‘Kull’ Conquers With Panache and an Admirably Dry Wit

“Kull the Conqueror” is a deliciously silly, ancient times fantasy-adventure that works because its makers know exactly what they’re doing and how to do it. Tone is key in any picture but absolutely crucial when reviving an old genre.

Director John Nicolella and writer Charles Edward Pogue, drawing from the writings of Robert E. Howard, who also created “Conan the Barbarian,” never condescend to their material or their audience but instead approach their tale with affection and just enough saving tongue-in-cheekery to make it work as a zesty and amusing contemporary entertainment. As a result, “Kull” is fun and fast-moving, avoiding the pitfalls of kitsch and camp.

TV’s Hercules, Kevin Sorbo, moves to the big screen with the greatest of ease in the title role. He slays the tyrannical King Borno (Sven Ole Thorsen), but with his dying breath the monarch surveys his court and decides that his slayer is more worthy of wearing his crown than anyone else.

Kull’s ascension to the throne naturally does not sit well with Borno’s commander Taligaro (Thomas Ian Griffith) and his followers. The next thing we know, a 3,000-year-old sorceress, Akivasha (Tia Carrere), is being raised from the dead to bring down Kull. But she doesn’t reckon with the spiritual power of the proud slave girl Zareta (Karina Lombard) combined with Kull’s true grit.

So much for plot. “Kull the Conqueror” proceeds with unstinting panache amid picturesque Slovakian locales and handsome sets. Derring-do and the supernatural are also presented with consistent style and imagination, and Joel Goldsmith’s robust score goes heavy metal at all the right moments.

Sorbo displays a welcome dry humor. He can even say a line like, “When I get ahold of that bitch demon, I’ll tear her heart out,” without breaking up. His supporting cast, which includes Harvey Fierstein as an ebullient con man, play it straight without taking themselves too seriously.

“Kull the Conqueror” has a remarkably light, buoyant touch for its genre. As a Universal production, it is reminiscent of the studio’s escapist fare of past eras. You can’t help envisioning Burt Lancaster as Kull, Maria Montez as Akivasha and Yvonne De Carlo as Zareta.

* MPAA rating: PG-13, for fantasy action violence and sensuality. Times guidelines: The violence, although comic-book style, is too intense for very small children but is acceptable for older children.

‘Kull the Conqueror’

Kevin Sorbo: Kull

Tia Carrere: Akivasha

Karina Lombard: Zareta

Thomas Ian Griffith: Taligaro

A Universal Pictures presentation. Director John Nicolella. Producer Rafaella De Laurentiis. Executive producer Beverlee Dean, Jeff Franklin, Steve Waterman. Screenplay by Charles Edward Pogue; based on the worlds and the characters created by Robert E. Howard. Cinematographer Rodney Charters. Editor Dallas Puett. Costumes Thomas Casterline, Sibylle Ulsamer. Special effects supervisor Kit West. Visual effects supervisor Richard Malzahn. Special visual effects and animation by Metrolight Studios. Music Joel Goldsmith. Production designer Benjamin Fernandez. Supervising art director Pier-Luigi Basile. Supervising set decorator Giorgio Desidri. Running time: 1 hour, 36 minutes.

* In general release throughout Southern California.