Kull the Conqueror (1997)

A barbarian warrior becomes a king when he defeats a king in armed combat and the king's heir conspire to overthrow him and reclaim the throne by resurrecting an evil sorceress.

Director:

John Nicolella

Writers:

Robert E. Howard (worlds and characters), Charles Edward Pogue (screenplay)

Stars:

Kevin Sorbo, Tia Carrere, Thomas Ian Griffith

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Sorbo	...	Kull
Tia Carrere	...	Akivasha
Thomas Ian Griffith	...	General Taligaro
Litefoot	...	Ascalante
Roy Brocksmith	...	Tu
Harvey Fierstein	...	Juba
Karina Lombard	...	Zareta
Edward Tudor-Pole	...	Enaros
Douglas Henshall	...	Ducalon
Joe Shaw	...	Dalgar
Sven-Ole Thorsen	...	King Borna (as Sven Ole Thorsen)
Terry O'Neill	...	Ship Captain
Pat Roach	...	Zulcki
John Hallam	...	Mandara
Peter Petruna	...	Slave

Storyline

A barbarian named Kull unexpectedly becomes a king after an old king (whom Kull has just killed in a battle) gives his crown to him. But direct heirs of a killed king, trying to topple Kull and regain the throne, bring an old witch-queen Akivasha back to life. Their plan backfires, however, as Akivasha is going to allow their lords - demons - to rule the kingdom. The only thing that can stop her now is a breath of the god Volka.

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Plot Keywords:

king | barbarian | demon | warrior | battle | 

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Taglines:

Son of Conan

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Genres:

Fantasy | Action | Adventure

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for fantasy action violence and sensuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 August 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Conan the Conqueror

Filming Locations:

Bratislava, Slovakia

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,450,145, 1 September 1997, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$6,086,891, 5 October 1997

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures,Raffaella De Laurentiis Productions,Korsala Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The name of Akivasha comes from a minor character from the novel "Red Nails" by Robert E. Howard, the creator of Conan.

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Goofs

When Juba rips off Zareta's accessories, the right shoulder strap of her dress falls down. It is back up in the next shot, then down again later.

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Quotes

Kull: With this axe, I rule!

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Alternate Versions

Although the cinema release was uncut 5 seconds was cut from the video release by the BBFC.

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Connections

Referenced in The Benchwarmers (2006)

User Reviews

Sinbad with more muscles and less charm, still not all bad

The screenplay writer must have read Howard's book, since there are literal quotes like `By this axe I rule!', which Kull exclaims during the coronation, yet again, this movie is no serious attempt to capture the raw, barbarian spirit of Howard's heroes. `Kull the Conqueror' reminds me of `Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger' rather than `Conan the Barbarian' or `Hercules'. Exactly like Patrick Wayne, Kevin Sorbo has to sail to the Land of Ice to find a solution to his problem: the evil witch threatening the once peaceful kingdom. `Kull' is nice, colourful adventure, Sinbad with more muscles and less charm, nothing special, but not as bad as some reviewers wrote, either. I'll watch it again on a rainy day. Of course, if you expected another `Conan the Barbarian', you'll be disappointed, but `Conan the Destroyer' and `Red Sonja' were no match for this masterpiece in the past, and `Kull' is at least a bit better than these two.

Tia Carrere as the red-haired witch Akivasha who cannot be killed, for she is living in a fire, is brilliant. Her immediate transition from the enchanting beauty to screaming rage compares to nothing. I still didn't figure out why Sorbo chose the same profession as De Niro and Dustin Hoffman, but he's passable here. Give it a try if you like the genre.