Starring
Reb Brown, Corinne Clery, Luciano Pigozzi, Carole Andre, John
Steiner, Ayshe Gul. Directed by Antonio Margheriti. (1983, 89 min).
"YOOOOOOR!!!!!"
the opening theme song cries out, evoking fleeting memories of
Queen as the title flashes across the screen. Cheekily called "Yor's
World," it ranks right up there with "Beware of the Blob"
as one of the daffiest themes of all time. If that doesn't put a
silly grin on your face, nothing will.
I
suppose it helps if you're of a certain age, one who fondly recalls
coming across titles like Yor, the Hunter from the Future at
the local mom & pop video store. On the sci-fi/horror shelves,
battered VHS boxes of titles you've never heard of far-outnumbered
the blockbusters and classics. Most were made by earnest filmmakers
of questionable talent who threw themselves on the flaming sword of
good taste in vain efforts to create filet mignon on a peanut butter
& jelly budget.
A
surprising number of these would-be epics hailed from overseas,
mostly Italy. Back then, there was nary a genre the Italians couldn't
knock-off faster and cheaper. A few of 'em were so endearingly
bad that they were embraced by enough fringe fans to become cult classics. So for some, this 35th Anniversary Blu-Ray
release of Yor, the Hunter from the Future will be a glorious
blast from the past (you know who you are).
 |
| Party on, Garth. |
Reb
Brown - sporting a lioncloth, Garth Algar wig and two facial
expressions (grim determination & an aw-shucks grin) - stars as the titular
character, roaming an ancient wilderness on a quest to discover his
origins. Along the way, Yor battles beasties, squares-off against
blue-skinned cave-dwellers and saves a few grateful tribes of
helpless idiots. He even finds time to swap spit with a couple of scantily
clad barbarian babes (who fight each other for his affections...one
of Yor's many high-camp highlights). This all happens before
an advanced civilization led by The Overlord shows up,
lasers blazing, to spoil the party.
But
the party is just getting started. For the uninitiated, Yor
must be seen to be believed, playing like an attempted mash-up of
Conan the Barbarian and Flash Gordon (which might also
explain the song). Nearly every aspect of the film - on both sides of
the camera, including the music - is gloriously godawful. But unlike
bad movies of today, which often wrap laziness & ineptitude in a
shroud of self-awareness, we feel everyone involved was completely
convinced they were truly making a great movie. They did do one thing
right...casting Corinne Clery, who I could stare at all damn day.
 |
| Yor's best special effect. |
If
Yor aired on Netflix today, I doubt most newbies would make it
through the opening credits before quitting. But in the VHS era (when
Yor loomed large), we had to live with our viewing choices and were more willing to stick with 'em 'till the end. Revisiting the
film decades later brings back fond memories of prowling video
store shelves, choosing titles based on their cover and having a
rollicking good time at a movie's expense. Those were great days and Yor is a great reminder.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
AUDIO
COMMENTARY - By Reb Brown
TRAILER
KITTY CONSENSUS:
PURR-R-R...A GOOFY GOOD TIME
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