on ''Lord of the Rings'' given by a student who hasn't read the book".
[D. Snider, Eric (19 August 2009)]
"Eric's Bad Movies: ''Krull'' (1983)"
''Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' (popularly known as the ''Seattle P-I'', the ''Post-Intelligencer'', or simply the ''P-I'') is an online newspaper and former print newspaper based in Seattle, Washington, United States.
The newspaper was f ...
''. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 27 August 2017. Snider described one major problem in the film's writing:
Many aspects of the plot—such as magical abilities, wizards, lands, and other individuals on Krull—are only mentioned by the characters but never elaborated, which was both praised and criticized in Watt-Evans's review of the film. He liked that it made the viewer have to solve mysteries on his own and gave the film "believability".
However, he was dismayed by one scene in the film where Lyssa sees a projected image of the Beast murdering a girl: "We see the image of the girl die and vanish, but I would have liked a look at that directly, rather than through the image. How did it look to the people around the girl? Did she vanish, as the image did, or was there a body?" He described this part of the film as a "missed ... opportunity", reasoning that "such a scene would have told us something about the Beast's power, and the reactions of the people watching might have been informative, as well". He said ''Krull'' "drags in spots", such as in the moments Colwyn and his gang climb mountains, and described the film's ending as "singularly lacking in surprises".
However, Lambie praised the ending for being the most exciting part of the film as well as "surprisingly harsh, with Colwyn losing allies at every turn. The ''Star Wars'' franchise never despatched quite so many characters in such a graphic manner."
Characters and performances
Responses to the characters and performances of ''Krull'' were varied. Some critics praised the antagonists of the film.
Watt-Evans highlighted the Slayers' "cleverly designed double-ended weapons which provide some nice special effects and make for wonderfully chaotic battle scenes". He also noted they squeal and glow before they break apart when they get stabbed, describing such scenes as "quite alien and frightening".
Lambie praised the Slayers' "ominous silhouette of their armour, and the worm-like creature that erupts from them when they're defeated, make them far less derivative than they may otherwise have been".
Buchanan described the Slayers as "truly horrific", calling their death screams a "memorable touch", and labeled the Beast as being pulled "straight from the darkest of fairy tales".
''
The Aurum Film Encyclopedia
''The Aurum Film Encyclopedia'' is a multi-volume reference work on cinema, published in the UK by Aurum Press and edited by Phil Hardy. The first volume, devoted to western films, appeared in 1983, with eight subsequent volumes announced at tha ...
'' expressed admiration for the "engaging characters who surround the pallid hero and heroine" and also called the action scenes "nicely judged".
Phil Hardy
Philip Hardy (born 9 April 1973) is an English-born former Ireland under-21 footballer who played as a left-back. With Welsh club Wrexham from 1990 to 2001, he played more than 450 games under manager Brian Flynn. He was named on the PFA ...
, '' The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Science Fiction'' London : Aurum, 1991. (p.346). Lambie called the characters "flat",
Gibron said that the acting "seemed pitched just a tad too high for the relatively low brow material",
while Buchanan described Marshall's performance as Colwyn as "somewhat wooden".
Jawetz opined that "Marshall, who looks like the lovechild of
Patrick Swayze
Patrick Wayne Swayze (; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for playing distinctive lead roles, particularly romantic, tough, and comedic characters. He was also known for his media image and ...
and
Bruce McCulloch
Bruce Ian McCulloch is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, musician and film director. McCulloch is perhaps best known for his work as a member of the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, including starring in the TV series of the same name. He ...
, is not quite tough enough to pull off his warrior role, but the supporting cast seems more solid."
Lambie praised David Battley's performance as Ergo,
while Justine Elias, another journalist for ''The House Next Door'', called Battley's character "awful", elaborating that "even the dullest child would find this unfunny. I pitied Ken Marshall when he was forced to react with hearty ha-ha-has to every crap magic trick."
Accolades
* Nominee Best Fantasy Film –
Saturn Awards
The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
* Nominee Best Music (James Horner) –
Saturn Awards
The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
* Nominee Best Costumes (Anthony Mendleson) –
Saturn Awards
The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
* Nominee Grand Prize (Peter Yates) –
Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival
* Won Worst Picture –
Stinkers Bad Movie Awards
The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards (formerly known as the ''Hastings Bad Cinema Society'') was a Los Angeles-based group of film buffs and film critics devoted to honoring the worst films of the year.
The society was founded by Mike Lancaster and Ray ...
Merchandise
Book
A novelization was written by
Alan Dean Foster
Alan Dean Foster (born November 18, 1946) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction. He has written several book series, more than 20 standalone novels, and many novelizations of film scripts.
Career ''Star Wars''
Foster was the ghost ...
. A comic book adaptation by writer
David Michelinie
David Michelinie (; born May 6, 1948) is an American comic book writer best known for scripting Marvel Comics' '' The Amazing Spider-Man'' and '' Iron Man'' and the DC Comics feature Superman in ''Action Comics''. Among the characters he create ...
and artists
Bret Blevins and
Vince Colletta
Vincenzo CollettaColletta, Vince, in (October 15, 1923 – June 3, 1991) was an American Comic book creator, comic book artist and art director best known as one of Jack Kirby's frequent inkers during the 1950s-1960s period called the Silver Age ...
was published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
, both as ''
Marvel Super Special
''Marvel Comics Super Special'' was a 41-issue series of one-shot comic-magazines published by Marvel Comics from 1977 to 1986. They were cover-priced $1.50 to $2.50, while regular color comics were priced 30 cents to 60 cents, Beginning with issue ...
'' No. 28 with behind-the-scenes material from the film, and as a two-issue
limited series Limited series may refer to:
*Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series
*Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered
*Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...
.
Games
In 1983, several games were released under license.
Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers (known by Parker outside of North America) was an American toy and game manufacturer which in 1991 became a brand of Hasbro. More than 1,800 games were published under the Parker Brothers name since 1883. Among its products wer ...
produced a board game and card game. An action video game was released in arcades by
D. Gottlieb & Co. Gottlieb also designed a ''Krull'' pinball game that never went into production.
Atari, Inc.
Atari, Inc. was an American video game developer and home computer company founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. Atari was a key player in the formation of the video arcade and video game industry.
Based primarily around the Sunny ...
published a different ''
Krull Krull is a surname originating from Prussian nobility.
People
*Alexander Krull (born 1970), German singer
*Annie Krull (1876–1947), German operatic soprano
*Germaine Krull (1897–1985), photographer
* Hasso Krull (born 1964), Estonian po ...
'' video game for the
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600, initially branded as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS) from its release until November 1982, is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977, it popularized microprocesso ...
.
Home media
The film was released in multiple home-media formats: VHS, Betamax,
CED,
LaserDisc, and DVD. The film was available on DVD as a "Special Edition" in 2008. The film was available for streaming through
Starz and
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
until June 2012. Mill Creek Entertainment, through a license from Sony, released ''Krull'' on Blu-ray for the first time on 30 September 2014.
On 11 November 2019, HMV released Krull in the UK in dual-format Blu-ray and DVD under their Premium Collection label, with art cards & fold out poster. The previous release, the year before, was pulled due to an aspect ratio issue on the Blu-ray. The new release has the correct ratio.
Legacy
![Arth tapestry2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Arth_tapestry2.jpg)
Combining elements of
sword and sorcery and the
space opera genre,
''Krull'' has a plot compared by critics to the works in the series of ''
Star Wars'',
[Schager, Nick (16 November 2015)]
"''Krull'' is equal parts George Lucas and J. R. R. Tolken"
''The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
''. The Onion
''The Onion'' is an American digital media company and newspaper organization that publishes satire, satirical articles on international, national, and local news. The company is based in Chicago but originated as a weekly print publication on ...
. Retrieved 26 August 2017. ''
The Lord of the Rings
''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's b ...
'',
and, for its use of the Glaive, the legend of
King Arthur.
Watt-Evans explained that the Glaive is "just there, waiting for the right man to come and wield it". Though most of the characters say they know about the myths of the Glaive, they never reveal these stories to Colwyn before he obtains the weapon. He wrote, "Do any of the stories ever bother to explain who forged
Excalibur
Excalibur () is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. It was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. Excalibur and the Sword in th ...
, or how? No, it's just there, waiting for Arthur to come and get it. Similarly, the Glaive is just there, waiting for Colwyn."
Watt-Evans analogized the look, story, and vibe of ''Krull'' as a superior version of ''
The Dark Crystal
''The Dark Crystal'' is a 1982 dark fantasy film directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz. It stars the voices of Stephen Garlick, Lisa Maxwell, Billie Whitelaw, Percy Edwards, and Barry Dennen. The film was produced by ITC Entertainment and The ...
'' (1982).
He described the film's settings:
Yates's concept for ''Krull'' was "sort of a fairy storybook that moves; a fairy tale with a life, a reality of its own. I very much wanted to make a movie with some old-fashioned romance to it, yet a movie where things always moved."
Watt-Evans, categorizing ''Krull'' as a fairy tale, noted the film to be mythic to the point of making "no attempt at realism". He analyzed, "Lyssa and Colwyn, despite having apparently arranged the marriage for political reasons, fall madly in love at first sight."
He continued, "although we're told that the Slayers have been burning villages, we never see a village, burned or otherwise." He wrote that
establishing shot
An establishing shot in filmmaking and television production sets up, or establishes, the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects. It is generally a long or extreme-long shot at the beginning of ...
s of castles show no residents or plot-unrelated extras passing by; this was an indication that the lands of ''Krull'' do not have an economic system or population, which was appropriate given that "it's traditional for the heroes of fairy tales to be unbothered by such necessities as food and shelter."
He wrote that not much about the background of the characters is revealed because "this is not a film that explores the innermost secrets of the human heart, it's a glorious fairy tale for both adults and children."
None of the characters who live on Krull explain the magical powers they use every day. Watt-Evans wrote that this lack of explanation "helps one to accept that these people are real people, living in a real world". He reasoned that magic powers are Krull's equivalent of automobiles: "in a movie set on Earth, does anyone bother to explain cars? No, they're just there. For ''Krull'', magic is as much a part of the everyday world as automobiles are for us."
In popular culture
* The 2001 PC role-playing game''
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura'' features a powerful throwing weapon called Azram's Star, which is modeled directly after the glaive from the film.
* The Krull glaive makes an appearance by intermittently floating up out of the lava in the tunnels preceding the Onyxia boss encounter in the 2004 MMO video game ''
World of Warcraft
''World of Warcraft'' (''WoW'') is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released in 2004 by Blizzard Entertainment. Set in the ''Warcraft'' fantasy universe, ''World of Warcraft'' takes place within the world of Azeroth ...
''.
* In the ''
American Dad!'' episode "All About Steve" (2005), Snot holds up a fictional magazine which reads "500 reasons why Krull is better than sex!"
* The Krull glaive was spoofed in ''
South Park'', season 11, episode 5 ("
Fantastic Easter Special", 2007).
* In the 2007 film ''
The Air I Breathe
''The Air I Breathe'' is a 2007 crime drama film and the directorial debut of Korean-American filmmaker Jieho Lee, who co-wrote the script with Bob DeRosa. The film stars Kevin Bacon, Julie Delpy, Brendan Fraser, Andy Garcia, Sarah Michelle Gel ...
'',
Brendan Fraser
Brendan James Fraser ( ; born December 3, 1968) is an American-Canadian actor known for his leading roles in blockbusters, comedies, and dramatic films. Having graduated from the Cornish College of the Arts in 1990, he made his film debut in '' ...
's character (Pleasure) refers to Rell, the Cyclops, as both characters have the ability to see into the future, though significantly different for each.
* In the 2008 ''
Family Guy'' episode "
Baby Not on Board
"Baby Not on Board" is the fourth episode in the Family Guy (season 7), seventh season of the American animated series, animated television series ''Family Guy''. It originally aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network in the United State ...
", Carl tells Chris that he should not watch ''Krull'' after Chris expresses his view that the eagles are a major
plot hole
In fiction, a plot hole, plothole or plot error is a gap or inconsistency in a storyline that goes against the flow of logic established by the story's plot.
Plot holes are usually created unintentionally, often as a result of editing or the w ...
in ''
The Lord of the Rings
''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's b ...
'' trilogy. In the episode "
Meet the Quagmires", when Peter travels back to 1984, he tells Lois he would rather see ''Krull'' than ''
Zapped!
''Zapped!'' is a 1982 American teen sex comedy film directed by Robert J. Rosenthal and co-written with Bruce Rubin. The film stars Scott Baio as a high school student who acquires telekinetic powers.
Plot
At Ralph Waldo Emerson High School, b ...
''.
* In the 2008 game ''
Dark Sector'', the protagonist extensively uses a three-bladed weapon named the Glaive, with its design being reminiscent of Krull's glaive. The weapon also makes an appearance in ''
Warframe
''Warframe'' is a free-to-play action role-playing third-person shooter multiplayer online game developed and published by Digital Extremes. First released for Windows personal computers in March 2013, it was later ported to PlayStation 4 in ...
'', the game's spiritual successor.
* In 2008, the third entry in the ''
Bloons Tower Defense'' series gave the Boomerang Monkeys the ability to throw Glaives.
* In the 2008 ''
Robot Chicken'' episode "In a DVD Factory", a sketch shows Prince Colwyn promising to save everyone with his glaive; he then throws it in a cave, only for it to immediately boomerang back to him and jam inside his back, prompting him to ask rhetorically "The glaive is stuck in my back, isn't it?"
* The Cyclops and fire mares from Krull are emulated in the 2009 film ''
Gentlemen Broncos
''Gentlemen Broncos'' is a 2009 American comedy film written by Jared and Jerusha Hess and directed by Jared Hess.
The film stars Michael Angarano, Jemaine Clement, Jennifer Coolidge, and Sam Rockwell.
Plot
Benjamin Purvis lives with his mothe ...
''.
* The 2009 film ''Bikini Bloodbath Christmas'' features two actors dressed up as Prince Colwyn and Rell, selling Glaives door to door.
* In the 2013 game ''
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon'' the player receives a weapon near the end of the game named the Killstar, with its design being very similar to the Krull Glaive.
* Sean Phillips, the reclusive central character of
John Darnielle
John Darnielle (; born March 16, 1967) is an American musician and novelist best known as the primary, and originally sole, member of the American band the Mountain Goats, for which he is the writer, composer, guitarist, pianist, and vocalist. ...
's novel ''
Wolf in White Van
''Wolf in White Van'' is the first novel by the American author and singer-songwriter John Darnielle. ''Wolf in White Van'' tells the story of Sean Phillips, a reclusive game designer whose face has been severely disfigured. One reviewer charac ...
'' (2014), buys an ex-rental VHS copy of the film and spends four pages musing on the film's story and themes.
* The glaive was used by Sho near the end of the 2018 film ''
Ready Player One
''Ready Player One'' is a 2011 science fiction novel, and the debut novel of American author Ernest Cline. The story, set in a dystopia in 2045, follows protagonist Wade Watts on his search for an Easter egg in a worldwide virtual reality gam ...
'' to cut off I-R0k's arm.
* It was spoofed by
RiffTrax
RiffTrax is an American company that produces scripted humorous commentary tracks which are synced to mostly public domain feature films, education shorts, and television episodes. With the talents of former ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''M ...
on December 28, 2018.
RiffTrax
/ref>
Notes
More commonly, the term glaive
A glaive (or glave) is a European polearm, consisting of a single-edged blade on the end of a pole. It is similar to the Japanese naginata, the Chinese guandao, the Korean woldo, and the Russian sovnya.
Overview
Typically, the blade is arou ...
is used to describe a halberd-like weapon.
References
External links
*
*
*
Nick Maley talks about making the film ''KRULL''
{{Authority control
1983 films
1980s fantasy adventure films
1980s science fiction action films
British fantasy adventure films
British science fiction action films
American fantasy adventure films
American science fantasy films
American science fiction action films
American space adventure films
American sword and sorcery films
Columbia Pictures films
1980s English-language films
Films scored by James Horner
Films adapted into comics
Films directed by Peter Yates
Films set on fictional planets
Films set in castles
Films shot in the Canary Islands
Films shot at Pinewood Studios
Films using stop-motion animation
Sword and planet films
1980s American films
1980s British films