Plot: After five years as a slave, warrior Kull (Kevin Sorbo) travels to the shores of the fantastical kingdom of Valusia, where he slays mad King Borna (Sven-Ole Thorson). Inheriting the crown, Kull begins an ambitious program of bringing freedom and tolerance to Valusia, which displeases Gen. Taligaro (Thomas Ian Griffith) and the royal court’s advisers. Determined to unseat Kull, Taligaro has a wizard resurrect the witch Akivasha (Tia Carrere) to seduce and destroy the new monarch.
I had never actually watched Kull the Conqueror until recently; when I bought Arrow’s new Conan 4K collection in one of the documentaries they mentioned how this film was initially going to be a 3rd Conan movie (Conan the Conqueror), but it was retooled into Kull the Conqueror.
Arnold wasn’t interested in returning as Conan (but still returned for several subpar Terminator sequels) and was replaced with Kevin Sorbo playing Kull; it still (sort of) has the Conan vibe, but this is more Destroyer than Barbarian going for a PG-13 rating; this means it lacks the violence or nudity of Conan the Barbarian and it arguably feels more like a made for TV movie.
Kull the Conqueror is still a fun time with a game cast that includes Thomas Ian Griffith on villain duties alongside Tia Carrera and it’s cool to see Sven have a speaking role as the king even if it is just for a few minutes. Conan fans will of course recognize him as Thorgrim in Conan the Barbarian and Togra from Conan the Destroyer.
Kevin Sorbo has that twinkle in his eye throughout and see seems to just be enjoying the ride, not taking things too seriously, so it keeps the tone mostly light. Thomas Ian Griffith has never phoned in a performance and even in something as silly as this he excels as the power hungry Taligaro. I think we were all in love with Tia Carrera in the 90’s and she makes for an enjoyable antagonist here chewing the scenery as the witch Akivasha.
In terms of action, we get some swordfights and I like how Kull isn’t great with a sword and ends up defeating Taligaro with his axe, the weapon of a barbarian. Kull starts off as a little naive and has to go on a journey of self-discovery, but he is never without honour and is an appealing character from the start.
Some of the visuals are a little dated, but that’s to be expected as this was 27 years ago. I did have a good time with this movie and it’s a well-paced 95 minutes. It isn’t as polished as either Conan movie, but it’s arguably superior to Red Sonja.
Joel Goldsmith provides the score filled with epic electric guitars and some awesome choral music which is a very different feel from the Conan movies. This arguably feels more like The Scorpion King rather than Conan.
There is a nod to Empire Strikes Back in a line of dialogue where Akivasha says “I am altering our pact, pray I don’t alter it any further”.
Overall, Kull the Conqueror isn’t as good as the Conan films, but it’s still an entertaining fantasy picture with an impressive cast and a quick pace making for an easy watch. It’s the kind of film that’s great to have on in the background on a Saturday afternoon while you’re cleaning the house. Yes, my life is that boring.
