# Best Low Budget B-Movie Fantasy Epic Ever?!



## Black Dragon

Following the success of Conan the Barbarian, the 1980's saw the release of many, many low budget fantasy ripoffs.  Some were dreadful beyond words (The Barbarians, Wizards of the Lost Kingdom).  Some were noteworthy (Beast Master, Krull).  And some were just plain fun (Deathstalker II, Sword and the Sorcerer).

But which one was the BEST?  Let us know your pick, and why it deserves the crown.


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## Aqua Buddha

Sword of the Valiant takes the prize.  It has decent swordplay, a outlandish plot and a miscast Sean Connery as the Green Man.


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## Legerdemain

I know it's not fantasy in the magic kind of way, but the fact that it made its way into a movie is definitely something out of this world... 2 hours I cannot get back: Gymkata



Oh, and also "Fantasy Mission Force", and though that one has fantasy in the title, I don't know if it qualifies either... though Jackie Chan is magic!


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## f00fc7c8

Black Dragon said:


> Following the success of Conan the Barbarian, the 1980's saw the release of many, many low budget fantasy ripoffs.  Some were dreadful beyond words (The Barbarians, Wizards of the Lost Kingdom).  Some were noteworthy (Beast Master, Krull).  And some were just plain fun (Deathstalker II, Sword and the Sorcerer).
> 
> But which one was the BEST?  Let us know your pick, and why it deserves the crown.


 
I have to agree that conan was probably the best..  I've been fortunate to have missed the rest of them.


...has anyone ever watched the Lost Skeleton of Cadavra?  It was a dreadfully awful SciFi movie that was pretty entertaining.


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## Greybeard

Conan the Barbarian was a beautiful, gothic opera of blood and sex.  Sadly, it's sequel played like a Saturday morning cartoon.

According to IMDB a remake is coming.  Uggh.




Legerdemain said:


> I know it's not fantasy in the magic kind of way, but the fact that it made its way into a movie is definitely something out of this world... 2 hours I cannot get back: Gymkata


 
Gymkata??  I may regret asking, but what is this?




			
				f00fc7c8 said:
			
		

> ...has anyone ever watched the Lost Skeleton of Cadavra? It was a dreadfully awful SciFi movie that was pretty entertaining.



I have not heard of this?  What is the story on it?


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## geekluv

Ice Pirates


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## Dwarven Gold

The best is DeathStalker II.  It's violent and has gratuitous beer and titties.  What more could you want?


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## Black Dragon

geekluv said:


> Ice Pirates


 
Excellent choice.  It is so much fun, and it's got a sword wielding Angelical Houston and the uber-badass Ron Perlman.  And Robert Urich was so great in it.  A true classic!


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## Legerdemain

Greybeard said:


> Gymkata??  I may regret asking, but what is this?


 
You should regret asking.  Gymkata is the worst movie ever made.  To Wit:  an American athlete cannot compete in the Olympics because we boycott it (dang Soviets!) so we decide to make a movie that centers around him instead.  The movie has to be an action movie, and it has to make him a hero fighting evil using his skills... in gymnastics!  Oh, and it has 80's music, hair, etc.  LOTS of love to hate here.


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## At Dusk I Reign

I'm surprised Jabberwocky hasn't been mentioned yet.

Oh, wait. I'm not surprised at all. It's hardly a classic. Still makes me smile, though.


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## Vita Numinous

Conan the Barbarian gets my vote, and half of that is based on soundtrack alone.  Yeah, I have some of that on my iPod, I admit it.


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## At Dusk I Reign

Vita Numinous said:


> I have some of that on my iPod, I admit it.


You should never admit it. Ever.


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## Vita Numinous

At Dusk I Reign said:


> You should never admit it. Ever.


 
Aw!  Come on, modern pop dance music gets so OLD to exercise with.  People might arch an eyebrow at my manic grin and dangerous demeanor, but it's so much more fun to powerwalk with thoughts of an evil cult led by James Earl Jones and buff guys who can barely talk weilding swords!


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## At Dusk I Reign

Vita Numinous said:


> People might arch an eyebrow at my manic grin and dangerous demeanor, but it's so much more fun to powerwalk with thoughts of an evil cult led by James Earl Jones and buff guys who can barely talk weilding swords!


 You had me at 'manic grin'.

Back on topic, though *clears throat* I think The Evil Dead also deserves a mention. It's not a fantasy movie as such - unless, like me, you consider the Undead a fantasy staple going back to the Dead Men of Dunharrow and beyond - (as unquiet spirits make numerous appearances in pre-Christian mythology I'll run with the notion). Either way, I think it deserves a mention when discussing  low-budget fantasies.


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## 42 GunSlinger

Does "Army Of Darkness" count as a fantasy? It's got swordplay and magic.


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## At Dusk I Reign

42 GunSlinger said:


> Does "Army Of Darkness" count as a fantasy? It's got swordplay and magic.


 The movies probably don't count as fantasy in the strictest sense, but as someone who views the supernatural as inherently fantastic I label them as such. Of the three, Army of Darkness is certainly the most fantasy-oriented though not, in my opinion, the best.


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## Black Dragon

42 GunSlinger said:


> Does "Army Of Darkness" count as a fantasy? It's got swordplay and magic.


 
Hey Gunslinger!  Welcome to the forums.

I second Army of Darkness as being a great choice.  Have you seen the "director's cut," which includes the original ending?  Which version do you prefer?


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## 42 GunSlinger

Does that version have the original line - "Good, bad, I'm the one with the gun"? In all the DVD versions I've seen that line has been replaced with - "I'm not that good". I can't even find the original line in deleted scenes. Why would they erase one of the best lines in movie history.


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## Black Dragon

42 GunSlinger said:


> Does that version have the original line - "Good, bad, I'm the one with the gun"? In all the DVD versions I've seen that line has been replaced with - "I'm not that good". I can't even find the original line in deleted scenes. Why would they erase one of the best lines in movie history.


 
Really?  I recall that line from the VHS version.  Why would they excise it for the DVD?


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## Behelit

My vote goes to Excalibur (1981). I'm not a scholar on the _La Morte D'Arthur_ but I thought it was a fantastic film. I enjoyed its gritty, realistic take. The sword fighting felt real, none of that choreographed, hyper-charged nonsense that plagues much of today's films. Most, if not all, characters were fairly well-developed. No complaints with the score, cinematography or special effects, all were top notch considering the budget and era.(At least in regards to the latter.)


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## Black Dragon

Behelit said:


> My vote goes to Excalibur (1981).



Oh yeah!  I still remember seeing it in the theater for the first time.  I was fairly young then, and was so impressed by the men in the shiny metal outfits.  Years later my father and I spent a summer building a full suit of steel plate armor.  That film was our inspiration.


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## Legerdemain

The Director's cut takes out the ending with the S-Mart, ruining the movie for me.  What makes the movie for me was that this guy was telling the story to a disinterested nightshift person... like it could be told by you or me to a friend while hanging out... then a witch comes out of no where... that's classic


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