An Atlantean barbarian—Kevin Sorbo—seizes the throne of Valusia after defeating King Borna (Sven-Ole Thorsen), prompting General Taligaro (Thomas Ian Griffith) and several other “noble-blooded” men to plot against Kull by bringing back the evil sorceress Akivasha (Tia Carrere). Karina Lombard portrays Kull’s romantic interest, Zareta, while Litefoot appears as the priest Ascalante. Released in 1997, this film arrived thirteen years after the last Conan movie; it was initially intended to be the third installment of that series, but Schwarzenegger turned down the role, leading them to shift the project into a Kull story. For those unfamiliar, Kull was another barbarian hero created by Robert E. Howard, though he wasn’t as popular as Conan. It's worth noting that Kull existed long before Conan’s Hyborian Age. The change in title didn’t ultimately matter because the script drew loosely from Howard’s Conan story "The Phoenix on the Sword," which itself was adapted from the Kull tale “By this Axe I Rule.” Sorbo seems to be at his best here, and he certainly resembles Kull as depicted in the comics; however, he has a characteristic warmth that contrasts with Kull's more somber nature in Howard’s writings. Still, Sorbo is well-suited for the part and stands out as one of the film’s better aspects. The score by Joel Goldsmith is generally quite good, though it includes a few somewhat cheesy metal sections—like an awkward riff early on and another during the fight in the ice cave, which isn't quite as bad. More than half the music lacks any metal guitar at all, and most of the pieces that do incorporate it are well-done; there just happen to be a couple of questionable riffs that initially put me off. These attempts at metal were fairly weak even back in 1997, let alone now. Another issue is that the movie's beginning feels slow, particularly Kull’s interactions with the Dragon Legion and his sword fight with Taligaro. However, if you stick with it, the story becomes more engaging during the palace confrontation. The production values are acceptable but noticeably lower than those of "Conan the Destroyer" (1984). I would say it's comparable to “The Sword and the Sorcerer” (1982), though this film has a better plot and more interesting characters—once you get past that rough start. It’s worth mentioning that Tia looks great as a green-eyed redhead, and the special effects involving the fiery demon at the end are quite impressive. If you can overlook its obvious shortcomings, “Kull the Conqueror” is an enjoyable sword and sorcery film that fans of Conan, Sinbad, and similar stories should appreciate. If you’ve seen it before and didn't enjoy it, I suggest giving it another try. I’m glad I did; it has flaws, but there’s enough to like to prevent a negative assessment. The movie runs for 1 hour and 35 minutes and was filmed in Slovakia (Bratislava & Cerveny Kamen) and Croatia (Kornati National Park & Murter Island). GRADE: B-/C+

Source on TMDB