Who doesn't love sword and sorcery flicks? Who doesn't love 'Yojimbo?' Why not combine the two? We get beautiful filming locations, luscious and detailed sets and costume design (mostly), swell hair and makeup work, fine use of lighting, and excellent stunts, practical effects, and fight choreography. We get dark and fanciful imagery, flavorful original music (if sometimes borrowing a bit from other fantasy fare) - and the classic story of a mercenary who plays two rival villains against one another. We also get a LOT of female nudity, and while I've no objection to the inclusion in and of itself, the sheer abundance here is rather dubious, especially since the costume design for women tends to simply be "none of the above." The pacing is soft at times, and some instances of delivery or acting are quizzical; some inclusions are overly cartoonish, and please watch for the moment when hero Kain, beaten to a pulp one moment, has no marks left on him later in the same evening. Sometimes the writing and/or direction of scenes or story beats just kind of amounts to "okay, good enough," and the saga at large feels a smidgen simplified.
'The warrior and the sorceress' gives us what we want out of the genre. It's not anything special, nor anything that demands viewership, and there are absolutely some facets that don't come off well or raise a skeptical eyebrow - but we get what we came for. Everyone seems to have had a good time making it, though, especially David Carradine and Anthony De Longis; I feel bad for María Socas, as her participation feels a tad exploitative, but the least that can be said is that she was committed. It's nothing one needs to go out of their way to see, but for something light and uninvolved, it's decent enough to check out on a quiet day. Sometimes that's all we need out of a movie, and this ably serves its purpose. Take that as you will. Now, about that promotional artwork...
'The warrior and the sorceress' gives us what we want out of the genre. It's not anything special, nor anything that demands viewership, and there are absolutely some facets that don't come off well or raise a skeptical eyebrow - but we get what we came for. Everyone seems to have had a good time making it, though, especially David Carradine and Anthony De Longis; I feel bad for María Socas, as her participation feels a tad exploitative, but the least that can be said is that she was committed. It's nothing one needs to go out of their way to see, but for something light and uninvolved, it's decent enough to check out on a quiet day. Sometimes that's all we need out of a movie, and this ably serves its purpose. Take that as you will. Now, about that promotional artwork...