Outlaw of Gor

Remember the long standing controversy over the paperback covers of John Norman's Gor books, which depicted beefy barbarians standing with half-naked women at their feet? Mild-mannered professor Tarl Cabot (Urbano Barberini) is now a living, breathing (but not thinking), creation in this unbelievably cheesy film adaptation of the popular sword-and-sorcery hero. The story line follows Tabot's quest to foil the evil queen Lara and her sorcerer Zeno's (a deadpan performance by Jack Palance) bid to takeover the planet Gor--but who cares? Incredibly bad acting, insufferably stupid dialogue, and laughable set decoration (grunting hunks do battle with cardboard swords in a plastic castle) are the order of the day. The highlight of the film is a reverse angle shot from the window of the castle, where you can clearly see, off in the distance, an aluminum silo and a farmhouse--a bit of an anomaly on this medieval planet. Not recommended. (R. Pitman)