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:

character name as title | kull the conqueror character | king | barbarian | demon | 

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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, Isobel Griffiths Limited

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kull the Conqueror is a 1997 action fantasy adventure film from director John Nicolella and is based on the character created by Robert E. Howard. The film stars Kevin Sorbo, Tia Carrere, Litefoot, Edward Tudor-Pole and Thomas Ian Griffiths. In the film, a barbarian warrior (Kevin Sorbo) inherits a kingdom when he slays a king in armed combat. But, the slain king's nephew a general (Thomas Ian Griffiths) plots to regain his inheritance the throne and a evil sorcerer (Edward Tudor-Pole) resurrects an evil witch (Tia Carrere) to seduce the barbarian warrior and to tack back the kingdom.

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Goofs

In the duel between Kull and Taligaro at the beginning, the width of the blindfolds changes between shots.

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Quotes

[repeated line]
Zareta: [to Kull] Shall I undress now?

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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 Midnight Screenings: Sabotage/Noah/God's Not Dead (2014)

User Reviews

This ¨Sword and Witchery¨ tale packs thrills , chills , a lot of frenetic action , impressive battles and breathtaking special effects

Kevin Sorbo goes from TV's legendary Hércules to Sword-witchery hero Kull the conqueror , a warrior who becomes king of a mythic land , Valusia . Overthrown by a corrupt nobility (Douglas Henshall , Thomas Ian Griffith) Kull starts a perilous journey to a Island of Ice to find God Balka and the one weapon that will destroy the she-demon , an evil sorceress Akiyasha (Tia Carrere) . Meanwhile , Kull falls for a slave (Karina Lombard) of the former harem of a nasty King (Sven-Ole Thorsen) .

Stars the hunk Kevin Sorbo who battles warlords in animal skins , wizards, sorceress and fantastic gods in this dumb-but -fun Sword and Witchery film . Featuring brutallity , magnificent production values by prestigious designer Benjamin Fernández , colorful cinematography and rousing musical score by Joel Goldsmith . Acceptable film , although the PG-13 rating keeps some the mayhem and violent fights less bloody than might be expected for this popular sub-genre : ¨Sword and Witchery¨ that had splendor in the 80s .¨Kull the Conqueror" is based on the 30s character created by pulp writer Robert E Howard who also originated Conan the Barbarian . A fine Sword and necromancy movie in the wake of Conan The Barbarian by John Milius and Conan the Destroyer by Richard Fleischer produced by De Laurentiis . In fact , it was originally going to be the 3rd Conan film "Conan The Conqueror" also financed by Raffaela De Laurentiis and would be an adaptation of the novel by Robert E. Howard. Which a 45 year old Conan, now King of Aquilonia, learns of a group of conspirator's plot to depose of him, by resurrecting the ancient sorcerer from the pre-Hyborian empire of Acheron. Camp fun , good humor and somewhat silly finale with embarrassing FX with a horrible , ugly and badly-made monster . Passable acting by body-builder Kevin Sorbo in heroic Hercules style , he maintains sympathy admirable sense of humor throughout . He is well accompanied by a good support cast , such as Tia Carrere , Douglas Henshall , Thomas Ian Griffith , Harvey Fernstein , Sven Ole Thorsen , Edward Tudor , Litefoot , among others .

Thrilling and exciting soundtrack by Joel Goldsmith , son of the notorious composer Jerry Goldsmith ; however , containing some inappropriated electronic sounds . Evocative and glimmering photography by Rodney Charters . This action-fantasy was professionally directed by John Niconella (1942-98) . He was a writer , director and especially producer . He directed a few films such as Sunset Heat , Runaway father and Finish line . And directed various TV episodes as Crime Story , Leg work , The watcher , Dark Justice , The Heights , Miami Vice and several others until his early deat at 53 . rating : 5.5/10 , decent action fantasy movie though it has some flaws and gaps .