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This rating is not a reflection on how "good" "Ator l'invincibile" is; admittedly, it's a cheap, cheesy 'n' clunky "Conan the Barbarian" Italian made imitation designed to cash in on the success of that film. The rating applies to the entertainment value, which is fairly substantial, unintended laughs and all. Beefy Miles O'Keeffe, then riding high after making an impression in "Tarzan, the Ape Man", plays the title character, a warrior who, it has been prophesied, will rise up and vanquish an evil ruler, the High Priest of the Spider, played by Dakar, whom you'll recognize from "Zombi 2" and "Dr. Butcher, M.D." The priests' henchmen have snatched Ator's luscious would be bride Sunya (Ritza Brown), whom he was led to believe is his sister (!). Fortunately, as he goes on a quest where he's never ever challenged to a great degree, he acquires an equally delectable travelling companion, Roon (Sabrina Siani), who's only interested in treasure seeking. From the predictably tacky special effects (we can clearly see the wires manipulating the legs of the giant spider at the end) to the skimpy costumes on the ladies to that hilariously ridiculous end credits song on the American print, "Ator l'invincibile" (or "Ator the Fighting Eagle" as it's known in the U.S.) is agreeable if not outstanding genre entertainment. It's obviously more for the kiddies than the older viewers; one can hardly fail to notice that it's really rather tame, which is especially surprising considering the other, very adult titles on director Joe D'Amato's resume. There's even a little shameless button pushing in giving Ator a constant animal companion in the form of an adorable bear cub. However, even though this is therefore not going to appeal to some people, it's still hard not to like, as it stumbles its way through its 93 minute running time. O'Keefe and Siani may not be the most expressive actors in the business, but when they look the way they do, it's hard to imagine too many people complaining. Adding to the fun are the appearances of other familiar faces from exploitation cinema: Edmund Purdom ("Pieces") as Griba, who gives Ator all important advice and training, and the ever stunning Laura Gemser as Indun, the temptress (annoyingly, this character is never properly paid off). They all make this easy enough to watch, even though this is also easy enough to forget. Followed by three sequels, with O'Keeffe returning for two of them. Six out of 10.
score 6/10
Hey_Sweden 30 August 2012
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2666729/ |
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6-4-2021 06:47:05