Customer Reviews

Deathstalker

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

There's something about DEATHSTALKER, but I'll be darned if I know what it is. The film is poorly made in almost every respect, from the slipshod screenplay to the wooden acting, but it's the sort of film that begs to watched again and again and again because, bottom line, it's fun despite its flaws.

In fact, DEATHSTALKER is much more fun than it has any right to be, given its exploitative nature. Women appear bare-breasted for no reason. Gore spews. Eyeballs are eaten (don't ask). By rights, it should be the kind of movie people watch just to make fun of, or the kind of movie that simply gets shut off in favor of something else. Instead, though, DEATHSTALKER is just ambitious enough, and just audacious enough, to transcend badness and be solid entertainment. Just the thing for an evening that calls for 90 minutes of sword-swinging fun.

Deathstalker is a thief and a killer who only steal and kills for a living. He is not interested in heroism or glory. What he does seem interested in is forcing himself on almost every woman in the film (starting with the first sequence).

Deathstalker has been asked to unseat an evil sorcerer who has usurped the throne but he has refused. Then a powerful witch tells him where to get a powerful sword (why does she want him to have it when he has proven to be a scoundrel? Unknown). Armed with the sword, he sets out to get two other powerful objects (an amulet and a chalice, both held by the evil sorcerer).

Along the way he forces himself on another woman (who then falls in love with him if you can believe it) and enters a tournament that will kill off the great warriors (as all tournaments to the death do).

In the end, Deathstalker manages to defeat the sorcerer in the most anti-climactic scene of all time (he walks up to the sorcerer and takes the chalice as the sorcerer decides to cower and not defend himself). Deathstalker then holds up the three items and says, "I destroy you" and we are left to assume that the objects are destroyed (how?).

A very silly tale with more nudity than an average Girls Gone Wild video and with about the same amount of plot. But still, fans of the genre will enjoy watching this one.

...But it's fun to watch. Often times people accuse me of having terrible taste in movies. Let me prove them all right by admitting that I LOVE the first Deathstalker film. Sure the acting is almost of the high quality one associates with Middle School Christmas Pageants (at it's best), the sets are lame, and the story is embarassing, but darnit all, I likes what I sees. Theres swordwork and beasts from hell, and nudity (lest we forget the nudity) This is a genre I adore, and "DeathStalker" is one of the paste jewels in the tinfoil crown of Sword and sorcery.

Let me just start off by saying that although it is a "Conan" type movie this is the best Deathstalker movie. It is very serioius and only has one or two jokes in the movie. You've got trolls in caves, magical swords, eyeball eating monsters, fights to the death including beheadings, and plenty of blood! What more could you want from a 1980's Sword&Sorcery movie. I first saw parts 3 and 4 and liked them but this one (to me)is the best.

As all these Dirty Dancin' fans write their review about how bad this was, I need to ask why they made 4 Deathstalker movies of the same title and why the vhs sells for $20. and the DVD for $50. to $100. used? On the bad side if there is one is that it was low budget and way too short at 80 minutes. I didn't like the sequels. This 1983 epic masterpiece written by Howard Cohen and filmed in beautiful wooded areas of Argentina had a huge American cult following for good reason. Rick Hill was awesome in every scene. Richard Brooker brought humor and outstanding stunts to the film. He was one of the best stunt coordinators I have ever seen in any movie. Barbi Benton, the former Hefner spouse and Playboy Magazine model and centerfold was awesome and a good fit with the other actors including Hill and Erhard. A bit off base on expression in some scenes but it was low budget. Lana Clarkson was again a good fit and people pay $100. to get a copy of the DVD to see this georgeous human being, She performed well and deserved an Oscar as did all the other actors in it. Bernard Erhart was awesome and intimidating as Munkar, good lines from him in many scenes. Same goes for Victor Bo as Kang. Lillian Ker supported the warrior and played a great scene. Other peoples reviews spoke of bad acting or nude scenes. To them I say go back to Ben-Hur or John Candy or Matt Damon. This film was unique and well written and began a cult following as the prices will demostrate. Some actors died or got old in real life and it couldn't be matched in Deathstalker film #4 by any means. Enjoy what was, 1983 and it was the best film I ever saw. It changed my life for the better. I don't believe in magic but the making of this film was nothing short of the reality of greatness on film. Action, Adventure, Scenic beauty, Good Mix and chemistry of Actors. Good story line. Great Stunts. Beyond Awesome all around.

This one started the series. I saw it on VHS long time ago and was waiting for the DVD. I love it because the film it's so bad it makes you laugh (and, hey!, Barbie Benton is in it.) As long as I remember, there's lots of sword fights and T&A too. The second one in the series is a nice one too. Barbie Benton is not acting, but in her place you can find Monique Gabrielle playing the good girl and the bad girl roles. Too good to be true.

The DVD price is nice, so buy both of them.

I've been watching the price on this movie for about a year, and it ranged from seventy five bucks to about thirty. I finally caught one used for twenty three and nabbed it.I'm glad I did. When I was a kid I can remember seeing this in video stores, and thought how amazing the cover was. Now that I've actually viewed the film, I would have to say It doesn't quite live up to the artwork,but It's still pretty fun! Yes it's low budget, and plods along without too much story,but it still has a lot of charm. Blood, Dwarves, a big Pig/Orc dude,nekkid wenches, swords choppin off heads, Fun Fun Fun! I've read other negative reviews about how cheap it is, or how the swords don't fit in that time period...It's a fantasy dummy. Big Pig faced dudes didn't fit that time period either!! You want historical accuracy go watch the history channel! This is an 80s B Movie and it's a good one. That's why it commands a high price. You can't even start to compare this to something like Lord of the Rings( wich I'm sure most of the Teenie Boppers out there are going to do) because this was a whole different time. Nothing from 1983 is going to look like the movies nowadays. But if you like Fantasy , Sword Play movies, you'll like this. I'm very glad to have this one in my collection.

my 5 stars reflect my taste in movies i guess, but i loved it when it came out and i love it today. i remember being glued to my chair trying to look away, but the stupidity of the flick kept drawing me in. not really much to be said about the movie that others havent said except that despite all the obvious flaws the movie has, it is still entertaining to watch.violence, nudity, swords, strange beasts, ect.if you consider yourself a true movie critic, ignore my rating, if not sit back and enjoy.

This is one of those films which was meant to be serious but comes off as so stupid that it becomes a good comedy. The effects, and especially the sword fighting is so silly it will have you on your knees laughing.

Whilst certainly not as entertaining as the brilliant Deathstalker 2, this first outing for our rather dangerous hero is still a cut above the usual Conan clones.

From the first scene, where an almost unfeasibly musclebound Rick Hill slaughters a bunch of inbred freaks, skewers an opportunist kidnapper and then starts to ravage his beautiful woman prisoner, we understand that this hero is quite an ambiguous character and we're never quite sure if he's batting for good or for evil.

Told by a witch of three unimaginably powerful artefacts and tempted by thoughts of glory, Deathstalker treks to Munkar's castle, where the evil wizard (is there any other kind?) has organised a tournament to find the greatest warrior in the land, to whom has been promised the inheritance of the kingdom. It is, of course, a trick. Munkar merely wants to eliminate any opposition to his nefarious plans and does everything in his power to kill the greatest threat of all - our eponymous hero.

The combat sequences are generally well done and surprisingly brutal on occasion. A fair bit of nudity, sometimes tasteful (and featuring some *extremely* attractive women!), sometimes verging on soft-porn in a couple of scenes. Some great black humour adds another dimension to the proceedings - my favourites being Munkar gradually feeding an unfortunate prisoner to a pet "thing" in a box, the "dashing" Salmaron rescued by Deathstalker, Munkar's servant (expertly played by Marcos Wolinsky - one of the few actors to turn up again in Deathstalker 2) being transformed into a woman and, of course, the first appearance of the, now legendary, pig-headed warrior. His inventive use of an impromptu club is a genuine laugh-out-loud moment!

I get the feeling though that Roger Corman wasn't quite sure whether to play it straight or go for greater comedy value. On occasion, Rick Hill seems to take things a tad too seriously (some supposedly profound utterances, such as in my title, being slightly cringeworthy) and, in this respect, the movie kind of falls between two stools and is not entirely successful.

Clear and bright picture quality throughout, but only 4:3 aspect ratio and the audio is some early incarnation of Dolby that falls rather short of the DTS we usually expect. No extras of any value on the DVD either.

Enough nitpicking though! At this bargain price, Deathstalker is a worthwhile addition to anyone's DVD collection, but trust me, if you quite liked this one, you will really *love* Deathstalker 2!