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» » Wizards of the Lost Kingdom (1985)

Short summary

Simon, son of the wizard, must flee when the empire is overthrown by the evil Shurka. Schooled in the arts of magic, he must find the Ring of Magic and the Sword of Power and defeated the wizard who killed his father. He is joined in his quest by the swordmaster Kor, his faithful creature Gulfax, and the Forest Wizard Hurla.

Riffed under the Rifftrax name by Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett, from Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988).

The initial cut, using all the usable footage, was only 58 minutes long. The editors took footage from other Roger Corman sword-and-sorcery films to create a 20 minute-long prologue that has nothing to do with the rest of the film, as well as a dream sequence and the gnome's "magic scrying" sequence of a village being raided.

Edgardo Moreira, under the pseudonym "Edward Morrow", is listed three times in the closing credits: as Wulfrick, the older Simon, and Gulfax.

In a 1995 interview, Ed Naha said the film "wasn't so much shot as it was beaten to death".

Riffed again for episode ten of Myster Science Theater 300: The Return (2018)

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Kalv
    This movie is truly brilliant. It ducks through banality to crap at such speed you don't even see good sense and common decency to mankind go whizzing past. But it doesn't stop there! This movie hits the bottom of the barrel so hard it bounces back to the point of ludicrous comedy: behold as Kor the Beergutted Conan wannabe with the over-abundance of neck hair struts his stuff swinging his sword like there's no tomorrow (and the way he swung it, I really am amazed there *was* a tomorrow for him, or at least, for his beer gut). Don't miss this movie, it's a fantastic romp through idiocy, and sheer bloody mindedness! And once you have finished watching this one, dry the tears of joy (or tears of frustration at such an inept attempt at storytelling) from your eyes because some stupid f00l gave these people another $5 to make a sequel!
  • comment
    • Author: Thomand
    I saw this movie by accident when it was on TV a few years ago... immediately it became a cult movie for me and my friends.

    I've seen this movie about 500 times (i'm serious), and the bad special effects, bad acting, bad story, never gets old.

    All i have to say is, it's so bad that it's good.
  • comment
    • Author: Shistus
    When I saw this movie first, it was long ago on VHS-Video. I did like this movie, because it was funny and excitingly. Some years ago I saw another movie, called: *Andy Colby's Incredible Adventure* In this movie were parts of *Wizards of the lost kingdom* used in. They called this movie "KOR the conquerer". I began to search for the "KOR"-Movie many years, because I wanted to see the complete movie, not only the parts which were used in the *Andy Colby*-Movie. No shop had this Kor-Movie to rent and no shop did know this movie. Many years I watched my old VHS-tapes I had at home, and what a wonder... I had this movie since many years still at home, but the movie had a different title, because in Germany it has 3 or 4 titles. So I was happy to find this tape at home and this time I had much more time in watching *KOR the Conquerer again. The music is great during the hole movie, but the best part of filming in combination with the music is this moment, when KOR is walking drunken through the green forrest. The music in the background had some kind of magic. I like Bo Svenson, and also the boy, who played Simon in the movie. Both of them did their job very good. Manfred Kraatz, Germany, 26.10.2004. Thanks to all for reading my comment.
  • comment
    • Author: Fearlesssinger
    Although i am inclined to agree with the other comments made by people who have seen this movie, i am ashamed to say i rather like it. Not often can such a huge pile of 80s pap be found outside of a Wham! video, so it is most definitely worth a viewing (£0.79 a night in my local store!). Watch out for the insanely obvious seams and zip on the monster's costume, the fact that the 'hero' looks a lot like Keith Chegwin and such classic lines as the following: Evil Wizard-Type Bloke: "At last we meet Kor..." Kor: "Thrilling, isn't it?"

    Amazing!!I also like the fact that although the video box looks quite exciting with images of a castle surrounded by raging seas and a dangerous falcon-like bird carrying a handsome hero to safety (among other such 'interesting and engaging' suggestions of what goes on in the actual film, none of them actually happen. No, I'm not joking...there really isn't a raging sea or a ferocious bird, it's just trying to make you interested...classic in my opinion. This film gets 10 for pure entertainment value!!
  • comment
    • Author: Vetalol
    Standard disclosure: I watched Wizards of the Lost Kingdom courtesy of the new MST3K. I've always prided myself in my ability to separate the movie from the show to give my honest opinion. A movie isn't necessarily bad just because it appeared on MST3K. With all that being said, however, I can honestly say the Wizards of the Lost Kingdom is one steaming pile of monkey poo. The movie tells the story of Simon – a sort of wizard-in-training. Simon's father was killed by the evil Shurka when he took over the kingdom. Simon was sent away for his own protection. Now, Simon, a creature that resembles a commode rug, a garden gnome, and an uninterested, out- of-shape Bo Svenson set off to right the wrongs of Shurka.

    I could write so much about Wizards of the Lost Kingdom, but really, what's the point. The movie is so juvenile, so inept, and so plain old bad that it's not worth the trouble. I suppose if you were under 8 years-old, you might find a little to enjoy. Everything about the movie – acting, special effects, costuming, stunts, humor, lighting, plot, direction, sets, locations – is bottom of the barrel. For the most part, I really didn't care about anyone on screen and whether they lived or died. It's all just so pathetic. I haven't rated the movie a "1" for two reasons. First, I have a soft spot for Bo Svenson. He's not the best, most charismatic actor you'll see, but he's made some movies I really enjoy (Inglorious Bastards, for example). And two, there's something about the way Thom Christopher plays a bad guy – or more accurately, overplays a bad guy – that I can't help but enjoy. While he's not as over-the- top as Shurka he was as Troxartes in Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell, he comes close. I'm not going to say it's a "good" performance, just fun to watch.
  • comment
    • Author: greed style
    This movie is horrible- in a 'so bad it's good' kind of way.

    The storyline is rehashed from so many other films of this kind, that I'm not going to even bother describing it. It's a sword/sorcery picture, has a kid hoping to realize how important he is in this world, has a "nomadic" adventurer, an evil aide/sorcerer, a princess, a hairy creature....you get the point.

    The first time I caught this movie was during a very harsh winter. I don't know why I decided to continue watching it for an extra five minutes before turning the channel, but when I caught site of Gulfax, I decided to stay and watch it until the end.

    Gulfax is a white, furry creature akin to Chewbacca, but not nearly as useful or entertaining to watch. He looks like someone glued a bunch of white shag carpeting together and forced the actor to wear it. There are scenes where it looks like the actor cannot move within, or that he's almost falling over. Although he isn't in the movie that much, the few scenes are worth it! Watch as he attempts to talk smack to Bo Svenson, taking the Solo-Chewbacca comparison's to an even higher level!

    I actually bought this movie just because of that character, and still have it somewhere!

    Gulfax may look like sh!t, but he made this movie!!! The only reason I've never seen the sequel, or even sought it out, was because of his absence! Perhaps should there be a final film, completing the trilogy, Gulfax will make a much-anticipated return!
  • comment
    • Author: Vozuru
    I have to start by telling you how I came across this movie.It was winter time in Alaska around the year 1990.A friend of mine from Australia was staying with me and my girl friend in a shoe box of an apartment.Winters in Alaska can be a bit brutal and most people stay indoors,drink heavily and watch anything that comes on the television.I had found this movie outside of a thrift store laying in a snowbank and right away new it was a treasure.It is quite possibly the best worst movie ever.We spent the next two weeks watching this movie and drinking like fish.We watched it so many times in fact that we would sometimes turn the television on its side or upside down for a more full filling effect.It is a true gem.The laughs will come nonstop and the memories last forever.If you see this movie for rent in a video store,steal it.You won't regret it!
  • comment
    • Author: Eyalanev
    I first saw this film a long time ago, it was pretty bad. But I still liked it. it was entertaining to watch the worst acting possible. Now you may not know this but there was this Adult fantasy film called DeathStalker, and the plot of Wizards of the Lost Kingdom is set as a direct sequel to it. This movie is bad, so bad it's funny. that's why I give it a 5 star cause I enjoy bad movies. They're fun to watch.

    Set after the events of the film DeathStalker, Wizards of the Lost kingdom is a cheaply made movie that even has footage from DeathStalker reedited as part of the movie. The soundtrack however is the best part. By far an original soundtrack, it was actually the soundtrack to Roger Corman's Battle Beyond the Stars by James Horner. It is the only really good thing about this movie. In 1989 a sequel was made and it was even worse.
  • comment
    • Author: Enone
    Only the chosen ones will appreciate the quality of the story and character design of this movie. Superior ancients that dwell in the lands of lore far beyond any average human creature's understanding. This movie pulls the adventure genre into a unique centrifugal magical force of fantasy unto thee mystical crystals of chalice. Stories come and go, but the idea for a good story is to think positive, not negative thoughts. To create a good versus evil battle like never before. Embracing an impounding shimmering process that keeps imagination glowing in one dimension and out the other. Striking a quick flash of energy that transports a human to another world.
  • comment
    • Author: Benn
    According to the page for this swords-and-sorcery disaster, Warriors of the Lost Kingdom was originally made in Argentina. That comes as no real surprise to me, since half of the dialogue doesn't even try to match up with the actors' lip movements. So what else can be said about a movie that everyone else in the world has already mentioned? Well, I guess I'll start off by explaining how I came about this movie. In all fairness, I would have never recognized the title if it had not been for the hilarious review on the Jabootu bad movie Web site. So while scowering the Family section of my local Star Trax video (a B-movie fan's paradise, as I quickly found out), I immediately knew the movie by its title and pictures on the back. Of course, the video cover tries in vain to make this look much more interesting than it actually is, so I weep for the poor kids who rented this wanting a good time. Sorry boys and girls, but this is one stinky Argentinian film that no one could enjoy outside of the camp value. And believe me, this thing has tons of camp. As my friend and I threw comments at the screen, there were numerous moments where our jaws just dropped. That sequed into out and out laughter, as certain elements are simply ridiculous. For example, the "big name actor" here is BO SVENSON. Who, you may ask? Who indeed! He's the only one whose voice isn't dubbed, and he has a thick country accent in a medeival time setting! Of course, nobody else here knows what period of history they're in, either. The villain looks like a pharoah, his minions are Skittle-colored midgets, ninjas, and Arabian nights, and his woman is half mermaid/swamp thing! I'm not going to go into anymore specifics, because this is honestly something you have to experience fresh. So if you're like me and happen to stumble upon this turd, be sure to pick it up if you're in the mood for some insanely bad fun. Truth be told, if Mike and the bots were still around, Wizards of the Lost Kingdom would be a great subject for them to study. 0/4 stars
  • comment
    • Author: Vut
    Oh....I'm not even sure what to say about this thing. Without question, the worst film I've ever viewed in my lifetime. As I watched, my eyes grew larger, my mouth gaped, and drool poured out. I cannot believe stuff like this gets created. People, this was in THEATRES. Imagine PAYING to see this! Oh the humanity.
  • comment
    • Author: Thoginn
    Genuinely jaw-droppingly bad. I disagree with the 'it's so bad that it's good' reviews. This film gets to that perplexing level of meaning dissonance, but just keeps going, exploring unchartered depths of bad film making.
  • comment
    • Author: LØV€ YØỮ
    If somebody wants to make a really, REALLY bad movie, "Wizards of the Lost Kingdom" really sets a yardstick by which to measure the depth of badness.

    Start with the pseudo-Chewbacca that follows around the main character ... Some poor schmuck in a baggy white "furry" costume that looks as if it was stitched together from discarded pieces of carpeting. Work your way slowly, painfully, through more not-so-special effects that thoroughly deny the viewer from suspension of disbelief. Add a garden gnome (just for the heck of it).

    On second thought, skip this movie entirely and find something else to do for an hour and a half.
  • comment
    • Author: Centrizius
    Go immediately and rent this movie. It will be be on a bottom shelf in your local video store and will be covered in dust. No one will have touched it in years. It may even be a $.50 special! It's worth ten bucks, I swear! Buy it! There aren't very many films than can compare with this - the celluloid version of that goo that forms at the bottom of a trash can after a few years. Yes, I gave it a '1,' but it really deserves much lower. 1-10 scales were not designed with stuff like this in mind.
  • comment
    • Author: Thundershaper
    Think of this film as a Saturday morning live-action program from ages ago. Even the small tykes will find this one hard to please because it runs like molasses! I can't fully understand how god awful it is to make something too typical and uninteresting, especially in the costume department! Too many warrior-wizard movies out there have used the same old plotline numerous times over, but this is mighty scarce considering its appeal to the little darlings. And who in the world would've let a topless mermaid be cast in the first place? I thought this was a "family" movie! MST3K, here's another fine gem for your 1999 TV season!
  • comment
    • Author: Xanzay
    Wizards of the Lost Kingdom is a movie about a young prince (Simon) who is banished from his kingdom due to his father (the king) being killed by the cliche "evil adviser". This movie's about Simon's adventures. The special effects, plot, acting, and generally everything about this movie is BAD. However, it's so bad that it's funny. You will keep watching this movie simply because it's so bad it's funny, and, like the other reviewer of the movie said, it's so bad it's good.
  • comment
    • Author: Road.to sliver
    I give this a 10 due to the gales of laughter it provided for my friends and I. Seriously, if you are passionate about films, you should see this when you need a good hearty guffaw!!
  • comment
    • Author: Phain
    This is one of the worst films I have ever seen. The effects looked like stuff I would find in a high school play. The acting was so bad that it felt like you could literally see them reading the script. Most of all the story was so generic that every fucking fantasy story has done it and that instead of being nothing that we have ever seen, it feels like exactly everything that we have ever seen. Such a waste of an hour and a half or my life.
  • comment
    • Author: Jaiarton
    When evil screams throughout the world. When all the galaxies converge. When all that's fair and fine seems lost. A Hero will emerge.

    Ed Naha wrote this film and in retrospect had some humorous things to say: "I don't think this movie was so much shot as it was beaten to death. When they whittled it down to what was useful from the footage, it only ran 58 minutes. Now Roger (Corman) had done a lot of sword-and-sorcery films, and so he told a couple of the editors to pull all they could from them and edit that footage in. So now the finished movie has a 15 or 20-minute prologue that has nothing to do with rest of the film!" Some of the added scenes are obvious, and anyone who knows enough of Corman's work will notice the recycled score and other second-hand pieces. But despite the slap-dash effort, it actually comes out to be a pretty fun movie. Plot inconsistencies, yes, and some silliness, but still plenty of fun... and some rather gnarly monsters and bad guys. Whoever built these props and costumes is first-class.
  • comment
    • Author: asAS
    When I first saw this film I had no idea that it had some kind of connection to Corman's R rated fantasy films. I really like the story how he's this ordinary son of a wizard who possesses powers but also knows how to fight well with a blade it's basically one of the Family oriented films I would almost never forget. Overall I enjoy for what it is however I do wish there would be a little tension to detail for like the plot & the climax.
  • comment
    • Author: Saithi
    I don't usually review films that I've only seen on MST3K. However, WIZARDS OF THE LOST KINGDOM irritated me so much, I've made an exception.

    It's impossible to make a wizard-themed movie without a nod to "Lord of the Rings." However, this film does not merely *nod* to Tolkien. It copies him like the class dunce who copies test answers from the smart kid and still gets them wrong. The story revolves around the teen- aged Simon, who must flee when the good King Tyler (yes, King Tyler) is overthrown by the evil Shurka. Schooled in the art of wizardry, Simon must find the Ring of Magic (to rule them all?) and the Sword of Power to defeat Shurka and reclaim the kingdom (which looks to encompass about a city block of real estate). Accompanying Simon on his quest are Kor the Conqueror (an ostensibly great warrior, though nothing he does in the film proves it), Simon's eight-foot-tall pet Gulfax (who looks like a huge white bathroom rug), and the Forest Wizard Hurla (a dwarf who resembles the Travelocity gnome).

    Everything about this film reeks of incompetence: the writing, the acting, the costumes, the visual effects (no, that dragon's head isn't a hand puppet!), the stunts, the so-called comedy relief, the sets (could those parapets look any more like Styrofoam?), the locations (where did they find such a filthy waterfall?), the directing, the editing….

    Oh yes, the editing! Many scenes felt clipped, which led me to assume the MST3K gang had done some cutting to fit the show's 90-minute time slot. However, IMDb listed the running time as a mere 72 minutes. So the filmmakers themselves were the culprits, which didn't really surprise me.

    Bo Svensson was precisely the wrong choice for a swashbuckling action hero. His Kor is noticeably overweight, his hairline is receding, he has more neck hair than a werewolf, his charisma is slightly lower than a 3rd-shift worker's at a mandatory 9:00 a.m. staff meeting, and he swings his sword in a way that made me think of fly-fishing. Vidal Peterson portrays young Simon in such a way that makes Troy McGreggor of THE FINAL SACRIFICE seem like Harry Potter in comparison. Thom Christopher's Shurka is so carpet-munchingly over the top as to make me wonder if the film was an elaborate prank. As for Gulfax, I saw no reason for his being in the film; he literally does nothing the whole time.

    Amazingly, WIZARDS OF THE LOST KINGDOM spawned a sequel. I'm afraid to watch it, even with the MST3K treatment.
  • comment
    • Author: generation of new
    this got it all, or lacks what every you put it.. very bad acting, very bad costumes, very bad settings, lousy effects, but, still this movie is a perfect example of a movie that is so horribly bad that its awesome..

    i bought this on vhs 3 years ago in a fleamarket among 20 other movies didnt even reflect over this movie i just wanted a terence hill movie and got all tapes dirt cheap if i bought em all...

    put this in the vhs, i got a thing for 80ies fantasy movies...

    this is the only movie i saw, then directly afterwards looked on again, and the day after looked on again... that should tell you something about how cool this movie is... i enjoyed it totally..
  • comment
    • Author: Vathennece
    What we have here is a downright brilliant piece of early 80's incompetence that will render even the biggest connoisseur of trash- cinema completely speechless! "Wizards of the Lost Kingdom" is a very cheap and cheesy fantasy/Sword-and-Sorcery adventure that doesn't have an actual plot but does eagerly & shamelessly borrows elements from other films. Writer Ed Naha and Hector Olivera (who?) watched enough similar type of movies to know that they needed a handful of essential characters, but probably figured that all the rest would follow automatically. In order to make a fantasy-adventure you need: one super- evil villain (preferably with a black cape), one young hero in training, one lone warrior, one amiable type of furry pet, one wise midget living in the woods (optional) and a whole colorful collection of hideous demons, enslaved dwarfs, and winged gargoyles to serve as filler. The story is phenomenal and so original, with Simon the young son of a wizard having to flee from his beloved kingdom after the evil magician Shurka takes over the power and killed the king. Simon wants to go back and save the people, but therefore he needs his powerful ring which he lost during his escape. Simon befriends lone warrior Kor (the usually cool dude Bo Svenson who clearly needed the pay check), who assists Simon during the long and devastating journey full of ordeals, dangerous encounters and magical showdowns. Admittedly it doesn't even sound too bad thus far, but that's merely just because I excluded all the deliciously inept little details. Simon has a best friend named Gulfax, for example. Gulfax is an albino version of Chewbacca and evokes incontrollable chuckles whenever he opens his poodle-snout to yelp something incomprehensible. The obstacles during journey back home are hilariously irrelevant to the "plot" and simply serve as padding footage to cover up the lack of actual content. Simon has nightmarish visions inside the tent of a suspicious forest nymph, Kor settles an old score with the pig-faced nemesis whose sister he refused to marry and there's the supposedly horrible 'suicide cave' where you can only sing your way out of. But the absolute most unequally brilliant sequence – not just of this film alone but in the history of cinema – involves the resurrection of four zombie warriors. Simon awakes the legendary courageous warriors, hoping they will assist them in their battle, but the rotting corpses only take a few steps, complain about how tired they are and return back to their graves. That's it! So much for the zombie sub plot! Best sequence ever! I could go on listing unintentionally hilarious little details for several more paragraphs, but you get the idea. "Wizards of the Lost Kingdom" is a tremendously messed-up "so-bad-it's-good" film. Word of advice: do not watch this joyful piece of junk alone. Invite friends, preferably the dope-headed types with a wicked sense of humor, and watch it in group. It will be a night to remember…
  • comment
    • Author: Malojurus
    Need a lesson in pure, abject failure?? Look no further than "Wizards of the Lost Kingdom", an abysmal, dirt-poor, disgrace of a flick. As we all know, decent moovies tend to sprout horrible, horrible offspring: "Halloween" begat many, many bad 80's slasher flicks; "Mad Max" begat many, many bad 80's "futuristic wasteland fantasy" flicks; and "Conan the Barbarian" begat a whole slew of terrible, horrible, incredibly bad 80's sword-and-sorcery flicks. "Wizards of the Lost Kingdom" scrapes the bottom of that 80's barrel, in a way that's truly insulting to barrels. A young runt named Simon recaptured his "good kingdom" from an evil sorcerer with the help of a mangy rug, a garden gnome, a topless bimbo mermaid, and a tired-looking, pudgy Bo Svenson. Svenson("North Dallas Forty", "Inglorious Bastards", "Delta Force"), a long-time b-moovie muscleman, looks barely able to swing his aluminum foil sword. However, he manages to defeat the forces of evil, which consist of the evil sorcerer, "Shurka", and his army of badly costumed monsters, giants, and midgets. At one point, a paper mache bat on a string attacks, but is eaten by a 1/2 hidden sock puppet, pitifully presented as some sort of dragon. The beginning of the film consists of what can only politely be described as bits of scenes scooped up from the cutting-room floor of udder bad moovies, stitched together in the vain hope of setting the scene for the film, and over-earnestly narrated by some guy who never appears again. Words cannot properly convey the jaw-dropping cheapness of this film; the producers probably spent moore moolah feeding Svenson's ever expanding gullet than on the cheesy fx of this flick. And we're talkin' Brie here, folks... :=8P Director Hector Olivera("Barbarian Queen") presents this mish-mash in a hopelessly confused, confuddled, and cliched manner, destroying any possible hint of clear, linear storytelling. The acting is dreadful, the production levels below shoe-string, and the plot is one tired cliche after another paraded before our weary eyes. That they actually made a sequel(!!!) makes the MooCow's brain whirl. James Horner's("Braveheart", "Titanic","The Rock") cheesy moosic from "Battle Beyond the Stars" was lifted, screaming and kicking, and mercilessly grafted onto this turkey - bet this one doesn't pop up on his resume. Folks, you gotta see this to believe it. The MooCow says as a cheapo rent when there is NOTHING else to watch, well, it's moore fun than watching dust bunnies mate. Barely. :=8P
  • comment
    • Author: Tolrajas
    Deliberately the movie has a plenty scenes of parody of the Conan the Barbarian style films, i've watched this in a BETA videocassette release, i found the end credits full of the bloopers occurred during in filming, Bo Svenson take the matter as a tongue cheek humorous attitude to make this "thrash" movie, added the special effects Ed Wood trademark,for many late adolescents won't take this movie seriously, but a nostalgic feeling comes companies in remember the movie, of course. Not released in cinema, i found this in video if anyone want ask if this movie passed through cinema marquees, never i heard about them, only few scenes cut or may i must say were steal ed was posted in another TV spots in Mexican open TV networks...but this film cab be found in the thrash movies sharing place with Udo Bowel or Allen Smithee films.
  • Cast overview, first billed only:
    Bo Svenson Bo Svenson - Kor
    Vidal Peterson Vidal Peterson - Simon
    Thom Christopher Thom Christopher - Shurka
    Barbara Stock Barbara Stock - Udea
    Maria Socas Maria Socas - Acrasia
    Dolores Michaels Dolores Michaels - Aura
    Edgardo Moreira Edgardo Moreira - Wulfrick / Old Simon / Gulfax (as Edward Morrow)
    Augusto Larreta Augusto Larreta - King Tylor (as August Larreta)
    Michael Fontaine Michael Fontaine - Hurla
    Marcos Woinsky Marcos Woinsky - Rongar (as Mark Welles)
    Marina Magali Marina Magali - Linnea (as Mary Gale)
    Norton Freeman Norton Freeman - Sipra
    Arch Gallo Arch Gallo - Bobino
    Mark Peters Mark Peters - Timmon
    Rick Gallo Rick Gallo - Malkon
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