Krull, 1983.
Directed by Peter Yates.
Starring Ken Marshall, Lysette Anthony, Freddie Jones, Francesca Annis, Liam Neeson, and Robbie Coltrane.
SYNOPSIS:
Are you a fan of the fun-but-cheesy (in my opinion) 1983 film Krull? If so, you’ll want to snap up this new 4K Ultra HD Steelbook release of the movie from Sony. The film has been remastered, and you get a smattering of bonus features, along with a code for a digital copy
Here’s the thing: Either a movie works for you in some way or it doesn’t. If you watch and enjoy it, but it’s not well-regarded by many people, well, call it a guilty pleasure or whatever you want and feel free to own how you feel about it.
In my case, I enjoy the movie The Black Hole. I know, it’s not very good, but I love the effects work, and I love the way it transports me back to my childhood. Sure, Star Wars does too, but that franchise has been part of my life since I was seven years old in 1977; The Black Hole is firmly rooted in a specific period of time in my life.
So if you feel the same way about Krull, well, here’s your chance to own this film in glorious 4K Ultra HD, complete with a nice Steelbook package and a code for a digital copy. I have to confess I don’t hold this movie in the same regard, but I’m not going to yuck your yum, as the kids say these days.
Released in 1983, Krull was one of many films surfing the box office wave started by Star Wars. Its release during the same summer as Return of the Jedi was problematic, but I don’t know if it would have fared much better had its debut been shifted.
The story takes place on a planet called Krull, which has been invaded by the Beast and his soldiers known as Slayers. Two kingdoms hope to unite to stop the invasion by arranging a marriage between their royal children, Prince Colwyn and Princess Lyssa, but the Slayers interrupt the wedding. Colwyn is injured and Lyssa kidnapped.
Colwyn is nursed back to health by Ynyr, the Old One, who tells him that he can defeat the Beast with a weapon known as the Glaive, which is kind of like a big throwing star with retractable blades. (Why Ynyr didn’t tell everyone to just go that route in the first place is unknown.) Colwyn and Ynyr set off on a quest to find the Glaive and take it to the Black Fortress and defeat the Beast.
Along the way, they pick up several traveling companions, including characters played by Liam Neeson and Robbie Coltrane in early screen performances. The story is pretty rote, but the effects aren’t bad and James Horner did his usual amazing job with the score, although I will confess it feels a bit too close to his classic Star Trek music.
The 4K Ultra HD platter found here serves up a restored version of the film, which looks great and should please Krull fans who have been waiting for the definitive presentation of the movie on home video. Cinematographer Peter Suschitzky approved this transfer.
The same restoration is included on the accompanying Blu-ray, where you’ll also find a smattering of bonus features that have been ported over from the 2001 DVD edition. I’m pretty sure the extras weren’t found on the Blu-rays that were released in the meantime, at least, not in the United States, but this is my first time with this film on home video.
The bonus features kick off with a pair of commentary tracks. The first one features director Peter Yates, editor Ray Lovejoy, and actors Ken Marshall and Lysette Anthony. They were recorded separately, so it avoids the usual pitfalls of group commentaries, such as going off tangent with in-jokes.
The other track is an oddity I don’t think I’ve encountered before: it features someone reading the entirety of an article from Cinefantastique magazine’s November 1982 issue. The piece is a preview of Krull that sometimes comes off more promotional than journalistic, but it’s still a fun way to tap into the print zeitgeist of that era. It only runs over the first 73 minutes of the movie, however.
And speaking of all things retro, the other main extra found here is an old school featurette called Journey to Krull, which runs about 22 minutes. It’s full-on promotional, so you won’t get any glimpses into some of the issues that plagued the film. Maybe we’ll see a proper making-of documentary some day, but I don’t know if this movie has a large enough fan base for that.
The theatrical trailer rounds out the platter.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Brad Cook
