Kingdom of Heaven (Director’s Cut) (194 minutes; 2005)

Written by William Monahan. Directed by Ridley Scott.

(There is a shorter theatrical cut, which should be avoided at all costs, like the plague it is.)

What is it?

Ridley Scott’s epic saga of the Crusades, as seen through the eyes of a simple French blacksmith who travels to Jerusalem in an attempt to save the soul of his late wife, and ends up as the defender of the city against the massive army of Saladin.

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The 13th Warrior (102 minutes; 1999)

Written by William Wisher and Warren Lewis. Directed by John McTiernan

Based on the novel, Eaters of the Dead, by Michael Crichton, who also served as a producer and uncredited director.

What is it?

A version of the Beowulf story, as witnessed by an aristocratic Arab who accompanies a dozen Viking warriors into battle against a mysterious army of cannibalistic cavemen.

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Dragonslayer (109 minutes; 1981)

Written by Hal Barwood and Matthew Robbins. Directed by Matthew Robbins.

What is it?

A sorcerer’s apprentice travels across sixth-century England to battle a dragon terrorizing a small kingdom. The jerk of a king and the local populace eventually prove more trouble to deal with than the dragon. Unfortunately, the dragon loses.

Noteworthy

A joint production between Paramount and Walt Disney, Dragonslayer was only the third PG-rated film associated with Disney. Indeed it feels like a Disney movie that has taken a dark turn along the way. Although not a profitable one.

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The Sword and the Sorcerer (99 minutes; 1982)

Written by Albert Pyun, Tom Karnowski and John V. Stuckmeyer. Directed by Albert Pyun

What is it?

Released less than a month before Arnold Schwarzenegger’s more stately and much better known Conan the Barbarian, The Sword and the Sorcerer is a somewhat over-the-top and low-budget Eighties Fantasy film – and not a particularly well-remembered one.

That, I would argue, is a tragedy. Because this movie is fantastic, if you go into it with the right mindset. Because it is without question an absolutely pure Sword and Sorcery extravaganza.

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Today, nearly fifty years after its release, Star Wars still feels fresh, exciting and entirely organic. It is a naturally progressing story. Everything in it matters, and every moment leads inexorably and inevitably to the next moment, as it should — building to a tremendous climax and satisfying denouement.

None of those things are true about its immediate sequel, The Empire Strikes Back.

For that reason above all others, I rate Star Wars by far the better film.

I am well aware that a number of fans of the franchise — possibly a majority and seemingly in greater numbers every year — feels Empire is superior, including Black Gate‘s own Neil Baker.

I believe they are wrong.

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