I heard ever so slight things about this movie, mainly from Spoony in his Yor review but I had some interest and found an excuse to see it so let's talk about it! What I find most interesting about Hawk The Slayer is it simultaneously does the fantasy story of evil villain wants ultimate power, ultimate power finds a hero, hero kills villain, the end, and yet at the exact same time it completely doesn't fit your typical fantasy storyline at all. You see, Hawk and the evil Voltan are actually brothers and our hero is called into action when Voltan abducts the abbess of a church and demands a hefty 2,000 gold pieces for her return but obviously being family they have some past issues leading them into conflict. Hawk gathers his old adventuring companions, Crow the elf, Gort the giant, and Baldir the dwarf with the help of a witch to assist in the rescue. Sounds quite typical but the devil could not be more in the details than here. It's...different. In terms of technicals the soundtrack could be the best part of the entire film, it is all kinds of funky cool and had zero issue getting me to groove along. The editing I think is the part that could be the dealbreaker for audiences, it is cut with a lot of quick edits and seems almost comically inept to where fight scenes are over in less than 2 minutes. But the fact that it happens often almost leads me to believe it was a stylistic choice and I found enjoyment in plenty of things besides the fights so it doesn't lose major points. I find enjoyment in seeing the artistry at work, sure the backdrops are clearly paintings at times but they look really nice, the costumes are not heavy in detail but recognizable, and the world is never named once or given a broad overview but you get bits that you can piece together in your mind to craft your own vision of this world. It seems very akin to Dungeons & Dragons in how there are setpieces to the quest that aren't tightly knitted together but it still works. The acting I felt was over the top at brief instances but overall was fine and you get a strong sense of the character. Jack Palance is fucking amazing as Voltan, he is that level of go big or piss off and he nails the dramatics and isn't the having fun playing the villain type but just plays the villain to the absolute best of his ability and he is awesome! John Terry is a suitable hero lead, he's got the voice and the look, and plays a more solemn quiet hero but still always on the morally right side but with the cast that surrounds him he is the weakest link. Major props to the actors playing his companions, you actually get the sense that these characters have known each other a good while and have very good chemistry with each other and each segment that introduces them nails the type of character they potray. The elf is more solitary and has keen senses that make him a damn death machine with his bow, the dwarf is a crafty smartass but ultimately is a ride or die, and the giant is someone with intelligence and integrity but has a huge craving for food. That's not bad writing, even if there are times where I feel events occur just to pad the movie out a little but thankfully it only occurs twice. And I gotta admit I really wanted to see what happens next cause it has a tiny bit of a cliffhanger but that just shows that I did like and enjoy the movie enough. It's no major fantasy classic but if you're a sucker for that stuff like I am I think you can genuinely get some entertainment out of it. I give it 3 stars, 7/10!
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