39
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 63Chicago ReaderChicago ReaderThough the special effects are resourceful and the action scenes shot with surprising vigor, Albert Pyun's 1982 film is a little too self-important to provide a true B-movie pleasure.
- 60IGNIGNHearts are ripped out, heads are smashed, and there's plenty of flesh to be seen. If that's what you crave for a night of retro viewing, this is your flick.
- 60Time OutTime OutEditor Marshall Harvey stitches the messy pieces together with considerable panache.
- 50The New York TimesVincent CanbyThe New York TimesVincent CanbyA nonsensical, Hollywood-made, R-rated adventure-fantasy set in a primeval past about usurped kingdoms, erring knights, recently awakened ogres, distressed princesses and various hangers-on.
- 50Combine beaucoup gore and an atrocity-a-minute action edited in fastpace style. Then, toss in a scantily clad cast of none-too- talented performers mouthing dimwitted dialog and garnish with a touch of medieval gibberish. The result would be something resembling The Sword and the Sorcerer.
- 50Washington PostWashington PostThe Sword and the Sorcerer is neither sharp nor magical. [07 Aug 1982, p.C2]
- 50The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jay ScottThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jay ScottEven if your idea of a good time is watching a man dressed as a malevolent oak tree extend his branches and literally tear a woman's heart from her chest, I think you ought to pass on The Sword and the Sorcerer. [26 Apr 1982]
- 25TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineLots of gore and some decent artistic effects may keep audiences interested; if not, then the scantily clad.
- 12Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertThe Sword and the Sorcerer is so dominated by its special effects, its settings and locations, that it doesn't care much about character. It trots its people onscreen, gives them names and labels, and puts them through their paces. That's not enough.