Analysis
In my early teenage years, there was an enterprising fellow in my hometown that started a mobile video rental business. A quick phone call, and an hour latter he would pull up in his little white van. To save him time, you would normally choose your film from his catalogue before you rang him up, but as I rented a lot of films, I usually just browsed through his latest additions in the gloominess of his van. One movie that I remember renting from our friendly man with the van was Deathstalker 2. It had a typically over the top cover on the box but it caught my eye, so it became my property for the evening.

In the early 80's a lot of film companies were churning out fantasy movies. Titles like Thundarr the Barbarian, The Warrior and the Sorceress, and of course, the mighty Conan the Barbarian, all battling to become the bench mark for fantastical cinema. Unfortunately, a lot of these films were scant on plot and even thinner on production values, but still they had a few redeeming features, mainly the bare breasted damsels in distress.

Deathstalker 2 is the second of a quad of Deathstalker movies. All four films have had the same executive producer, Roger Corman. If you are familiar with Corman's work you will know exactly what to expect. He is said to be the master of low-budget cinema. Just watch Deathstalker 2 and you'll see why. The whole point with Deathstalker 2 (for me anyway) is that it is lightweight, amusing and saucy. On the whole the action scenes involve plastic swords swinging wildly, obviously choreographed by a blind man, and punches missing their target by a good foot but still knocking over the person they were aimed at. The plot is interesting enough to make you want to keep watching and does not make the film seem overly long as a result. A high point for any red blooded B-Movie fan has to be the ladies. Monique Gabrielle, Toni Naples and a whole bunch of extras show some skin through the course of the film. Some might see this as unnecessary rubbish. Believe me, these are the high points of the film, enjoy.

Scenes to watch out for include a scary wrestling match between Deathstalker and a huge woman who can only be described as terrifying. A freaky looking dwarf playing the guitar and an epileptic-fit inducing moment that gave me a headache (especially if you have the lights turned down).

Key Area	Rating (out of 5)	Comment
Action		A few moments to smile at here. Action scenes are attempted but never seem too realistic. General sword play and fighting with most of the SFX budget going on explosions.
Thrills/ Tension		I was rooted to the spot, just waiting for some of the scenery to fall down. A few chase scenes did make me a little edgy and the wrestling woman scared the pants of me.
Violence/ Gore		Tomato ketchup anyone?. Real swords make a bit of a mess when thrust into somebody, plastic ones do not. A slash here and a stab there.
Bare Flesh		Toni Naples shows some front but the lighting flashes so violently, I had to be rushed to A+E. Monique Gabrielle keeps us guessing until the end when she finally disrobes and mounts the smug Deathstalker for a very nice love scene. Other extras disrobe for our pleasure in various ways including mud wrestling and exotic dancing.
Plot		A typical Swords and Sandals affair, but just enough drive to keep it watchable.

Verdict O.K, so you are thinking, "a little bit crap then". But just hold on, try watching whilst a little drunk, or with a bunch of mates or very late at night when nothing else is on the tube. Only then will you get the joke. It's not supposed to be a documentary, it's just for laughs.The ladies are good looking, John Terlesky makes you smile and the action scenes are just down rite hilarious. If it appears in a video rental shops bargain sellout section, buy it.

Hack and slash on a budget. Good fun.