I’m absolutely flabbergasted about how I missed Prince Valiant when it came out in 1997. I would have been in college at the time and certainly would have checked it out.

I guess I shouldn’t feel too bad though as it seems it was released in theaters mainly in Germany and a few other countries. The film had German producers (who apparently recut the film before the director could see it) so I understand the release to Germany. But why no release to the U.S. until 1998 as a video?

Well the short answer is that it’s not a particularly good film. It general level of quality, it’s a little worse Excalibur and Ladyhawke. It has a less compelling story than both, and it’s intended to be more humorous than either. But in general terms of quality it sits awfully close to them. The trouble is that it was made more than ten years after both those films and about ten years after the superior Willow and Legend. In fact, it released the same year as Dragonheart and a year before Kull the Conqueror, which turn out to be pretty stiff competition by comparison.

Despite a strong cast (Ron Pearlman, Warwick Davis, Katherine Heigl, Stephen Moyer, Joanna Lumley) the movie was destined to fail. While ostensibly based upon Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant comic series, it bears little resemblance despite the admirable inclusion of dissolves between scenes being handled by animated comics done in Foster’s style. The script is schizophrenic between comedy and seriousness. The ever-present score is both appropriately adventurous and inappropriately obvious in every scene. Despite many fights, there’s never a drop of bloodshed . . . even when someone is impaled upon the blunt hilt of Excalibur! There’s no nudity at all except for a purely gratuitous shot of Katherine Heigl’s rear as she emerges from a bath. It’s all a bit of mishmash.

Apparently the director wanted more comedic scenes in the film to establish its tone. That’s fair enough, but he also apparently wanted more religious imagery, which makes me think maybe the Germans were right to keep him away from the final cut.

Ultimately—despite all its flaws—it’s a fairly fun romp worth watching on a rainy day. Add to that the fact that it can be a bit of a pain to get a hold of (my copy is Dutch and I switched the regions on my Mac to watch it), and it becomes a fantasy film you should watch if you get a chance.

Final Rating:
WATCH