I'm all for watching a fantasy/action film and there are some good actors here. Hawk the Slayer is pretty bad with so much wrong with it, but it is not without its moments. The costumes are decent, the interaction between Gort and Baldin is enjoyable, there are some entertaining moments(though perhaps not intentionally) like Voltan grovelling amidst a red background and a hilarious near-sacrifice and Bernard Bresslaw is enormous fun as Gort.
But Hawk the Slayer is one of those films, despite having some entertainment and having its heart in the place, where the cons far outweigh the pros. Visually the costumes are the only half-decent things. The sets while not too bad-looking are too limited with too many scenes shot in the same location- and lit in a drab way. The special effects are appallingly cheap, not just for an 80s fantasy film but they do have to be the worst special effects for any fantasy. The synthesised disco-like soundtrack would be reasonable on its own, but just felt ridiculously out of place here and constantly at odds with what was going on. The script takes silliness to a whole new level and goes overboard in its use of it, and doesn't even try to make sense, Jack Palance's line delivery sometimes has to be heard to be believed.
Story-wise, while extremely derivative, there were some decent ideas but handled very unimaginatively and in an underdeveloped way. Structurally, it's also very episodic and sometimes badly drags with the action slowing things down rather than moving the story forward, some moments entertain but eventually the unintentional hilarity does get tiresome. The action sequences are nothing to write home about, the action itself is choreographed very clumsily and almost all of it is edited far too rapidly and shot in an unnecessarily gimmicky way(which is true for a lot of the film). Think the final battle, which was too brief but shot in slow-motion to try and hide that. Terry Marcel's direction is very gimmicky and confused, almost like he wasn't sure how to direct or tell the story. And the acting is terrible, with Bresslaw giving the best and only good performance. I like Jack Palance, and he often does excel in villain roles, and while he does try hard a lot of time it's like he's trying too hard to the extent it feels hammy and over-compensated. Then there's John Terry, who spends the whole time looking stiff and uninterested and everybody else look and sound robotic. There are numerous cameos/short appearances from talented actors but they have very little to do so they don't really register.
All in all, not without its moments but pretty bad. 4/10 Bethany Cox
But Hawk the Slayer is one of those films, despite having some entertainment and having its heart in the place, where the cons far outweigh the pros. Visually the costumes are the only half-decent things. The sets while not too bad-looking are too limited with too many scenes shot in the same location- and lit in a drab way. The special effects are appallingly cheap, not just for an 80s fantasy film but they do have to be the worst special effects for any fantasy. The synthesised disco-like soundtrack would be reasonable on its own, but just felt ridiculously out of place here and constantly at odds with what was going on. The script takes silliness to a whole new level and goes overboard in its use of it, and doesn't even try to make sense, Jack Palance's line delivery sometimes has to be heard to be believed.
Story-wise, while extremely derivative, there were some decent ideas but handled very unimaginatively and in an underdeveloped way. Structurally, it's also very episodic and sometimes badly drags with the action slowing things down rather than moving the story forward, some moments entertain but eventually the unintentional hilarity does get tiresome. The action sequences are nothing to write home about, the action itself is choreographed very clumsily and almost all of it is edited far too rapidly and shot in an unnecessarily gimmicky way(which is true for a lot of the film). Think the final battle, which was too brief but shot in slow-motion to try and hide that. Terry Marcel's direction is very gimmicky and confused, almost like he wasn't sure how to direct or tell the story. And the acting is terrible, with Bresslaw giving the best and only good performance. I like Jack Palance, and he often does excel in villain roles, and while he does try hard a lot of time it's like he's trying too hard to the extent it feels hammy and over-compensated. Then there's John Terry, who spends the whole time looking stiff and uninterested and everybody else look and sound robotic. There are numerous cameos/short appearances from talented actors but they have very little to do so they don't really register.
All in all, not without its moments but pretty bad. 4/10 Bethany Cox