Too much fun. Cheap, but fun. Yep
just campy fun. This acclaimed
oh. I don't really see much to it and that's why I'll keep it short. Directed by Jim Wynorski, the extremely low-rent and cartoon-like sword and sorcery romp 'Deathstalker 2: Duel of the Titans' happened to be a sequel that would go down the straight-to-video root. Sure it's trashy, gaudy and bare-bones, but it has ticker and its comical touch (feeling like a parody on the sub-genre's conventions) with a snappy script springing a wink-wink attitude and smart-lipped dialogues made it a lot easier to take. At times it was eye-boggling to what came out of the mouths, due to overplaying itself which for some could be torture as it begins to grow a bit tiresome. The performances are ham-fisted, but acceptable to what's on show. John Terlesky makes for a charismatic heroine bestowing endless appeal, but plenty of stamina when action erupted. An delectably cute Monique Gabrielle in is two character roles of two different kinds; an innocent and bitch. John Lazar gives a mannered evil performance as the Jarek the Sorcerer. Despite the obvious restrictions (some utterly second-rate props and sets with shoddy make-up FX and special effects) Wynorski no-nonsense handling never lets the pace dip and throws in a rowdy barrage of energy-filled and atmospheric adventures on the journey. Due to the jumpy lay-out of set-pieces, the narrative feels incoherent than anything kept-in-check and smoothly flowing. The combat action have stodgy and almost slow-motion choreography, but the final confrontation (Deathstalker v Jarek) is worthwhile amongst all the charades. It plays its familiar genre staples in what is cheaply exploitative, but harmlessly cheesy hokum.
Review of Deathstalker II
