This is another in a long line of films that many, including myself, would never be expecting to get the DVD treatment so early, especially not a special edition version.

I can't help but wonder what would motivate Columbia Tristar to release a special edition of this classic fantasy that was a complete failure at the box office.

Now while it was a failure, don't get the wrong idea about it. This movie never really had a chance. This movie was created to do battle with another big movie coming out the same summer. The studio gave it a huge budget and extensive promotion in hopes of dominating the summer box office and surpasing the other big movie opening that summer.

That other movie? Oh, that would be a small movie by a man known as George Lucas called Return Of The Jedi. All the would be force masters skipped out on Krull and shelled out their money to view the epic conclusion to the hugely popular Star Wars series, as would be expected, but you have to give it to Krull for trying.

Krull had imaginative worlds unlike people had ever seen, a cool weapon, and a certain aura about it that just made you feel as if you were watching something truly special.

The Disk
The disk fires up with a lovely animation of the majestic mountains in the world of Krull, when all of a sudden the glaive (the main weapon of the movie) appears on the screen in a blaze of fire, and begins rotating in front of the mountains.

It's a very nice animation, and combined with the background music provides a quite striking main menu.

Play Movie
Krull is nothing special, that much can be said. It's a typical fantasy movie for it's time: the princess is kidnapped, a young, dashing hero must rescue her from an extremely ugly and powerful monster. Krull knows the fantasy formula, and does nothing to try and mold it to its own shape.

Like most fantasy movies, Krull takes you to many imaginative worlds and lets you meet many different looking and majestic creatures along the way.

The hero meets many men who will join him as companions in his quest, and along the way finds out the true power he has within and ultimately destroys the evil power holding the princess captive. It's clockwork in every aspect of the word.

The plot of the movie centers around the beautiful Princess Lyssa, whom is the to marry the son of her father's bitter rival, Prince Colwyn. Colwyn's father and Lyssa's father are both the rulers of two different lands in the world of Krull whom have been waging war against each other for ages. Now, a new threat known as the Slayers (Think Stormtroopers in black suits) have begun to invade the countryside.

Serving the evil "beast," the Slayers are conqurering all the smaller kingdoms in the world, and the two kings decide that the only way to survive is to put their bickering aside and combine their armies to battle the Slayers. Lyssa decides that the best way to "seal the deal" is to marry Prince Colwyn, making the unity between the two kingdoms indefinite.

Unfortunately, the Beast has other plans.On the night of Lyssa's wedding, the Slayers storm the castle, killing many members of both royal families and kidnapping Lyssa to take to the beast. Broken and beaten, Colwyn gives up all hope of ever seeing her again. Just as he is about to go home in defeat, an ancient wiseman tells him the tale of a great and powerful weapon known as the glaive.

This weapon possesses the power needed to defeat the evil beast and return Lyssa home again. Colwyn sets out on a quest to find the mystical glaive and vanquish the beast once and for all.

Along the way he'll meet many unusual characters who will join him on his quest for justice, and will visit wonderous and enchanting lands that are a sight to behold on the screen. Krull certainly doesn't make any innovations in the fantasy genre, but it's a great sight to see nonetheless.

Scene Selection
There are 28 chapters separated into groups of four.

Set Up
The sound options include: English Dolby KX 5.1, DTS ES 6.1 and stereo surround sound. English and French subtitles. Color bars.

Audio Commentaries
There are two commentaries on this disk:

Commentary 1: This commentary on this DVD includes input from the director Peter Yates, actors Ken Marshall (Prince Colwyn) and Lysette Anthony (Princess Lyssa), and editor Ray LoveJoy. The commentary is very informative and it's interesting to hear the expectations that the studio had for this film straight from the director's mouth.

My only gripe with this commentary is the inclusion of Lysette Anthony instead of another actor who had a more prominent role in the film.

While the plot relies heavily on her, Princess Lyssa just doesn't do much in the film but walk in a big hallway. I'd rather be getting input from some of the bigger members of the supporting cast, but something is better than nothing I suppose.

Commentary 2: This is simply a reading from the Cinefantastique preview of Krull back in November of 1982. It's very interesting to listen to, but it in no way corresponds with whatever is happening on the screen at the same time. I would have rather read this than have to listen to it. Still, it's nice.

Marvel Comics Video Adaption
I find this to be a VERY odd feature on a DVD and not something we're sure to see too often. It's very inventive and I'd love to see it included on more DVDs. This adaption of Krull sets the nicely done Marvel Comics Adaption of Krull to the film's audio track.

Basically, you're watching the movie with still frames from the comic book instead of the original film. It may sound odd, but it's really a joy to watch. I only wish there was an option to look at the pages yourself and scroll through them without having the DVD do it for you. It's a hassle for the fast readers out there.

Original Featurette: Journey To Krull
This is the original behind-the-scenes documentary filmed back when Krull was being released, not one done today. Due to this, the documentary is fresh and about what Krull is going to be, not a retrospective on what it was. The featurette is narrated by Tom Bosley of Happy Days and David The Gnome fame, and lasts around 22 minutes.

Four Photo Galleries
The 247 photos include movie stills, behind the scenes pictures, cast member portraits, and more. All great to look at if you've got the time.

Theatrical Trailers
The trailer for Krull makes me wonder if the studio actually WANTED people to see the film. The trailer highlights all the below average aspects of Krull and none of the spectacular one. This trailer is sure to not get the movie public to see Krull instead of ROTJ. Also included are a few horrible trailers for some other films like Jason And The Argonauts.

Talent Files
Standard background information on the cast, with the glaring ommission of Liam Neeson. What were they thinking?

Krull is by no means special, but if you're a fan of 80s nostalgia, fantasy flicks and the like, Krull should provide you with a few days worth of fine entertainment.

You can pick up your copy at Amazon.com here!