This is the kind of movie that makes you go back and look at the two Conan movies (even the crappy "Conan The Destroyer") and appreciate what was good about them, silly and immature as they were. The Conan movies may have been escapist pulp, the 2nd one may have been misguided and inept, but they obviously had the money and the production talent to LOOK good. Nothing looks good here, and it short circuits everything the actors are trying to do. The director seems to be fond of his material, but he has no ability to mold it into anything compelling, or even interesting.
It is apparent that DS&TWFH is counting heavily on whatever good will the first two movies in the "Deathstalker" franchise generated. The filmmakers seemed to have swapped out the original actor for a new guy, cut the budget and production quality back to "Direct To Video/Made For TV" levels (seriously, can you imagine this getting a theatrical US release EVER,even in the late '80s?) and generally done everything they could to kill the series dead. (Apparently there was a Deathstalker IV, though; the mind shudders to think of what it must have been like.) What little I know about the DS series implies that it tried to distinguish itself in later episodes by being somewhat "tongue in cheek", and by featuring DS as a rogueish, over-confident adventurer. (In modern terms, his mouth tends to write checks that his body can't cash). That's a decent idea (even if "The Sword And The Sorceror" hadn't already done it), but in DS III the script takes the concept way too far by playing the hero as a "smug bastard". The new guy Relson/Nelson gives the role a game try and he works pretty hard to get his part over, but alas, he can't even maintain a consistent accent or speech rhythm from scene to scene (a dialog coach might have helped. Also a fight choreographer who gave a damn). Sean Connery himself couldn't rescue the part from the low level hijinks presented here, and Mr. Relson/Nelson doesn't even come close to carrying it off.
Similarly annoying is Thom Christopher as the villain "Troxartas". Thom actually has some genuine acting moxie - he's the most interesting actor in the film, in an overblown, hammy way. And Christopher is obviously trying to bring an unorthodox effete-and-decadent-but-still-dangerous flavor to his character. But everything he tries, every line he delivers, just goes wrong for him. None of his choices (or the directors, or even the costume designers') work at all, and he's just irritatingly, hilariously bad.
The romantic lead lady (who plays identical twins, BTW) is decent looking, but she's a stiff here; she's utterly miscast for a fantasy/adventure movie. She must have realized early into the movie that her part was worthless, and so she basically sticks one expression on her face and keeps it there for the entire movie. She doesn't help the movie, but she doesn't really hurt it any worse than anyone else - she's just a placeholder. I actually feel sorry for the actress, and I hope she went on to better things.
So the movie has bad acting from the principles. It has bad writing. Bad costumes (it looks like Christopher had to wear his own laundry castoffs for his role). There's a lame soundtrack. There's some of the least convincing fight choreography in the history of Sword and Sorcery movies. There are dozens of lines of dialog that must have looked good on paper but which invariably clink like a lead washer on a sidewalk in the mouths of the actors.
If the movie has a saving grace, it's that it doesn't seem to take itself very seriously, so its not completely loathsome. In fact this is actually a better made movie than perennial "Bottom 100" dweller "The Cave Dwellers" (which took itself utterly seriously). However DS&TWFH doesn't have the central focus point of Miles OKeefe's cartoon superhero physique to distract the viewer from the mediocrity of the proceedings.
Who would enjoy it? DS&TWFH is only for the Sword and Sorcery fanatic who will watch ANYTHING as long as it is set in a medieval/fantasy setting with archaic costumes and affected speech rhythms. Even if you are such a fan, don't spend money to own it or watch it under any circumstances. Well, maybe $2.00 for a DVD at the bottom of the remaindered DVD pile at WalMart. You can always use it as a coaster or a skeet shooting disk.
It is apparent that DS&TWFH is counting heavily on whatever good will the first two movies in the "Deathstalker" franchise generated. The filmmakers seemed to have swapped out the original actor for a new guy, cut the budget and production quality back to "Direct To Video/Made For TV" levels (seriously, can you imagine this getting a theatrical US release EVER,even in the late '80s?) and generally done everything they could to kill the series dead. (Apparently there was a Deathstalker IV, though; the mind shudders to think of what it must have been like.) What little I know about the DS series implies that it tried to distinguish itself in later episodes by being somewhat "tongue in cheek", and by featuring DS as a rogueish, over-confident adventurer. (In modern terms, his mouth tends to write checks that his body can't cash). That's a decent idea (even if "The Sword And The Sorceror" hadn't already done it), but in DS III the script takes the concept way too far by playing the hero as a "smug bastard". The new guy Relson/Nelson gives the role a game try and he works pretty hard to get his part over, but alas, he can't even maintain a consistent accent or speech rhythm from scene to scene (a dialog coach might have helped. Also a fight choreographer who gave a damn). Sean Connery himself couldn't rescue the part from the low level hijinks presented here, and Mr. Relson/Nelson doesn't even come close to carrying it off.
Similarly annoying is Thom Christopher as the villain "Troxartas". Thom actually has some genuine acting moxie - he's the most interesting actor in the film, in an overblown, hammy way. And Christopher is obviously trying to bring an unorthodox effete-and-decadent-but-still-dangerous flavor to his character. But everything he tries, every line he delivers, just goes wrong for him. None of his choices (or the directors, or even the costume designers') work at all, and he's just irritatingly, hilariously bad.
The romantic lead lady (who plays identical twins, BTW) is decent looking, but she's a stiff here; she's utterly miscast for a fantasy/adventure movie. She must have realized early into the movie that her part was worthless, and so she basically sticks one expression on her face and keeps it there for the entire movie. She doesn't help the movie, but she doesn't really hurt it any worse than anyone else - she's just a placeholder. I actually feel sorry for the actress, and I hope she went on to better things.
So the movie has bad acting from the principles. It has bad writing. Bad costumes (it looks like Christopher had to wear his own laundry castoffs for his role). There's a lame soundtrack. There's some of the least convincing fight choreography in the history of Sword and Sorcery movies. There are dozens of lines of dialog that must have looked good on paper but which invariably clink like a lead washer on a sidewalk in the mouths of the actors.
If the movie has a saving grace, it's that it doesn't seem to take itself very seriously, so its not completely loathsome. In fact this is actually a better made movie than perennial "Bottom 100" dweller "The Cave Dwellers" (which took itself utterly seriously). However DS&TWFH doesn't have the central focus point of Miles OKeefe's cartoon superhero physique to distract the viewer from the mediocrity of the proceedings.
Who would enjoy it? DS&TWFH is only for the Sword and Sorcery fanatic who will watch ANYTHING as long as it is set in a medieval/fantasy setting with archaic costumes and affected speech rhythms. Even if you are such a fan, don't spend money to own it or watch it under any circumstances. Well, maybe $2.00 for a DVD at the bottom of the remaindered DVD pile at WalMart. You can always use it as a coaster or a skeet shooting disk.