Hawk The Slayer

I first saw this at the cinema when it first came out with my mum and dad, and all I remember is going there and standing in the queue looking at the lobby cards outside on the wall. Mainly trees and fog, and stuff glowing green. And the elf with the bow and arrow. That, the most. I'm 44 years of age now, and for the past few years have wondered if it was still any good, or was it just the memories? Well I took the plunge, and with the courage of some Sailor Jerry, watched it, and found it awesome again. Yes it's cheesy and cheap, yes the acting is variable, the effects little above what you'd see on Blake's Seven. But it had charm and atmosphere to spare. And for those who love nostalgia and a more uncomplicated time when a story was just about good vs evil, then this is just the ticket. So my advice to you is this; if you vaguely remember it; are of a certain age, reach for the alcohol and embrace it, and like me, become a child again and enjoy it for all its simplistic charm. And by the way, the cover is still fantastic!

I first saw this film when it went on general release in the early 80s. I barely remember the plot, which is why I purchased the DVD, but what I cannot forget is the soundtrack. Almost 40 years on I can still hear the music in my head. There were many films of this ilk released around about the same time, which have all been aired on TV. However, as far as I can recall, 'Hawke the Slayer' has never been aired since its release. I have yet to watch the DVD and I may remember the plot but what will be instantly familiar to me will be the music track. I won't recommend it for general viewing because this type of film will tend to appeal to people with interests similar to mine. This is a 'sword & sorcery' type film similar to 'Krull'. Hawke the Slayer might prove interesting to older children but be warned there is a great deal of violence in this film.

No collection of 80's fantasy and sci-fi films would be complete without this classic.I had originally watched this back in the 80s and,after not having seen it for years, finally got hold of it on DVD. Corny as heck, but that's what makes this such a fun film. The Italians might have invented spaghetti westerns, but the Brits invented cod 'n' chips swords & sorcery.As for the cast, well for starters, there's Jack Palance as Voltan, the lead villain, I mean come on, JACK PALANCE!!! He is awesome in anything he does. His role in this film is as good as, if not better, than when he played Kaleel (no, not Kal El) in the Buck Rogers episode Planet of the Slave Girls. Then there is Bernard Bresslaw (a temptation to have this film subtitled Carry On Slaying) as Gort the giant, whose interaction with the dwarf (Baldin played by Peter O'Farrell) is highly humourous.A few actors I never even noticed the first few times I watched it (probably because I was much younger then) include Harry Andrews (633 Squadron - "You can't kill a squadron!"), Patrick Magee (Surgeon Reynolds from Zulu) as the leader of some religious fanatic cult that want to 'purify' Baldin by tying him to a raft and firing flaming arrows at it, and Annette Crosbie (I don't believe it!) as the abbess that Hawk and his gang have come to rescue from the clutches of Voltan.What is most refreshing about this film is that it adheres to the old classic theme of the good guys vs the bad guys. There are no grey lines here. The heroes are real heroes, the villains are real villains, and the music score emphasises this wonderfully. Talking of music, once you watch this film, you wont be able to get it out of your head. It is unforgettable.Oh, and in case you're wondering, that isn't John Terry the footballer playing Hawk (nor is it Chris deBurgh). Watch the James Bond film The Living Daylights. He's Felix Leiter.Okay. Now that I've written this review, I can take my tongue out of my cheek.

A great naff, B movie with awful acting & even worse special effects........BRILLIANT!!! Buy this now!!

NO SPOILERSYou either get this film or you don't. The copy played great and for a brief period I went back to a simpler time ah bliss

The film itself is so dated some people might not see the appeal.I have vague memories of a man with magic stone in a sword being awesome and it's just like a live action version of the Hero Quest board game.Yes it's cheesy for the most part but it's a bit of non-controversial fun and it's nice to find this on Amazon.

[[ASIN:B000LXHJMS Hawk The Slayer [1980] [DVD]As others have already done numerous synopis of the movie, i'll just go to the movie.I oordered this dvd with some trepidation--this was one of those movies that I detested in the eighties (I preferred the Lucas/Spielberg movies, and arnie as Conan), I like many other reviewers found this movie to be deriative and just generally bad.In the years since, I havent seen it much--it never appears on TV anymore-.So I am surprised at how much i have enjoyed Hawk The Slayer-yes it is deriative, some aspects are truly dreadful (Jack Palance) and a leading man whom is a blank (John Terry).What has surprised me is the cast, surprisingly good for such a z rated picture.Derrick o'Conner (Lethal Weapon 2), John Terry-Living Daylights,Lost ,Full Metal Jacket, Roy Kinnear-just about everything before his untimely death, Warren Clarke , Dalziel and Pascoe,Clockwork Orange, Top Secret, Annette Crosbie-one foot in the grave. Patrick Mcgee-Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon.Cheryl Campbell-Mcvicar, The Shooting Party.Worth seeing out, purely because of this cast and Terry Marcels directing technique-somewhere between Leone and the Childrens Film unit.As I said , I genuinely enjoyed-mainly because of its "cheap" feel, and no overkill of CG images (unavailable back in the late seventies/early eighties movie making.