DEATHSTALKER Review: Sword and Sorcery Romp for Fans of Laughs and Practical FX

There are a ton of factors that go into making a movie, and even more when it comes to making a good one.

Talent, budget, and time are all incredibly important, but two particular elements can go a long way towards mitigating limitations elsewhere. Creativity and ambition, baby, that's the sauce that too many filmmakers ignore -- and it's a concoction absolutely flowing through writer/director Steven Kostanski's veins.

That's not to suggest he's lacking in talent; Kostanski's filmography includes the terrific cosmic horrors of The Void, the glorious absurdities of Psycho Goreman, and the grungy, gorgeous monstrosities of Father's Day (co-directed with his friends and cohorts at Astron-6). No, it's budget and time that are his steady enemies, but they don't stand a chance against a filmmaker as excited and entertained by the job as Kostanski.

Which brings us to Deathstalker. The original film arrived in 1983 as a low-budget, breast-forward Conan the Barbarian ripoff, and it was followed by three cheaper, sillier sequels over the next eight years. Now, more than three decades after that final sequel went straight to video, Kostanski has resurrected the character and the franchise with an incredibly fun, endearing, and gory reboot.

Deathstalker (a terrifically game Daniel Bernhardt finally getting the lead role he deserves) once slashed and mashed his way across the land as a soldier, but now he's happy roaming free, stealing from corpses, and drinking away his booty. His day takes a detour, though, when he lifts an amulet that leads him on an adventure that might just decide the fate of the world. Along with a diminutive wizard named Doodad (voiced by Patton Oswalt, performed by Laurie Field) and an untested female warrior named Brisbayne (Christina Orjalo), Deathstalker will save the day or die trying... or maybe he'll do both?

Kostanski is an artist informed by the halcyon days for fans of practical effects and genre fun. Yes, of course I'm talking about the 1980s. Both his work with Astron-6 and his solo efforts serve as cinematic love letters to days gone by, so it's unsurprising that he's a big fan of the original Deathstalker films and a man with a clear vision for revisiting its world of swords, sandals, and silliness.

This new Deathstalker is comedic, but it's from a spoof on the older film or the genre. It's clear that Kostanski and friends love the world they're creating, and it finds fun throughout while still delivering action, horror, and over the top characters aplenty.

Bernhardt's Deathstalker is the straight man through it all, and the veteran stunt performer/career henchman is clearly enjoying the chance to create a character instead of his usual corpse. The heroes always kill him in the vast majority of his films, but here he gets to dispatch bad guys and monsters alike while showcasing his physical prowess and fight skills.

It's a low budget romp, but while its geography can feel small, its imagination never does. Kostanski brings a steady supply of practical creations, both in the form of characters and gory demises, and his seemingly endless supply of rubber, fake blood, and optical fx shenanigans keep the energy high. The score by Blitz / Berlin brings a metal vibe as guitars thrum to the action, and we even get an end song from Bear McCreary and Slash that fans of the franchise will surely appreciate.

Deathstalker is a big little adventure for people who grew up on a diet of films like Beastmaster and Sword and the Sorcerer -- you know, the Saturday afternoon classics -- and it's guaranteed to scratch a whole lot of itches. A better world would see Kostanski working with budgets in the tens of millions, but until that happens, revel in the magic that's only possible with ambition and creativity.

The film is now playing at select theaters throughout the U.S. Visit the official Shout Studios site for locations, and links to showtimes.