The movie opens with King Ator of Aquiles observing the execution of
criminals with his wife and son. His son is also named Ator. The Kings
of Aquiles have been granted a magic sword by the God Thorn. Ator
engages in melee with two criminals, offering them a pardon if they can
overcome the magic sword; neither does. At this point, both the goddess
Dejanira and Thorn arrive. Thorn wants to revoke the sword while
Dejanira argues that Ator is a good and wise king and should be allowed
to keep it. Thorn is unconvinced by the goddess and demands the sword.
Ator refuses and Thorn kills him with a javelin, breaking the sword in
the process. Hmm, starting to doubt he was a `wise' king. For her
impertinence, Dejanira is imprisoned by the gods.
Sunn, Ator's wife, takes her young son to Grindl the evil-looking dwarf. She requests that he raise Ator as he would his own son and mend the shards of the broken sword so that Ator might one day reclaim his kingdom. Moreover, she wants him to help her commit suicide. Huh? Yes, apparently the wife of a king is supposed to die with him. Grindl gives her what he claims to be poison but which is instead a love potion. He has his way with her and sends her away. The gods, angry that she did not die with her husband, curse her to wander the lands as a whore.
Our story picks up again when Ator is an adult, played by the same actor who played the father. Ator reclaims the magic sword by repairing it himself. This was awesome since he just heated the two broken halves, hammered them together, and plunged it in water. Voila! It is as good as new! Next, he rescues Dejanira whom he deeply loves for no apparent reason. She is now mortal, her godly powers having been stripped from her. They set upon a vague quest but are distracted from it and the movie devolves into confusion.
This is the 4th Ator movie though Miles O'Keeffe didn't reprise the role. This does not improve the acting. Ator is amazingly dense. Twice, he is given the magic sword by Grindl and both times he tries to kill the evil dwarf, shattering the fake sword (Grindl has been taking care of Ator for the last decade or so but has earned no good will from his ward?). Okay, the first time I could accept but the second proved he was a dullard. Repeatedly, Ator's allies see things for what they are and don't tell Ator so he can figure it out for himself.
Early on, there was a woman who repeatedly came to Ator and told him what he must do. Who is she? Is she some goddess? She can polymorph and has knowledge of Ator's past but she is never explained. After Ator has gained the sword, she tells him to be prepared and announces they will never meet again. Why not? Who are you again?
The fights are poorly choreographed and it is funny when Ator slices a heavily armored fellow across the abdomen, leaving not a mark on his armor, but nonetheless killing him. Dejanira is armed with a bow and has arrows lashed across her back but, despite multiple fights, never fires a single arrow. But she does use the bow as a club. Ator's sword is ludicrous. It has this insanely intricate and over-large hilt guard. Also, the sword looks like it is made of chrome.
The sets are pathetic. Mostly, everything is in caves. The opening scene has King Ator in a cave. Grindl lives in a cave. Later, Ator enters a cave where he finds the `greatest treasures of the west' guarded by some pathetic monsters. Dejanira is hidden away in… a cave. Don't these people build anything? There is a castle for the final act, which must be where the majority of the sets budget was spent.
The movie is probably called Hobgoblin because of the repetitive use of the same makeup on the dwarf. At one point, he is the god Thorn, then we see him as Grindl the dwarf, and finally as Hagen the other evil dwarf, all played by the same actor. As with the Ator films before it, this one is an Italian sword and sorcery travesty, outdoing its three predecessors in bad acting, bad filming, and general incoherence. Good for laughs if you are into really bad movies.
Sunn, Ator's wife, takes her young son to Grindl the evil-looking dwarf. She requests that he raise Ator as he would his own son and mend the shards of the broken sword so that Ator might one day reclaim his kingdom. Moreover, she wants him to help her commit suicide. Huh? Yes, apparently the wife of a king is supposed to die with him. Grindl gives her what he claims to be poison but which is instead a love potion. He has his way with her and sends her away. The gods, angry that she did not die with her husband, curse her to wander the lands as a whore.
Our story picks up again when Ator is an adult, played by the same actor who played the father. Ator reclaims the magic sword by repairing it himself. This was awesome since he just heated the two broken halves, hammered them together, and plunged it in water. Voila! It is as good as new! Next, he rescues Dejanira whom he deeply loves for no apparent reason. She is now mortal, her godly powers having been stripped from her. They set upon a vague quest but are distracted from it and the movie devolves into confusion.
This is the 4th Ator movie though Miles O'Keeffe didn't reprise the role. This does not improve the acting. Ator is amazingly dense. Twice, he is given the magic sword by Grindl and both times he tries to kill the evil dwarf, shattering the fake sword (Grindl has been taking care of Ator for the last decade or so but has earned no good will from his ward?). Okay, the first time I could accept but the second proved he was a dullard. Repeatedly, Ator's allies see things for what they are and don't tell Ator so he can figure it out for himself.
Early on, there was a woman who repeatedly came to Ator and told him what he must do. Who is she? Is she some goddess? She can polymorph and has knowledge of Ator's past but she is never explained. After Ator has gained the sword, she tells him to be prepared and announces they will never meet again. Why not? Who are you again?
The fights are poorly choreographed and it is funny when Ator slices a heavily armored fellow across the abdomen, leaving not a mark on his armor, but nonetheless killing him. Dejanira is armed with a bow and has arrows lashed across her back but, despite multiple fights, never fires a single arrow. But she does use the bow as a club. Ator's sword is ludicrous. It has this insanely intricate and over-large hilt guard. Also, the sword looks like it is made of chrome.
The sets are pathetic. Mostly, everything is in caves. The opening scene has King Ator in a cave. Grindl lives in a cave. Later, Ator enters a cave where he finds the `greatest treasures of the west' guarded by some pathetic monsters. Dejanira is hidden away in… a cave. Don't these people build anything? There is a castle for the final act, which must be where the majority of the sets budget was spent.
The movie is probably called Hobgoblin because of the repetitive use of the same makeup on the dwarf. At one point, he is the god Thorn, then we see him as Grindl the dwarf, and finally as Hagen the other evil dwarf, all played by the same actor. As with the Ator films before it, this one is an Italian sword and sorcery travesty, outdoing its three predecessors in bad acting, bad filming, and general incoherence. Good for laughs if you are into really bad movies.
No comments:
Post a Comment