Krull is the kind of movie that makes me smile every time I watch it. It doesn’t have a single cynical bone in its body. Instead, it’s full of joy, positivity, and good old-fashioned heroics. It’s the story of an alien menace known as the Beast who comes to the planet Krull in a spaceship that looks like a mountain/fortress. He sends his unstoppable army to kidnap a princess named Lyssa on her wedding night to the rightful king of the land named Colwyn.

The rest of the movie is about her fighting off all the temptations the Beast sends her way while Colwyn works tirelessly to come to her rescue. Here are the many reasons why I love Krull.

It’s a Romance on Many Levels

I love boiling down movies to their essence. Liar Liar is about a father’s love for his child. Braveheart is about sons leaving their fathers behind and becoming their own men. And Krull is all about love. New love, old love, lost love, and widespread love. Love is eternal, power is fleeting. That’s this movie’s overarching message.

Only together can Colwyn and Lyssa defeat the Beast and save their world. As is noted in the film’s prologue and epilogue, that man and woman will create a family and rule their world together, and their son will one day rule the universe. Talk about lofty goals. Their love is pure and undefiled. It’s young and full of hope for the future. But that’s not the only love story in Krull.

An older man named Ynyr once loved a woman with the same name as Colwyn’s bride. He has to forgive the Lyssa he married long ago after she reveals that she murdered their newborn son. His love and forgiveness help her to break her curse and find solace before dying.

Liam Neeson’s character Kegan is a famous traveler who can’t stand to stay still. Thus, he has wives all over the world who he loves dearly without seeing the contradiction of loving both abundantly and exclusively. There’s more than romantic love going on in this film, but I like that there are so many examples of husbands loving their wives. Selfless acts by husbands for their wives, and vice versa, are what save the day in the end.

It’s a Redemption Story

As Colwyn journeys to find Lyssa, he encounters a gang of escaped convicts. The head of the gang, Torquil, is persuaded to help Colwyn in his adventure, and he refuses to remove his chains until he fulfills his obligation. Even though he’s a thief and a former prisoner, he has a deep sense of honor.

Colwyn recognizes the noble qualities hidden beneath the surface of Torquil’s rough exterior, and when the day is saved and the Beast is slain, he makes Torquil his new Lord Marshall, the keeper of the jail. It’s a wonderful redemption story because now Torquil is in charge of who wears the chains he himself has worn the entire film. And he can finally remove them without having to ask anyone’s permission. It could have been a touch of pride as well as honor that forbade him from asking Colwyn to remove his chains earlier. Whatever the case, he is the master of his own destiny now.

It’s a Coming-of-Age Story

The new king must prove himself worthy of his kingdom. There are times when he has to be a leader and convince others to follow him. At other times, he has to do hard things alone to test his courage and his resolve in the face of overwhelming odds. This movie is molding him into a mighty king by helping him cast off his doubts and grow into the kind of leader other men are willing to give their lives for.

I also love the way that a character named Ergo the Magnificent matures through the film’s events. Hardships and friendships reveal his true nature as far more than a braggart and coward. By the end, he lives up to the grand title he gave himself, being able to kill bad guys in defense of a boy he’s grown to care about almost like a father.

It’s a Story of True Friendship

The Cyclops is one of the best parts of the movie. As a Cyclops, he is forced to live apart from everyone else, and his existence is full of loneliness and sorrow. Despite that, he can’t help being full of love and self-sacrifice.

What makes me absolutely love the Cyclops is that he considers Ergo the Magnificent his friend from the beginning, saving his life on multiple occasions because of the goodness he sees in him. He refuses to die in the way that he has foreseen all his life. Instead, he gives his life willingly to help his friends in their direst hour.

I agree with Ergo the Magnificent that we didn’t have enough time with the Cyclops. But I cherish every moment we got to spend with him.

It’s a Morality Tale

In addition to love being eternal, another big message in Krull is that looks can be deceiving. We shouldn’t necessarily take things at face value. Some things that look common and boring can prove to be rare and precious. On the other hand, things that look perfectly safe and inviting can prove to be deadly.

It’s claimed that the Glaive is just a legend, and it appears to be nothing special at first. But it’s a powerful tool that allows Colwyn to rescue Lyssa from her prison. At one point, a changeling murders and impersonates a wise wizard to try to kill Colwyn. Thankfully, the Cyclops sees through the deception just in time and saves the king’s life. Later, a mysterious woman pulls the same trick, but she is prevented from killing Colwyn by her own love for him. Love is an unseen power that is often underestimated by the Beast. But it winds up being a powerful force at the end of the film that Colwyn wields to destroy the Beast and break out of his fortress.

There are other examples of looks being deceiving, like the old Lyssa transforming back into her young, beautiful self, a false wall leading into a death trap of sharp spikes, and Ergo the Magnificent becoming a giant tiger to attack foes. The point is, never underestimate the power of small and simple things to overcome darkness, or the power of darkness to make itself appear like something good.

It’s a Symphonic Masterpiece

Composer James Horner is in top form here, creating one beautiful piece of music after another. His Krull score is nearly an hour and a half in length, and the movie itself clocks in at just over two hours. So this movie has nearly wall-to-wall music of the highest quality. For that reason alone, it’s worth a watch.

Seriously, listen to the Krull soundtrack, and you’ll be instantly enthralled. It’s right up there with his Willow soundtrack as a total work of art. I tend to lean toward the Krull soundtrack for purely enjoyable listening while I’m working, even though “Willow’s Theme” is more iconic.

It’s a Fantasy in the Spirit of Star Wars

Krull debuted in 1983, the same year as Return of the Jedi. It’s clearly influenced by the Star Wars films and it’s in the same spirit as those timeless adventures. But it doesn’t feel derivative. It’s more like an old-fashioned-knights-in-shining-armor-rescue-the-princess kind of story with some fun sci-fi flair. I suppose that’s a lot like what Star Wars is all about, but it comes at it from the opposite side. Star Wars deftly combines old and new weapons in the form of lightsabers, while Krull embraces ancient swords and axes while adding a few laser blasts and other fun stuff like the Glaive.

Whatever the case, I’m glad both exist. There’s plenty of room in my heart to love Krull and Star Wars, especially since they were both big parts of my childhood. Star Wars certainly opened the door for other excellent stories to be told in the same vein. Krull has enough unique touches to its story to make it a worthy candleholder to the film that may have at least partly inspired it.

It’s One of My Favorites

I highly recommend checking out Krull if you’ve never seen it before. And if it’s been a long time since you thought about it, I recommend seeking it out once more. You’ll be amply rewarded with an uplifting viewing experience. And keep an eye out for the Cyclops. See if you agree with me that he’s pretty much the best part of the movie.

This is the Deja Reviewer bidding you farewell until we meet again.

All images are the copyright of their owner.

Want to Support the Deja Reviewer?

If you’d like to support the Deja Reviewer, please consider donating a few dollars to keep this site going strong. I’ll even send you an original joke if you do! Try it, and prepare to enjoy a good chuckle.

$5.00