Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Better Late Then Never

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

While I have a hard time not laughing myself silly when watching the first Deathstalker film, it was taken pretty seriously by the people who made it and was meant to cash in on the success of genre classic Conan The Barbarian. This sequel has no aspirations of making a serious barbarian film and has far less money to go around on this production. This project is inspired more by Saturday morning cartoons than Conan. Richard Hill does not return this time around as Deathstalker and is replaced by a much thinner John Terlesky. It is true John does not have the buff, He Man like physique of Richard Hill. But he still was in great shape and had enough athletic ability and charisma to carry this action packed film. Deathstalker 2 is a much different type of adventure film than the first installment. This film is very campy, tongue in cheek and full of one liners. The production value, acting and technical aspects to this film are horrible and look very cheap. The tone of this project is light and not taken serious at all and that is the film's strength. It performs well as an outlandish piece of camp. In some ways it reminds me of the series Hercules The Legendary Journeys, if it was made for no money. Overall, Deathstalker 2 is what most people look for in a B movie. Its funny, has heavy doses of swashbuckling action, moves along fast and its over. The first film is no doubt a better film and delivers more in the blood and sex department. But Deathstalker 2 doubles down on outrageousness and cheese in a way that makes this film endearing in its own right.

Too much fun. Cheap, but fun. Yep… just campy fun. This acclaimed… oh. I don't really see much to it and that's why I'll keep it short. Directed by Jim Wynorski, the extremely low-rent and cartoon-like sword and sorcery romp 'Deathstalker 2: Duel of the Titans' happened to be a sequel that would go down the straight-to-video root. Sure it's trashy, gaudy and bare-bones, but it has ticker and its comical touch (feeling like a parody on the sub-genre's conventions) with a snappy script springing a wink-wink attitude and smart-lipped dialogues made it a lot easier to take. At times it was eye-boggling to what came out of the mouths, due to overplaying itself which for some could be torture as it begins to grow a bit tiresome. The performances are ham-fisted, but acceptable to what's on show. John Terlesky makes for a charismatic heroine bestowing endless appeal, but plenty of stamina when action erupted. An delectably cute Monique Gabrielle in is two character roles of two different kinds; an innocent and bitch. John Lazar gives a mannered evil performance as the Jarek the Sorcerer. Despite the obvious restrictions (some utterly second-rate props and sets with shoddy make-up FX and special effects) Wynorski no-nonsense handling never lets the pace dip and throws in a rowdy barrage of energy-filled and atmospheric adventures on the journey. Due to the jumpy lay-out of set-pieces, the narrative feels incoherent than anything kept-in-check and smoothly flowing. The combat action have stodgy and almost slow-motion choreography, but the final confrontation (Deathstalker v Jarek) is worthwhile amongst all the charades. It plays its familiar genre staples in what is cheaply exploitative, but harmlessly cheesy hokum.

"Deathstalker?! Is that your first name or last name?"Deathstalker(John Terlesky), a mighty..snicker..gallant..snicker, snicker..warrior, aids a delicious little piece of eye candy, Reena the Seer(Monique Gabrielle, who looks good enough to eat)in regaining her kingdom, besieged by the villainous sorcerer Jarek(..played by a sneering John Lazar, with just the right pinch of arrogance)who has cloned a "duplicate" Princess Evie, who feeds cannibalistically on her servants and guards(!) provided to keep her appetite quenched. At the opening of the film, Deathstalker steals a jewel from Sultana(Toni Naples), who announces the film to the viewer, after she vows revenge. Sultana will assist Jarek in a mission to kill Reena and give Evie the kingdom..Evie needs Reena dead because she's slowly fading, for some reason. Anyway, Deathstalker agrees to help Reena, manipulated into partaking the mission at the idea of fame and fortune(..not knowing he's being duped into helping Reena get her kingdom back for she has concealed her identity as the princess, taking on the fortune-telling gig as a disguise). The rest of this flick has them facing all types of peril(..oooo..ahhhh...) including Deathstalker's wrestling match with an Amazonian female behemoth(..gasp..to the death) because the female tribe he and Reena were captured by condemn his womanizing ways! Maria Socas is the Queen of this tribe, and yet another easy-on-the-eyes casting choice by the filmmakers..you have to know the demographic this is aiming at, eh? Deathstalker also faces other traps, like one inside a mausoleum where Jarek has designed a wall of spikes coming towards him as Reena faces off with a horde of zombies. Reena hangs over a cauldron as Deathstalker has to come to her rescue while trying to defeat Sultana in a swordfight. You have a finale at the Princess' castle as the Amazonian women tribe, who decide to help Deathstalker and Reena after all, assist them in a fight against Jarek and his guards while Evie plans to kill her "sister".Director Wynorski operates with NRN:No Restraint Necessary. This is a complete send up of the "swords, sandals, and sorcery" genre that was successful at the time. Tongue just isn't firmly in cheek..it's wagging. And, as expected in a film from Jim Wynorski, you get plenty of tits. Monique Gabrielle doesn't try to act and knows the film is ridiculous so she just plays along with the material as does Terlesky as the mugging hero, all chiseled smiles. Neither hides the fact that they're in a silly film..this will, no doubt, drive some people up the wall(..I can't say I'd blame them, but I knew what I was getting into and the opening minutes lets you know the brand of entertainment in store for the viewer the rest of the way.). I watched this nonsense in the right frame of mind so it went over without a hitch. Naples and Socas are merely eye-candy, as is Gabrielle who looks fantastic, even if she's not exactly the greatest on-screen performer in the world. The very definition of a guilty pleasure..some will find it incredibly annoying, but I just took it with a grain of salt and had a good time. I swear that "whishing" sound effects as swords move in combat, sound like something out of the "Masters of the Universe" cartoon. Whoever choreographed those sword fighting scenes, must have done it for free(..and especially the bar fighting scene and cave fighting opening scene)because they don't look that convincing to me..perhaps, like the rest of the film, Wynorski is winking at us that this flick isn't supposed to be convincing, but pure schlock. If that was his intent, constantly winking at us, he succeeded.

Deathstalker II is the presumed follow-up to 1982's low-budget Deathstalker. Aside from the title, it's hard to consider this film a sequel. In fact, this film is so much more enjoyable than the first (or the third or fourth, for that matter) that such a statement is probably a good thing!The film begins with Deathstalker (John Terlesky) infiltrating what appears to be a treasure room in a dark castle. He sneaks up to an altar, upon which rests some form of crystal artifact, and in a scene that recalls either Raiders of the Lost Ark or Conan the Barbarian (no, really!), gingerly takes it from its place of honor and pockets it. Without warning, a legion of robe-enshrouded swordsmen rush in, and Deathstalker battles them off in truly heroic fashion.well, somewhat heroic fashion. After dispatching a few of these menacing thugs, Deathstalker breaks through a shuttered window, drops to a stone bridge below, and leaps to the back of his waiting horse before escaping into the night. In his wake, a scantily dressed warrior woman named Sultana (Toni Naples) steps to the window from which he made his daring escape and watches him vanish into the darkness. Without missing a beat, she turns to her remaining guards and vows, "I'll have my revenge, and Deathstalker, too!"--at which point the title card "Deathstalker II" comes up with a fiery background and a Morricone-esque theme, fully setting the style for this b-grade but surprisingly entertaining sword-and-sorcery "epic".In his travels, our hero encounters a lovely young woman who claims to be the wrongfully dethroned Princess Evie (former Penthouse Pet Monique Gabrielle). She implores him to aid her on her journey to reclaim her kingdom and overthrow the villainous wizard Jerak, who has used his skill at the black arts to create Princess Evie's evil duplicate (Mirror-Universe Monique Gabrielle). With the promise of fortune and fame thrown in his lap, Deathstalker accepts the task and the adventure begins in earnest.Along the way, the adventuring duo battle swarthy castle guards, undead zombies, sinister traps, amazon women warriors, an insidious pirate and his team of enforcers, the wicked Sultana, and numerous other hardships before finally reaching the castle and engaging in mortal combat with Jerak and Evil Evie. Who wins? Well, that would be telling, but suffice it to say that this is a quest that is certainly worth the 78-85 minutes(depending on which version you get)spent watching it.Filmed on a budget of apparently tens of dollars, Deathstalker II is rife with high-quality costumes, props and sets. Beautifully adorned styrofoam rock walls can be spotted in the opening scene as well as in the following tavern sequence, which also clearly features a poured concrete floor and fluorescent lighting in addition to numerous wooden barrels marked "BEER"!!! The ominous woods are made even more ominous with the generous use of a fog machine and well-concealed klieg lights streaming from between the trunks and branches of the trees. Colored light gels and inspired location shooting provide unique ambience for each new area, and the climactic sword battle (the Duel of the Titans mentioned in the title) is actually very well-choreographed and presented with a dynamic musical accompaniment. However, these technical achievements are only the tip of the cinematic iceberg!The actors chosen are all-too-clearly enjoying their respective roles to an enormous degree. Watch Monique's eyebrows as she gazes into her crystal doorknob and tells "Stalker" about the adventure he's about to undergo! Witness the unbridled amount of midget abuse that occurs throughout the film! Prepare for the Gladiator-like battle between Stalker and Gargo the Amazon! And be sure to spot the Fiat parked in the upper-left corner of the Amazon village scene!If you're in the mood for an unpretentious sword-and-sorcery adventure, Deathstalker II is your ticket. It's not Shakespeare, but it is a lot of fun. Rent it tonight (or better yet buy it outright!), and make sure your fridge is fully stocked with brew!P.S. Don't pop this sucker out of your VCR/DVD player until after you watch the outtakes over the end credits! Think of it as your reward for giving this one a chance!