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Parents' Guide to

Krull

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Some violence in kitschy '80s sci-fi adventure.

Movie PG 1983 121 minutes
Krull Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 9+

Based on 1 parent review

age 9+

Consider this a PG-13 title

PG-13 was a rating that came out in 1984. While Krull is rated PG, there are some scenes a bit to shocking for small kids. Aside from that, there is a lighthearted, artistic score, heroic good vs evil themes and some comic relief as well as scenes that appear to be shot in beautiful locations. A few things that stood out: Good guys with swords fighting bad guys with blasters, getting shot and killed. Not that worse from Star Wars, but maybe a bit darker. Lots of dead bodies Bravado and daring rescues of helpless damsels. A spike trap that impales a guy. A light and whimsical score. Feels very artistic. Bad aliens ( obviously actors in fun and kinda scary costumes) getting killed. Intense quicksand scene, drowning. Possession Not too much blood. Super cute Bassett hound! Love conquers all! Good guys win!

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (2 ):

It was a box office bomb in the early 1980s, and while it has its defenders, this is essentially a cheesy and derivative attempt to harness the Star Wars magic. Not that Krull is entirely devoid of entertainment value, but that value is attained from how dated it is. The sets often look like something straight out of heavy metal music videos. The hair is nice and big, and a young Liam Neeson's scalp sports the classic mullet. For the youth of the 21st century, the pre-CGI special effects aren't exactly stellar, and the story plods along from one fantasy cliche to the next.

Indeed, with deliberately odd character names like "Ynyr" and "Torquil," to say nothing of the oxymoronic "Blind Emerald Seer," there are moments where Krull feels more like a parody of sci-fi adventure rather than something earnest. The twin suns of the planet Krull and the light sabers aren't the only things heavily borrowed from Star Wars. The attempt to meld the "swashbuckling" stories with the "quest" story into the sci-fi/fantasy setting fails where Star Wars obviously succeeded, and if anything, Krull gives the viewer a deeper appreciation for what George Lucas et. al achieved.

Movie Details

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