Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Lars Jacobsson This sword and sorcery flick is a mess. Judging from the confused narrative and editing plus constant namedropping of characters we haven't been introduced to, I would guess that it's a failed TV-pilot or something that somebody squeezed together to feature length and released to an unsuspecting world. If you have a high tolerance level for bad sword and sorcery flicks there's some fun to be had: there's some monsters, like the cool snake-men, magic, a lot of silly fantasy nonsense dialogue ("you must recover the runestone from Brakus the Destroyer in order to save the kingdom of Harmonia from the evil... blah blah blah...") and some weird color filters that the creators use from now and then for no apparent reason. Also, it should be noted that this film takes itself 100% serious, which makes the pretentious overacting from an aged George Kennedy in fake-beard and a silly wig all the funnier. And everybody's favorite boy's-own hero Kabir "Sandokan" Bedi plays the hero's sidekick! But all in all I think it's safe to say that this movie is only for real sword and sorcery nerds like me. Hawk the Slayer come back, all is forgiven!

Kahana Chin Other watchers of Archer: Fugitive from the Empire comment harshly about its dated special effects, not being really focused overall, average acting, etc. I believe they're lost to the Content and the Context of the movie's premise, target audience, and production values which made it a forerunner for later TV shows.1. It's a Sword & Sorcery Fantasy movie - our young hero is a rebel to his father, he uses a super-powered bow, his sidekick is a thief, he has semi-sexual tension going on with a rival sorceress.2. In the 1980's - the special effects, costumes, and makeup were very advanced. The armor & weapons were sturdier than a lot of the other films at the time. The snake-men makeup and their ability to rise suddenly from the ground was similar to the Terrians found in the later short-lived TV science fiction series, Earth 2.3. Like other movies and TV shows, the quest is the main theme. The hero, sidekick, and love-interest always have their quirks. If it's too obvious, the watcher loses interest - if too vague, we become lost to the plot line. This movie gave us several subplots: hero coming of age, prevent an invasion, rescue persecuted villagers & citizens, fight off the bad guy (who's so much like Darth Vader), and of course - search for your Mentor (who's like Obi-Wan Kenobi).4. Archer intrigues the viewer not by today's measurements of story-arc, pilot episode allure, best computer/explosion/gore effects. It makes the viewer wonder what amazing twist is going to happen in a subtle way apart from the obvious Fantasy movie stereotypes (just like Heroes did every week). The target audience in the 1980's were mostly teenagers and college guys who were into Star Wars, Conan, etc. Every critic I've read of seems to want a straight-forward action/adventure movie to play out like a Shakespeare drama with intensity. I think Archer did its job of making me wish I could be the Hero as I sat in my seat enjoying my popcorn and soda!!5. I have this movie in VHS video format - wish I could get it as a DVD. Even after all these years, I watch it late at night and weekends just to see enjoy the adventure as a teenager in a grown-man's body!

Tempest Frost When this movie appeared in 1981, I was a young boy filled with dreams of one day becoming a great warrior. Silly as these dreams may seem now, at the time they helped fill what were otherwise boring afternoons in a time when we were all waiting for the 80's to fully materialize. Looking back on this film now after twenty-five years, I still feel young and strong and full of magical powers every time I see it as it gave us the feel of otherworldly power and secrets that may have existed long ago, before movies like THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy put that idea into the minds of young and old alike. The acting was weak and character development was pushed aside in favor of time constraints but all-in-all I liked the way the film made me feel. And, after all, isn't that why we give up two hours of our precious time anyway?

stamper when I was a child. Damn, it's a long time ago I've seen this movie. It seems like an eternity, yet it was only six, seven, eight years ago, back when I was about 12. Man, this movie, it just rocks in my memory. I mean the fact that I saw it about 5 to 10 times and that I even remember seeing it now (about 8 years later) and being able to remember scenes and recognize photo's says it all. I think it is a great film. Underrated, not known to many folk but definitely a truly GREAT film. Although I liked the Neverending story too back then and now I think it is bad. But who cares I bet you it makes very good entertainment for kids. 8 out of 10