Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Iron Warrior Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 22, 2019

After directing two features concerning the exploits of Ator, a barbarian-style warrior in a barren fantasy land, director Joe D’Amato elected to stand down as the guide on this B-movie tour. 1987’s “Iron Warrior” returns to the world of Ator and his sluggish instincts, with Alfonso Brescia taking control of the franchise, making his mark by changing almost everything about the saga, with the exception of actor Miles O’Keeffe, who’s called in to do the hunky adventurer routine for another round of swordfights and princess rescue. Changing what wasn’t really working to begin with isn’t a problem, but Brescia goes above and beyond with “Iron Warrior,” using this chance to craft a surreal odyssey into pure filmmaking, shedding logic, continuity, and storytelling to mount a semi-psychedelic exploration of witchcraft and Saturday matinee-style peril. There are numerous cinema tributes (or rip-offs) as well, keeping the viewing experience compelling as the helmer liberally takes from others while attempting to generate the most freewheeling Ator extravaganza yet.

A powerful witch capable of extreme destruction, Phoedra (Elisabeth Kaza) has been banished from her homeland for 18 years after kidnapping a young boy, with guardian Deeva (Iris Peynado) trusting that the isolation will calm the criminal’s mind. Nearly two decades later, Phoedra has returned, angrier than ever, joined by her enforcer, Trogar (Franco Daddi), a masked swordsman who knows no mercy. Determined to destroy everything, Phoedra turns her attention to Princess Janna (Savina Gersak), making plans to kill the young woman and claim power over the kingdom. Called into duty is Ator (Miles O’Keeffe), an expert warrior who’s tasked with saving and protecting Janna, frequently clashing with Trogar as he makes his way across the land, focusing on defeating Phoedra before she realizes her evil plans.

“Iron Warrior” gets rid of series continuity, reworking Ator’s origin and attitude for the second sequel. It’s not a radical departure, as there’s only so much one can do with the basic ingredients of barbarian filmmaking in Italy, but there’s enough of a change for a fresh start. It takes some time before Ator joins the festivities, with Phoedra’s wicked ways a top priority for the screenplay, which tries to identify her quest for control using black magic, ultimately crossing a line with a kidnapping, which disturbs the balance of the kingdom, forcing Deeva to banish her for what’s really a short period of time. Brescia isn’t shy about lifting idea from other pictures, and he steals from “Superman” here, finding Phoedra trapped by spinning hula hoops while the elder witches of the kingdom are projected behind her, offering their judgement. It’s startling to see, but Brescia’s only getting warmed up with his homages(?), eventually including imagery from “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Star Wars,” and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” with Ator and Janna caught on a compromised rope bridge, forced to survive a fall and battle their way to safety.

The plot is fairly thin, with Deeva going on about the retrieval of the Golden Chest of the Ancients, which might offer total power to anyone who possesses it, but that’s not clear. Phoedra is trying to infiltrate the King’s court, often using her shape-shifting abilities to resemble Janna, but she chooses to employ the body of a temptress, perhaps wisely using sexual appeal to topple men. She even beds Ator this way, with our hero not above sleeping with strangers. Phoedra appears to be very powerful and dangerous, but the screenplay doesn’t gift her a chance for a direct attack. Instead, she fiddles around with hallucinations, giving Brescia a chance to work on his MTV lighting schemes and dreamscape visits, as the characters often slip in and out of reality.

The mind-melt aspects of “Iron Warrior” are highly bizarre and make no sense, but they provide a banal mission with needed weirdness, keeping viewers in a fog as random encounters explode into random battles, watching at Ator and Trogar clash on a few occasions, with the silver-skull- wearing enforcer unable to defeat his shirtless opponent, despite having advantages in size and magical ability. And there’s Janna, who ping-pongs between capable heroine and damsel in distress, never quite settling on a mode of desperation. Granted, asking for complete characterization from this production is futile, but it’s strange to watch the princess fumble one second and slay the next. The helmer isn’t paying attention to the part, often showing more interest in the wetness and sheerness of outfits, hoping to add some sellable titillation.

As for Ator, he remains posed and oiled, with O’Keeffe capably playing the part of an action figure. The mercenary comes up against a most elusive evil in “Iron Warrior,” but the acting basically remains the same throughout, as Brescia never pushes his cast too much when it comes to emotion. The lone exception is Kaza as Phoedra, who digs into the witch’s malevolent ways, making a meal out of a role, which largely requires her to scrunch up her face and yell at her fellow actors.

Iron Warrior Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

"Iron Warrior" opens with a disclaimer from Scorpion Releasing, who share that the AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation was built from the "best available elements" from the MGM vault. While it doesn't offer a new scan, the viewing experience remains communicative and bright, with adequate detail on ornate costuming, supplying rougher leather outfits and preserving ample sheerness on many of the female characters. Facial surfaces are passable, and while softness is present, a reasonable view of age and makeup is provided. Colors are a tad fatigued but do well overall, offering blue skies and rainbow attire. Greenery is comfortable, and skintones are natural. Delineation is acceptable. Source has a few speckle storms, but no significant stretches of damage.

Iron Warrior Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is mostly likely where Scorpion ran into the most difficulty when putting this disc together. While dubbed dialogue exchanges are passable, mostly dealing with passive performances in a fantasy setting, scoring comes through very strange, with a warped, compressed sound that carries throughout the listening event. Music isn't strong, but it's loud, occasionally overwhelming the acting, delivering a heavy synth presence. My only point of reference for "Iron Warrior" is a YouTube video, which presents the movie with traditional clarity and consistency.

Iron Warrior Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (1:30, SD) is included.

Iron Warrior Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Action is common in "Iron Warrior," with Ator often squaring off against his enemies, using his strength and timing to destroy attackers. Brescia goes broad with some near-death experiences (the best being Janna's sprint away from rolling, explosive boulders), but he rarely pauses to assess the puzzling plot, which is probably for the best. The journey takes Ator across the land, visiting a village of dead bodies (which is actually the Sweethaven set from "Popeye"), and into a submerged island, where he faces the true might of Phoedra. Climatic events are underwhelming, downright bewildering, but at least there's movement, with Brescia taking this creative opportunity to chase whims and recycle favorite scenes from beloved movies. It's not a cohesive endeavor, but "Iron Warrior" is nearly experimental in execution, becoming an art-house take on barbarian power.