Kull the Conqueror

Plot synopsis:
Kull battles for the right to join Valusia's elite Dragon Legion until he told General Taligaro that he is a barbarian from Atlantis, the general explaining that only 'noble blood' is accepted. Taligaro then learns that the Valusian King Borna has gone mad and is slaughtering his heirs, riding to Valusia with Kull following. The confrontation that followed ends with Kull mortally wounding Borna, whose final act was naming Kull his successor at dismay of Taligaro and his cousin. Soon after, Kull meets his harem and recognizes the foreseeker Zareta who foretold his kingship. Kull summons her to his chambers and learns from her fortune telling that the fate of his kingdom would depend on a kiss, attempting to kiss Zareta before dismissing her when she reminds him that she is a slave and acts only out of command.
The next day, Kull attempts to free his slaves before finding that his rulings are hampered by the stone tablet detailing the laws of Valusia. Furthermore, Taligaro and his cousin secretly attempted to assassinate Kull during his crowning ceremony. Taligaro and his conspirators are then summoned the following night by the necromancer Enaros who offers to aid them by resurrecting Akivasha, the Sorceress Queen of the ancient Acheron Empire which the god Valka destroyed ages before Valusia was built on its remains. Using Taligaro's group to suit her ends to gain power and restore Acheron, Akivasha uses her magic to enchant Kull and become his queen. Akivasha then placed Kull in a death-like slumber, framing Zareta of "regicide" while taking Kull to her abode to keep as plaything.
But Kull escapes and with the help of the Valkan priest Ascalante, Zareta's brother, frees Zareta as the trio head north via the ship of Kull's untrusting associate Juba to obtain the Breath of Valka to stop Akivasha from regaining her full power. But Akivasha sends Taligaro after them, the general killing Ascalante while leaving Kull to die as he spirits away Zareta. As Zareta took in the Breath of Valka, Taligaro intended to use her to betray Akivasha and take the Topaz Throne. On the day of the eclipse, Kull returns to Valusia as Akivasha gradually begins assuming her true demonic form despite Taligaro's attempt to kill her with Zareta. After Kull wounded Taligaro and killed Enaros, he checks on Zareta and she kisses him. This passes the Breath of Valka to Kull, who kisses Akivasha to transmit Valka's breath and extinguish her flame. Kull then kills Taligaro when he attempts to take Zareta hostage, removing the last opposition to his rule. After being reinstated as king, Kull smashes with his ax against the Tablets of the Law, abolishing slavery in Valusia while naming Zareta his queen.

Tags: violence, murder

Review:
The screenplay writer must have read Howard's book, since there are literal quotes like `By this axe I rule!', which Kull exclaims during the coronation, yet again, this movie is no serious attempt to capture the raw, barbarian spirit of Howard's heroes.
Never having bothered with Xena, Hercules or any of these modern swords and sorcery television series and movies that tend to clutter some cable stations in the UK because they all seemed of very low quality to me, but I still decided to watch this anyway.
Perhaps it is because the lack of development and character isn't a major problem for me over 90 minutes whereas it is over a 22 week long series but I actually did enjoy this even if it just plays like an extended version of one of these shows  all rock music and modern humour.The plot is very simple but is enough to allow for the basic fighting and swaggering that the audience would demand.
None of them are great but at least they make the film seem like a bit more fun.Overall this is not the film to come to if you don't like the genre or have standards higher that daytime television (Hercules is now a kids TV filler on channel 5 here) but if you like that sort of thing then this does just about enough to be an entertaining little bit of modern sword and sorcery in the mould of, well, everything else Sorbo has been in!.
Kevin "Hercules" Sorbo plays Kull, a warrior in search of a kingdom in a time long forgotten, in a breezy, off-handed manner -- and his refusal to take his character too seriously works in favor of this low-budget quickie.
Kevin Sorbo goes from TV's legendary Hércules to Sword-witchery hero Kull the conqueror , a warrior who becomes king of a mythic land , Valusia .
Stars the hunk Kevin Sorbo who battles warlords in animal skins , wizards, sorceress and fantastic gods in this dumb-but -fun Sword and Witchery film .
Acceptable film , although the PG-13 rating keeps some the mayhem and violent fights less bloody than might be expected for this popular sub-genre : ¨Sword and Witchery¨ that had splendor in the 80s .¨Kull the Conqueror" is based on the 30s character created by pulp writer Robert E Howard who also originated Conan the Barbarian .
On the scale of sword and sorcery flicks, this ranks below 'Conan The Barbarian', above the dreary 'Red Sonja', about on par with 'Conan The Destroyer'; which is to say that it's an energetic fantasy film that doesn't take itself seriously and can be a lot of fun if you let it be.Kull of Atlantis seeks to join the army of Velusia, but instead, through an unexpected turn of events, he finds himself proclaimed king of the empire instead.
Holding onto his new throne will be much harder than taking it, as the blood heirs to the empire make a deal with a wizard to revive a 3000 year-old demon who seeks to kill King Kull and claim the empire for herself.'Kull the Conqueror' originally started out as 'Conan the Conqueror', but after Arnold refused to reprise the role, the script was changed to accommodate Howard's other barbarian hero, Kull.
A little bit of irony for you.As for the film itself, it does enough things right to entertain; Sorbo fits Kull role perfectly (actually truer to the source character than Arnold ever was), Griffith is an effectively grim villain and Tia Carrere hams it up nicely as the evil Akiavasia.
Lastly, the script is a little lean for an epic adventure film, clocking in at just 90 minutes, almost no time is spent getting to know the characters any better than is necessary to drive the plot.All told, this is a fun, fast, fantasy film meant to be enjoyed rather than analyzed.
It makes a decent entry in the Howard film canon (the best way to watch it is part 4 of a Howard marathon; Conan 1 & 2, Red Sonja, Kull).
The film made no money in theaters, which is too bad, as we aren't likely to see any more of these any time soon.Energetic, humorous, and full of action (though not without some issues), a solid sword and sorcery flick.7/10.
So much for anyone who knows anything...*raises eyebrow*Anyway, Sorba is pretty much what I imagined Kull to be; not as muscled as Conan, much more wiry, and a little less "Me hit thing hard with big sword" (OK, Conan not think but...you get the general idea...).
OK not as much sex involved, and certainly a lot less violence and misogyny (to a certain extent), but it stil makes for a great brainless piece of fun, much like Conan The Barbarian (I try and forget Destroyer and Red Sonja...definitely not up to scratch).
It's one of those lazy afternoon films when there's not a lot on and you simply want to rest watching a silly film - but you'd have to like sword and sorcery films to even begin to enjoy this movie.Acting is mediocre at best.
Unlike the "Conan" movies of the 1980's which were MEANT to be taken seriously at every turn and were UNINTENTIONALLY funny, "Kull" never attempts to be more than what it is:  an action film with a healthy dose of humor, nice effects and nicely choreographed action sequences.This isn't "King Lear" and it isn't meant to be.
Kevin Sorbo, who has not exactly become a household name among movie actors, shows why as he plays "Kull." He doesn't look and he doesn't sound like a man from the medieval ages.
Instead we get Howard's backup hero (Kull) who takes the throne at the beginning of the film in an un-stirring, non-epic little battle and then loses it quickly to Witch Demon Akivasha (played to the hilt by Tia Carrere who obviously had rare fun as a bad girl).
Kull then kills an hour on a very routine quest-to-find-his-right-to-rule and finally returns for the classic Howard showdown between good brawn and evil sorcery.
The main problem is Kevin Sorbo, who got so good at playing Hercules in self-spoofing post-modern fashion that he simply doesn't resonate with the necessary authentic bronze age thuggishness of a Howard hero.
Howard, and reading the original Kull stories, I decided to check it out.Dare I say it, I liked it better than the John Milius Conan the Barbarian.
Kevin is the real person for this role and suites him well, he is more savage type than Arnold and if U read the Howard's Kull stories U can know that he is savage and strong, which doesn't mean that he has to be Mr. Olympia.
The other actors were quite good for a B-film, but were just playing background to Kevin Sorbos character..
This movie is based in one of the Howard's most famous heroes along with Conan: Kull, the mighty Barbarian who rules over Atlantis.
From the cheesey rock music sound track at the opening credits you realize they are not going to give the genre any respect..and great movies like Army of Darkness..can make fun of the genre while still respecting it.Kull is nearly devoid of any intentional humor.
I think this is also a film that clearly had no art direction and it offends the chronological senses even worse than Hercules and Xena to the point at which you began to think the entire thing took place in a world of cheesey movie sets instead of some time in our distant past.No effort is made to build any characters or make us care about anyone..and no one is likeable or cool enough to care about them at first sight.I'm not even sure this would be good WITH the MST3K crew riffing on it.
Howard stories, made in the same vein as and to appeal to the same fans of HERCULES: THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS, a long-running '90s TV series which saw Kevin Sorbo as the muscle-bound hero, fighting off bad guys with plenty of humour and a distinct lack of edge.
Although Sorbo actually kills people in this film, it's nevertheless a bloodless affair, packed with cheesy special effects, lots of light action, and an incredibly annoying wah-wah guitar playing over the soundtrack that destroys any mock medieval mood they might have been aiming for straight away.The low budget is evident from the absolutely cheesy effects they use, from dodgy mutant makeup to a fiery demon at the climax, which I actually quite liked in terms of its design.
While this movie is no "Conan", it still was rather entertaining, and even more so if you enjoy the fantasy adventure genre.Story-wise, then the movie was quite stereotypical; a conflict of good versus evil, an underdog that will rise to be king against every possible odd.The story is about Kull, a former pirate slave, who happens to earn the throne and Crown to the Kingdom of Valusia.
To save the kingdom, Kull embarks upon a treacherous quest to the frozen north.The costumes and props were quite good in the movie, and really helped to bring the fantasy world to life.
But there were times where the music took on a heavy metal twist, which was really awkward and misplaced.As for the cast, then I will admit that they actually put together a good ensemble of acting talents for the movie.
But Tia Carrere really brought something good to the movie with her usual charm and also with her portrayal of Akivasha.If you enjoy sword and sorcery and the fantasy genre, then you should sit down to watch "Kull the Conqueror", because it is an entertaining movie..
(Ironically, the Conan movie with Jason Mamoa (2011) uses the same villainess and a similar plot of resurrecting her.) Thomas Ian Griffith as Taligaro also does a good job as Kull's warrior nemesis.
If you're in to the whole barbarian genre, or you just like watching bad movies for fun, you'll love it, and have fun watching it (great special effects).
I think Kevin Sorbo had some pretty good comedic timing and Tia Carrera seems to have inherited her mother's talent for playing the sadist type with humor, as in Never Say Never, Again.
I dont understand such bad reviews of this movie.I rented it a few days ago just to see how bad it was and i was surprised.Nothing worth mentioning,but nothing worth butchering either.I think Sorbo is a good enough actor for his kind of films and Tia Carrere...well she's worth watching even if she isnt among the best actresses today.She looks interesting with light hair.So,i would say this deserves at least 4 out of 10.If you are absolutely bored,this cant hurt to watch.Didnt hurt me..
I think it had beautiful sets, lighting, music (if you are into big, orchestral powermetal) and special effects, and a plot good enough for this genre of movies (i.e. not too complicated).
Well, the truth is that despite the many bad reviews that this film has received since its premiere, I must say that the movie is surprisingly effective in its purpose of entertaining.Yes, I am aware that altogether it is a very bad movie, with a poor production design more typical of the television series, Hercules, the legendary journeys, with which the same protagonist shares, the stony Kevin Sorbo, with the worst band sound never composed for a heroic fantasy film and sword fights that provoke more laughter than anything else.But despite all this the film has positive aspects.The story, although topical and uninspired, is elaborate enough to maintain interest.Likewise, the film has a good narrative rhythm and does not become heavy or boring at any time, which is a great achievement, the few special effects are quite acceptable and the villain of the story interpreted by the very beautiful Tia Carrere is sensational, the best of the film.In short, Kull the Conqueror is a bad movie, but many of us have certainly seen much worse movies and much less entertaining than this one.Insurance!!!.
An Atlantean barbarian (Kevin Sorbo) takes the throne of Valusia when he defeats King Borna (Sven-Ole Thorsen) and so General Taligaro (Thomas Ian Griffith) & assorted "noble-blooded" men conspire to overthrow Kull by resurrecting the wicked Acheron sorceress Akivasha (Tia Carrere).
Nevertheless, Sorbo is well cast and one of the film's highlights.The score by Joel Goldsmith is quite good, except for a couple of semi-cheesy metal riffs, like the eye-rolling riff near the beginning and another one much later during the fight at the ice cave, which isn't as bad.
These wannabe metal rhythms were rather lame in 1997, let alone today.Another flaw is that the opening of the movie is weak with Kull's dealings with the Dragon Legion and his fiery sword fight with Taligaro.
I should add that Tia looks great as a green-eyed redhead and the fiery demon F/X at the close are quite effective.IF you can handle its obvious shortcomings, "Kull the Conqueror" is an entertaining S&S flick that should be enjoyed by fans of Conan, Sinbad and the like.
Kull the Conqueror (1997) Starring: Kevin Sorbo, Tia Carrere, Thomas Ian Griffith, Litefoot, Roy Brocksmith, Harvey Fierstein, Karina Lombard, Edward Tudor-Pole, Douglas Henshall, Joe Shaw, Sven-Ole Thorsen, Terry O'Neill, Pat Roach, John Hallam, and Peter Petruna Directed By: John Nicolella Review COURAGE CONQUERS ALL.
It makes sense considering the most financially successful sword/sorcery film was Conan another one of Robert's characters.
The sword and sorcery genre was even making a comeback but mostly on television with Xena and a Hercules show with Kevin Sorbo as Hercules who would be Kull in this movie.
Around this time Kevin Sorbo was starring in the fashionably popular TV series "Hercules", so I guess it was only natural that he would go on to find himself starring in this sword-and-sorcery romp that's a cheesy, water-down version of "Conan the Barbarian" that felt like it was made for straight-to-TV.
There is even this feeling the actors knew how cheesy this whole thing is, and played along with it, which makes it more fun.They have Kevin Sorbo in that movie, who is perfect for charikaturs of honorable heroes in the ages of swords and dragons.The chicks are awesomely how.Overall a 5/10, for the undeniable mind-hurt of stupidity and fun.
Maybe it's because Tia Carrera looks sexier than she's ever been, but the script and plot are a bit hard to follow and Kull seems to be more of a big budget Hercules.
Sorbo has been playing a good guy so much he can't really pull off Kull without thinking he's really Hercules.
Television's Hercules (Kevin Sorbo), makes his feature film debut in Kull The Conqueror.
Jealously brews through the kings real heirs, and they invoke the evil demon queen (played by Tia Carrere), to help them get rid of the barbarian king.I have always been a fan of fantasy films and stories, however, this one is just plain bad.
i wasn't too impressed with this movie.it is in the style of both the Conan movies,but i didn't like it anywhere near as much.there was lots of action,but i still found it to be slow and boring.it becomes a bit more interesting from the halfway point on,but barely.i didn't find the acting very good,although Kevin Sorbo was good as the title character.but it was Tia Carrere who i thought was very impressive as the evil Queen.however,the only real reason i stuck it out was i noticed that the beginning credits listed Harvey Fierstein in the movie.he doesn't show up until about halfway through,but i liked him in his role.otherwise,the movie is tedious and very hard to get through.for me,Kull the Conqueror is a 4/10..
While I've seen just about every fantasy, action, and sci-fi movie ever made, and I realize this is just a rehashing of plot from a dozen or so other films(including Conan the barbarian), I still found it quite enjoyable.
It's totally a brute force type movie with tiny bits of emotion, and Kevin Sorbo is not a great actor, he's just strong and has a good voice.
The music heard in this movie belongs at a mid 80s rock concert and is really quite intrusive Despite the drawbacks ( Perhaps I'm taking things too seriously ) the story is a familiar one of " Commoner is made king and his pure bred rivals want the throne " and is entertaining enough though perhaps a little too episodic for its own good .
I never had such a good time making fun of a movie until this feature-length Hercules episode came along.
Like most reviews in this file I agree that this film is basically Hercules with Sorbo using another name but not really changing the character.
If you're looking for something to make fun of on a dull night, this one's for you!Kevin Sorbo plays Hercules, only they keep calling him Kull.
Kevin Sorbo plays Kull a barbarian from Atlantis.
When the threat of an evil demon queen comes knocking, Kull takes one last adventure to destroy the queen who is trying to take his kingdom, while also falling in love along the way.Kull the Conqueror was actually meant to be Conan 3 (Conan the Conqueror, and was based on the first Conan story "The Phoenix on the sword"), but due to Arnie not wanting to reprise his role and Kevin not wanting to redo a character already played.
Kull the Conqueror (1997): Dir: John Nicolella / Cast: Kevin Sorbo, Tia Carrere, Litefoot, Thomas Ian Griffith, Roy Brocksmith: Pathetic fantasy about overcoming trials, although viewers may find the trial of sitting through this embarrassing film difficult to overcome.
Well, I thought you'd have to motor in order to come up with anything cheesier than Arnie's 3 sword and sorcery outings (2 Conans and a Red Sonja), but Kevin Sorbo's Kull the Conqueror manages to do so with a minimum of trouble.To be fair, the sets and costumes are OK, and the cast give it their all.