Last night I watched Dragonslayer which is in no way, shape, or form a good film. But I enjoyed it despite its mediocre effects and cookie cutter plot. It made me think of all the really bad fantasy movies that I hold as guilty pleasures, enjoying the viewing but thinking the whole time "why am I watching this?"

What bad fantasy movies do you enjoy and even like, despite their crappiness?

A lot of people deride the Bakshi animated version of Lord of the Rings. But I've loved it since the first time I saw it. First DVD I ever bought as well.

I also have a DVD of Hawk the Slayer. Pure cheese (with Jack Palance as the villain to boot). But a better D&D movie than the D&D movie.

I also have a DVD of Hawk the Slayer. Pure cheese (with Jack Palance as the villain to boot). But a better D&D movie than the D&D movie.

Damn straight- I am a long time supporter on these boards of this Dime store epic- it's got hula hoops of telportation, superballs of power and more dry ice then a discotheque.

I would have to throw Ladyhawke out there into the ring. The triple crossbow that Rutger Hauer carries around has spawned many duplicates in various campains of mine over the years. Not to mention it's Matthew Brodrick's first, and to my knowledge only, fantasy film. And it had an almost original plot.

A lot of people deride the Bakshi animated version of Lord of the Rings. But I've loved it since the first time I saw it. First DVD I ever bought as well.

I prefer the animated Return of the King movie.

I would have to throw Ladyhawke out there into the ring. The triple crossbow that Rutger Hauer carries around has spawned many duplicates in various campains of mine over the years. Not to mention it's Matthew Brodrick's first, and to my knowledge only, fantasy film. And it had an almost original plot.

Ladyhawke is my mom's favoritest movie, but we both agree it needed a new soundtrack desperately.

Ed Healy links to the Sword and Sorceror on Atomic Array podcast.

Remember that one? Lee Horsely (TV's Matt Houston) as a rogue who challenges Richard Moll (TV's Bull from Night Court) with and a +3 sword of suface to air missiles.

Bill Dunn wrote:

A lot of people deride the Bakshi animated version of Lord of the Rings. But I've loved it since the first time I saw it. First DVD I ever bought as well.

I prefer the animated Return of the King movie.

Remember the quivering vocal tone of the balladeer who sang that movie's theme?

Rankin/Bass' first effort, the Hobbit, was HUGE for me. But it wasn't a guilty pleasure... I think it was a marvel for its time.

David Fryer wrote:

I prefer the animated Return of the King movie.

Remember the quivering vocal tone of the balladeer who sang that movie's theme?

Frodo, of the niiine fingers...and the Ring of Doom...

Sword and the Sorcerer, definitely. Beastmaster (first movie only). Krull (even though, thanks to Gygax, I was saying "...but, but, but...a glaive is a polearm!!!!!).

But my guiltiest guilty pleasure is not giving a whiff that they gave Liv Tyler's Arwen Glorfindel's and Gandalf's lines (and powers) at the River in Fellowship. She just looked so damed cute with that little scratch on her cheek...

Edit: Lilith, I saw Ladyhawke opening night when it came out. Loved the movie, but I almost went home and burned every tape with any Stewart Copeland music on it after having to suffer through the cheese that was that soundtrack...

Last night I watched Dragonslayer which is in no way, shape, or form a good film. But I enjoyed it despite its mediocre effects and cookie cutter plot. It made me think of all the really bad fantasy movies that I hold as guilty pleasures, enjoying the viewing but thinking the whole time "why am I watching this?"

What bad fantasy movies do you enjoy and even like, despite their crappiness?

WTF?

In my book, Vermithrax stacks up with ANY dragon design in movie history and comes out on top. Its only possible competition might be Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty.

I'll admit there are some weak compositing effects in the movie, but as a creature design and a practical effect, that is one of the best dragons EVAR!

The movie's plot and such... well, I like it. Let me put it this way: It's no Lord of the Rings, but I've seen a lot of WAY worse fantasy movie plots.

I also like the overall rustic griminess of the setting. Gives it a feel of (if you don't mind the term for a MOVIE) authenticity.

Now, "The Sword and the Sorcerer" on the other hand... aiyiyi....

The Jade wrote:

David Fryer wrote:

I prefer the animated Return of the King movie.

Remember the quivering vocal tone of the balladeer who sang that movie's theme?

Frodo, of the niiine fingers...and the Ring of Doom...

I think his name was Glen Yarborough (which always made me think of Cale Yarbrough the NASCAR driver).

My daughter used to love that one. In fact, she would call that movie "Fwodo of the nine fingers and the wing of doom! Wanna watch wing of doom!"

I still love the RB Hobbit/RotK, but no song can ever top "Where There's a Whip, There's a Way" - come on, a funk guitar riff in a fantasy film!

(BTW, as a singer who sings bass, I also have to give it up for the choral arrangements in those songs; regardless of whether the songs are unmitigated cheese, they have great bass choral parts.)

Sword and the Sorcerer, definitely. Beastmaster (first movie only). Krull (even though, thanks to Gygax, I was saying "...but, but, but...a glaive is a polearm!!!!!).

But my guiltiest guilty pleasure is not giving a whiff that they gave Liv Tyler's Arwen Glorfindel's and Gandalf's lines (and powers) at the River in Fellowship. She just looked so damed cute with that little scratch on her cheek...

Edit: Lilith, I saw Ladyhawke opening night when it came out. Loved the movie, but I almost went home and burned every tape with any Stewart Copeland music on it after having to suffer through the cheese that was that soundtrack...

Yes, the movie was so-so, the costumes and actors were a little too clean and fresh all the time (vs. Dragonslayer's griminess, see above), but oh that soundtrack.

O
M
F
G

Please, mercy, I beg you. It violates the Geneva Convention!

The Jade wrote:

David Fryer wrote:

I prefer the animated Return of the King movie.

Remember the quivering vocal tone of the balladeer who sang that movie's theme?

Frodo, of the niiine fingers...and the Ring of Doom...

Great, now that's gonna be stuck in my head for the next two weeks. Honestly, I love that movie. I first saw it when I was eight. My dad let me stay up past my bedtime special just so I could see it. I still think it's an awesome movie.

Now, "The Sword and the Sorcerer" on the other hand... aiyiyi....

See, that's what I loved about The Sword and the Sorcerer". Gritty, dirty, violent, bloody, no one had any real redeeming qualities. It was so 1e AD&D (Gygax style) it wasn't even funny!

Obviously Dragonslayer is a superior movie cinematically speaking (which is why I don't consider it a guilty pleasure, just a pleasure), but, man, The Sword and the Sorcerer ALWAYS made me want to play D&D.

Of course, it may also explain my preference for low fantasy...

I actually really like the first Conan the Barbarian with Ah-nold. It's opening shot is actually really, really cool and James Earl Jones is great. It's cheesy, but it takes itself just seriously enough to make it still a good flick. I thoroughly enjoy myself every time I watch it.

I totally agree with Jason. I have no guilty pleasure about liking Dragonslayer. Its model and puppets special effects still outshine most of the computer-generated effects being done today. It is just plain old good movie.
I can't say the same of ....Clash of the Titans. It's pretty good if you turn the sound down.

I actually really like the first Conan the Barbarian with Ah-nold. It's opening shot is actually really, really cool and James Earl Jones is great. It's cheesy, but it takes itself just seriously enough to make it still a good flick. I thoroughly enjoy myself every time I watch it.

I could watch the extended fight scene after they have put on the warpaint every day for a month and not get tired of it.

I think his name was Glen Yarborough (which always made me think of Cale Yarbrough the NASCAR driver).

My daughter used to love that one. In fact, she would call that movie "Fwodo of the nine fingers and the wing of doom! Wanna watch wing of doom!"

I still love the RB Hobbit/RotK, but no song can ever top "Where There's a Whip, There's a Way" - come on, a funk guitar riff in a fantasy film!

(BTW, as a singer who sings bass, I also have to give it up for the choral arrangements in those songs; regardless of whether the songs are unmitigated cheese, they have great bass choral parts.)

Oh yeah! Glen Yarborough. I remember that name for years, then it just slipped off the radar. Thanks, J.

Ed Healy links to the Sword and Sorceror on Atomic Array podcast.

Remember that one? Lee Horsely (TV's Matt Houston) as a rogue who challenges Richard Moll (TV's Bull from Night Court) with and a +3 sword of suface to air missiles.

Didn't its end credits say part 2 was coming...? lol

Edit: Lilith, I saw Ladyhawke opening night when it came out. Loved the movie, but I almost went home and burned every tape with any Stewart Copeland music on it after having to suffer through the cheese that was that soundtrack...

Good thing you didn't because it was Alan Parsons behind the soundtrack rather than Stewart Copeland.

The Jade wrote:

David Fryer wrote:

I prefer the animated Return of the King movie.

Remember the quivering vocal tone of the balladeer who sang that movie's theme?

Frodo, of the niiine fingers...and the Ring of Doom...

We have the complete set of the animated LoTR series on VHS!

Ungoded wrote:

The Jade wrote:

David Fryer wrote:

I prefer the animated Return of the King movie.

Remember the quivering vocal tone of the balladeer who sang that movie's theme?

Frodo, of the niiine fingers...and the Ring of Doom...

We have the complete set of the animated LoTR series on VHS!

Coolness! I think I have Rankin/Bass' The Hobbit on VHS and their Return of the King on DVD.

I have a few original film cels from Bakshi's Lord of the Rings. Among them, a great close-up of Gandalf direly warning us and a rather spooky close-up of a Nazgul.

Bakshi signed both of them, and, even in this small act, he chose the color marker that would work most harmoniously with the background color of the cel (I think he used silver marker over the dark green of the Nazgul shot).

Oh oh oh.

The Last Unicorn.

Still on my watch-a-lot list, and the tale of the Red Bull and love and loss and regret and learning still makes me smile.

Edit: And cry. I bawled when I was a kid.

Oh oh oh.

The Last Unicorn.

Still on my watch-a-lot list, and the tale of the Red Bull and love and loss and regret and learning still makes me smile.

Shmendrick the magician... man I loved that movie. It was also Rankin/Bass. I also quite liked the America soundtrack.

I priced TLU film cels as well, but they were rare enough to be outrageously priced.

What was that one with Tom Cruise? Was it the Last Unicorn?

BTW, we also have the VHS Hobbit. I priced out Sword and Sorcerer and it's too pricey on DVD. Maybe I'll get it on VHS.

Was it Beastmaster or BM 2 (obvious acronym) that had Tanya Roberts in it, with her considerable acting skills?

What was that one with Tom Cruise? Was it the Last Unicorn?

Nah, that was Legend, with Tim Curry in it as well.

Emperor7 wrote:

What was that one with Tom Cruise? Was it the Last Unicorn?

Nah, that was Legend, with Tim Curry in it as well.

Thx! I can never look at Tim Curry without thinking about Rocky Horror Picture Show.

What about Red Sonja anyone?

What was that one with Tom Cruise? Was it the Last Unicorn?

I think you're thinking of Legend.

I have both Ladyhawke & Conan the Barbarian on DVD. Love both.

I remeber both Beastmaster & Krull from when I was young, but only just. I have contemplated renting them out at various points over the years but I don't know that I want to be disillusioned.

Flesh and Blood was also a good (cheesy) movie. Rutger Hauer totally ROCKS!!!

EDIT: Damn Lil you Ninja'd me again!!! That's what I get for tryin' ta be creative with my linkies. :)

Was it Beastmaster or BM 2 (obvious acronym) that had Tanya Roberts in it, with her considerable acting skills?

Tanya and her two skills co-starred in the original Beastmaster film.

I also have to add The Flight of Dragons to the list as well.

Emperor7 wrote:

What was that one with Tom Cruise? Was it the Last Unicorn?

I think you're thinking of Legend.

I have both Ladyhawke & Conan the Barbarian on DVD. Love both.

I remeber both Beastmaster & Krull from when I was young, but only just. I have contemplated renting them out at various points over the years but I don't know that I want to be disillusioned.

Flesh and Blood was also a good (cheesy) movie. Rutger Hauer totally ROCKS!!!

EDIT: Damn Lil you Ninja'd me again!!! That's what I get for tryin' ta be creative with my linkies. :)

Flesh and Blood was medieval but not S&S... but it was a really potent and ambitious story for a low budget venture. I remember back to it often.

For me, Krull was just too terrible. I tried to get past ten minutes of it last month and couldn't. I entered a fugue state during the film and woke up having eaten my own head. Did you know that when you google image search Glaive they don't show glaives so much as that boomerslashkram from Krull?

Emperor7 wrote:

Was it Beastmaster or BM 2 (obvious acronym) that had Tanya Roberts in it, with her considerable acting skills?

Tanya and her two skills co-starred in the original Beastmaster film.

Now she works as a spokesperson for a company that sell timeshares in Vegas.

"...what funny little birds, they have no wings! Oh what shall we do with the funny little things..."

My guilty pleasures would be Willow and the original Beastmaster.

And Lilith's guilty little song...........there's a way!
;P

No love for the Dark Crystal?

And the Black Cauldron isn't bad.

Some from the list here I enjoy:
Return of the King (and the whip song does rule)
Krull (just awful, though)
Ladyhawk
Flesh + Blood (no way THIS Hauer gem was too clean!)
The Last Unicorn

Some I dont:
The Hobbit (I don't like the book either)
Lord of the Rings (better than the Hobbit, do like the book)
Dragonslayer (had its moments, but in general, ugh)
Legend (just vile)

Edit:
How could I forget Wizards?
"I'm glad you changed your last name, you son of a b@$$!" - years before Raiders pulled the same gag.

Edit again:
Anyone else have fond memories of Wizards and Warriors, with the Jeff Conaway from Taxi/B5? Blink-and-you-missed it fantasy on TV way back in 193.

Emperor7 wrote:

What was that one with Tom Cruise? Was it the Last Unicorn?

Nah, that was Legend, with Tim Curry in it as well.

Tim Curry is a GAWD!

He just radiates awesomeness like Chuck Norris and Mr. T (well, okay, not exactly like Chuck Norris and Mr. T., but at their LEVEL of awesomeness is all I'm sayin).

TC totally MADE that movie.

Well, that and Mia Sara's dress. Rowrrrrr...

I don't think many of the movies mentioned thus far can consitute a guilty pleasure. They were quite good for their time.

And then some were pitifully shoddy to outright terrible but we loved them anyway. Those are our guilty pleasures.

I didn't think anyone remembered Wizards and Warriors. Remember Randi Brooks as the wish, from the Man with Two Brains, "I doe-mind!"

Now... anyone remember the name of the 1981 TV movie in which the Elb, a magical bow, appeared. I remember figuring out, even at that tender age, that Elb must have been an acronym for English Long bow. Gamer kids, huh?

No love for the Dark Crystal?

And the Black Cauldron isn't bad.

Some from the list here I enjoy:
Return of the King (and the whip song does rule)
Krull (just awful, though)
Ladyhawk
Flesh + Blood (no way THIS Hauer gem was too clean!)
The Last Unicorn

Some I dont:
The Hobbit (I don't like the book either)
Lord of the Rings (better than the Hobbit, do like the book)
Dragonslayer (had its moments, but in general, ugh)
Legend (just vile)

Edit:
How could I forget Wizards?
"Mom always liked me best, you son of a b%#@&"

Edit again:
Anyone else have fond memories of Wizards and Warriors, with the Jeff Conaway from Taxi/B5? Blink-and-you-missed it fantasy on TV way back in 193.

I think you mean 1983!

And yes, I remember it. Dirk Blackpool or something like that was the evil noble dude/black knight. I liked how the wizards had monocles (a gag picked up in Unforgotten Realms, now that I think of it).

Also, one of my favorite fantasy quotes ever.

"What is that thing?"
"It's a bonecrack demon! It won't stop until it's cracked every bone in your body!"

Soooo... it's a vicious but OCD kind of demon? At least it's name is very descriptive. Which reminds me of one of my other faves, from the Rankin-Bass Hobbit as Bilbo & Co. are riding in the barrels:

"The men lived in a village called Lake-town, a precise but not too imaginative name, for it it was actually built on the surface of Long Lake."

Precise but not too imaginative?

This from a hobbit who lives in a town called Hobbit-town (I mean Hobbiton).

Uh huh.

P.S. Dark Crystal follows (for me at least) the same rule as Dragonslayer - it's not a guilty pleasure, it's just a pleasure. It's GOOD! It's not "crap we enjoy even though we know it's crap."

And I've heard Tanya Roberts hawking timeshares on my local sports radio station. Funny to hear her voice. It sounds like she's smoked about 4 billion cigarettes since 1985.

houstonderek wrote:

Edit: Lilith, I saw Ladyhawke opening night when it came out. Loved the movie, but I almost went home and burned every tape with any Stewart Copeland music on it after having to suffer through the cheese that was that soundtrack...

Good thing you didn't because it was Alan Parsons behind the soundtrack rather than Stewart Copeland.

Memories are funny things I guess, thanks for the correction :)

and I never liked alan parsons anyway, so i'm not too upset that he was the one responsible...

Lilith wrote:

Nah, that was Legend, with Tim Curry in it as well.

Tim Curry is a GAWD!

TC totally MADE that movie.
Well, that and Mia Sara's dress. Rowrrrrr...

Are you me? 'Cause I totally watch that movie just for the scene were he tries to seduce Lily over to evil, with the black dress and the dancing and her agreeing, so long as she gets to kill the unicorn...

But Labyrinth is still way, way better. Who'da thunk David Bowie would be such an awesome villain?

But neither of those is a *guilty* pleasure. Watching the first D&D movie (and just fast-forwarding all of the scenes with Profion or Damodar pretending to act, or Snails still alive) is a guilty pleasure. I liked the dwarf, and the main character and the mage. They should have totally left those other losers and gone off to a better movie...

It's Bowie, of course he's an awesome villian!
I'm glad someone else remembers Wizards and Warriors. I was starting to think I made it up as a kid.

Labyrinth is still way, way better. Who'da thunk David Bowie would be such an awesome villain?

But neither of those is a *guilty* pleasure. Watching the first D&D movie (and just fast-forwarding all of the scenes with Profion or Damodar pretending to act, or Snails still alive) is a guilty pleasure. I liked the dwarf, and the main character and the mage. They should have totally left those other losers and gone off to a better movie...

Yeah, the D&D movie totally constitutes a guilty pleasure. I feel guilty enough that I bought it, but haven't watched it more than the once. I might give it another try eventually.

And Labyrinth remains one of my all-time favorite movies. Then again, I watched it well over 100 one summer alone, and followed Bowie around the country on his most recent tour, so I might be a bit biased towards it cause he's in it, but it remains grade A fantasy, whether or not you like him, his music and his crotch. But there was a period when rock stars in films were always sci-fi/fantasy villians, and most work really well: Bowie in Labyrinth, Mick Jagger in Freejack, Gene Simmons in Runaway, Sting in Dune and Tina Turner in Thunderdome all spring to mind. I don't think the same would be true if one used today's rock superstars, though. For some reason Bono or Fred Durst don't have the same glammy costume quality or coked-out eyes that made the others work so well.

The NeverEnding Story is another movie in my top 25 or so all-time faves, and I even have an original framed movie poster of it up in my living room. (The first one...the second and ugh the third are not so hot.)

Other great fantasy movies that I'd say I feel no guilt about liking at all are Dragonheart, whose soundtrack is uh-mazing, Willow, Flash Gordon, First Knight and the made-for-tv 10th Kingdom that Hallmark put out. I'll admit to owning Eragon and In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Tale, but only because they were less than $5/piece used at the video store.

Then again, you put a dragon or a wizard in a movie and chances are pretty good I'm going to like it, or at least tolerate it if it's complete crap.

It's Bowie, of course he's an awesome villian!

I'm glad someone else remembers Wizards and Warriors. I was starting to think I made it up as a kid.

Nah, I have to admit I remember it now. This might be the one with the Part 2 coming at the end, not S&S. Can't be sure.

And ditto on the Mia Meow!

I'm thinking the guilty pleasure lies in rewatching these from time to time. I add a couple of 1980ish DVDs to my library every year. Some are real slow to get on DVD. And can be pricey.

This is a great trip down memory lane!

But there was a period when rock stars in films were always sci-fi/fantasy villians, and most work really well: Bowie in Labyrinth, Mick Jagger in Freejack, Gene Simmons in Runaway, Sting in Dune and Tina Turner in Thunderdome all spring to mind. I don't think the same would be true if one used today's rock superstars, though. For some reason Bono or Fred Durst don't have the same glammy costume quality or coked-out eyes that made the others work so well.

Very true. Bowie gets away with it because he's always been somewhere between out of this world and glamorous, so a role as a supernatural ruler just fits him.

Man, Willow just kicked all sorts of ass. Madmartigan was the best character Val Kilmer has played since Real Genius. :)

yoda8myhead wrote:

But there was a period when rock stars in films were always sci-fi/fantasy villians, and most work really well: Bowie in Labyrinth, Mick Jagger in Freejack, Gene Simmons in Runaway, Sting in Dune and Tina Turner in Thunderdome all spring to mind. I don't think the same would be true if one used today's rock superstars, though. For some reason Bono or Fred Durst don't have the same glammy costume quality or coked-out eyes that made the others work so well.

Very true. Bowie gets away with it because he's always been somewhere between out of this world and glamorous, so a role as a supernatural ruler just fits him.

Man, Willow just kicked all sorts of ass. Madmartigan was the best character Val Kilmer has played since Real Genius. :)

Double-agreed. VK rules, but those were my two favorite roles. Real Genius, entirely too many good quotes to be listed. I think my favorite exchange went something like this (and actually didn't involve VK):

Jerry: Where's Knight?

Bodie: He's not here. I saw him today and he said he wasn't gonna be here. I told him you better be here or else, and he said or else what, and I said or else you'll be in big trouble, and he said, 'Jammin!'

J: That's a wonderful story, Bodie. I noticed you've stopped stuttering.

B: I... I've been giving myself shock treatments.

J: Up the voltage.

ah, the 80s...

I also liked VK better than Keaton/Clooney for Batman. I thought he made a great Bruce Wayne, despite the light hair. I just like his sense of humor and the way he plays it.

I've never been a Willow-hater. It had a few clunky moments, but in general I thought it was pretty good. Especially compared to the wasteland of awful fantasy pictures at the time.

Not so much a fan of Labyrinth. Just a little too surrealistically campy and overwrought. Of Labyrinth vs. Legend, I prefer the latter, while also surrealistic (esp. with the Tangerine Dream soundtrack) not quite as campy in my book. But to each their own. Maybe I just like Curry better than Bowie...

"Oh no, it's a peck with an acorn!" :)

Last night I watched Dragonslayer which is in no way, shape, or form a good film. But I enjoyed it despite its mediocre effects and cookie cutter plot. It made me think of all the really bad fantasy movies that I hold as guilty pleasures, enjoying the viewing but thinking the whole time "why am I watching this?"

What bad fantasy movies do you enjoy and even like, despite their crappiness?

WTF?

In my book, Vermithrax stacks up with ANY dragon design in movie history and comes out on top. Its only possible competition might be Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty.

I'll admit there are some weak compositing effects in the movie, but as a creature design and a practical effect, that is one of the best dragons EVAR!

The movie's plot and such... well, I like it. Let me put it this way: It's no Lord of the Rings, but I've seen a lot of WAY worse fantasy movie plots.

I also like the overall rustic griminess of the setting. Gives it a feel of (if you don't mind the term for a MOVIE) authenticity.

Now, "The Sword and the Sorcerer" on the other hand... aiyiyi....

I have to agree - Dragonslayer: top movie. The plastic dragon acted everyone (including Ralph Richardson) off the screen. What's not to like?

I like the mini-series Jason and the Argonauts with Frank Langella as Aertes. It gets a lot of flack, but I like it more than the Harryhausen version, even if the special effects aren't all that special.
My sisters and I once rented and watched the mini-series The Tenth Kingdom in one sitting. They liked it more than I did, but I still get the "I can't believe I watched the whole thing" bragging rights.

Dragonslayer is actually one of my most favourite movies of all time. Must've watched that one once a week when I was a kid. Good times...and nudity! Gotta love that too. :)

The Bakshi film Wizards threw me for a loop at the time.