The first (I think) in a series of films Roger Corman made in Argentina, mostly sword and sorcery type things to cash in on Conan the Barbarian (he had made Sorceress but that was in Mexico).
It's cheap but not cheapy-cheap - it was shot on film, was clearly intended to be seen in theatres, and some scenes have quite a lot of extras such as the finale at the markets and in the stadium. Corman would go on to make a lot cheaper product.
These films had a rape-y vibe and there's plenty of rape in Deathstalker. There's also an unexciting lead in Rick Hill who has the body but a sort of odd face and isn't that much fun to be around. It doesn't help that he does things like save women from rape and then have sex with them or have sex with a woman who is asleep or have sex with a woman he's just met (not knowing she was converted into a woman by magic just recently).
The film did have a sense of adventure - the quest and all that - and it moved along; there was always something happening. But Deathstalker himself wasn't much fun to hang out with and there wasn't anyone else to hook into. Actually, that's not fair - the guy who plays his buddy (who turns treacherous) is pretty good. Lana Clarkson is in it as a female warrior who is constantly topless - I mean, she fights topless. I wish her character had stuck around more.
The effects, costumes, etc are hokey but not bad - part of the film's charm. The sword fighting and some of the action was pretty good. I just Deathstalker himself had been more likeable.
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