Runtime: 116 minutes
Directed by: Russell Mulcahy
Starring: Christopher Lambert, Roxanne Hart, Clancy Brown, Beatie Edney, Sean Connery
From: A few UK companies
This wasn't even originally going to be viewed last night; however, I stumbled upon its recent inclusion on Prime and as it's been ages since I last saw the movie, there could only be one choice for me and that was it.
Of course, by now the franchise has become a cult hit so I'll operate under the presumption that most are familiar with the concept of Immortals or how the few that are left do battle in New York City until one remains... along with decapitation being the only means of death for said immortals. Now, this is a world where correct accents apparently aren't a thing, Sean Connery is supposed to be an Egyptian w/ a long Spanish name, people aren't incredulous when they think or find out that someone who appears to be in his late 20's is in fact a few hundred years old, and wires can easily be seen during the wacky special effects finale. Despite that and the movie being disjointed at times, this is still a good time.
From the opening at a pro wrestling match (not at Madison Square Garden but rather a nearby arena known at the time as Brendan Byrne Arena) involving The Fabulous Freebirds vs. Greg Gagne, Jumpin' Jim Brunzell and The Tonga Kid to that extravagant finale, this has plenty of moments which look like a music video... not a surprise given the director. No matter the story's faults, it at least is a great premise and they went full-bore into it with no hesitation. For a guy that hardly knew any English when he was cast as the lead, Christopher Lambert (or as some say, Christophe Lambear) was good; however, it was Clancy Brown as The Kurgan who was the most memorable aspect due to the general OOT nature of the character... which was matched by his performance. Both the Michael Kamen score and the Queen soundtrack are still pretty rockin'.
Believe it or not this is the only entry in the franchise I've ever viewed; the TV show I did not care about and all the bad word concerning the sequels has been enough to scare me away. At least this is still entertaining in its own bombastic ways.
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