Ator the Fighting Eagle

Starring:Ator the Fighting Eagle
Studio: Legacy Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Cheese classic marred by shoddy disc release
"Unable to Read Disc"
"The earth trembles like a virgin being drawn to the nuptial bed..."
Not uncut
Beware the Kingdom of the Spider

Ator the Fighting Eagle
Starring: Miles O'Keeffe , and Sabrina Siani
Manufacturer: Legacy Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001YSGWY
Release Date: 2005-03-01

Customer Reviews:

Cheese classic marred by shoddy disc release.......2007-05-08

Love him or hate him, Joe D'Amato's contributions to the world of sleaze cinema have attained legendary status. He's the Italian director responsible for unleashing monstrosities like "Anthropophagous," "Erotic Nights of the Living Dead," "Zombie 5: Killing Birds," and "Beyond the Darkness" on an unsuspecting public. He also gave us such classics as "Endgame," "The Arena," and "Black Cobra". I could go on and on, citing example after example from D'Amato's extensive filmography. He made a raft of Emanuelle films, most of them starring exploitation favorite Laura Gemser. Spaghetti Westerns, action films, gorefests--D'Amato easily moved from genre to genre during his long career. By the time he passed away in 1999 from a massive heart attack, the man had moved into making cheap adult films. Despite his popularity amongst b-movie aficionados, most of his films still haven't found their way to DVD. That stinks, but it also means his fans move quickly when they see one of his films on disc. And here I am reviewing a classic D'Amato film, the underwhelming sword and sandal flick "Ator the Fighting Eagle". I actually saw this in the movie theater back in the early 1980s. I'm amazed it received a theatrical run.

Why? Because Joe D'Amato's "Ator the Fighting Eagle" stinks. Big time. The fact that a few sequels exist doesn't remove the stain this initial effort left in my DVD player. They'd leave a stain, too. Since I'm a fan, though, I waded right in and watched the adventures of Ator unfold in especially inept fashion. Ator (Miles O'Keefe) is born into a frightening world presided over by some evil dude that likes to play with spiders. His birth heralds the countdown to some sort of prophecy that calls for Ator to grow up and destroy spider dude, so a mysterious man spirits the child away to another village where anonymity will presumably protect the waif from evil soldiers. Our hero grows up not knowing anything about the prophecy. He just likes to play with bear cubs and make eyes at his sister Sunya (Ritza Brown). Beefy Ator doesn't understand that brother and sister shouldn't marry (!), but fortunately he learns from his adopted father, Griba (Edmund Purdom), that Sunya isn't his real sister. Whew! Before the marriage unfolds, soldiers sweep into the village and slaughter most of the inhabitants. Poor Sunya disappears in the melee. Now Ator must go forth and fulfill his destiny.

Remember that mysterious man who intervened to save Ator. He pops up again just in time to give our hero a quickie five minute lesson on swordsmanship and spout off some cryptic mumbo jumbo about the prophecy. Fun. Then Ator hooks up with a sexy, Amazon-type warrior chick named Roon (Sabrina Siani) for further adventures. For example, they wander into the lair of the treacherous sorceress Indun (Laura Gemser) and must defeat her with an object incredibly found just two feet away from Indun. Then Ator and Roon head off to find a magical shield. It won't be easy to discover this item--it'll cost all of five dollars in special effects work to make it happen. This part of the quest (I was also on a quest during this film. Just call me "Seeker of the Credit Sequence".) sees the dynamic duo sneaking past a bunch of blind guards so Ator can pick up the shield and battle his own shadow. Now we're ready for the final showdown, which involves Ator rescuing his beloved from a huge spider web (you won't believe what they used for the web), killing spider dude, and battling a giant arachnid made out of vacuum cleaner hoses and cardboard.

"Ator the Fighting Eagle" is a laugh a minute classic, a movie that falls squarely in the "It's so bad I'll have to drink all night to make it good" category. The dialogue achieves heights of stupidity on a scale so titanic that human reason cannot fathom its dimensions. The costumes elicit snorts of derision. The performances, well, let's just say I've seen better acting from a bag of hammers. What else? Oh yeah--for some reason the movie ends with stock footage of a volcanic eruption that looks interesting but has nothing to do with the plot whatsoever. I suspect someone, probably D'Amato, threw it in to pad out the runtime. It's the only explanation I can think of at this point. The only positives in the film are Ritza Brown and Sabrina Siani. Both are really hot, and it's nice to see them running around in skimpy outfits showing off those toned bodies. The bear cub, a major character in the film and the only one who should ever make another movie, is cute but overdone. Yep, babes and a bear cub are the only elements that move this movie closer to the conclusion. Gawd help us all!

A few notes on the DVD version of D'Amato's sword and sandal epic. Just like the movie, the DVD version stinketh greatly. The unpleasant odor wafting into your nostrils is the realization that the distribution company responsible for bringing this classic out on disc refused to spend a cent on bringing the flick up to presentable audio and visual standards. Since I own a copy of this movie on VHS (I freely admit it), I realized quite quickly that the DVD version resembles the grainy and washed out videotape version. Yes sir, it looks like someone pulled a quick one in order to make a buck; they simply burned the VHS version on a disc and called it a day. I can't really blame them, but I'd rather see restored versions of all the Ator films in a box set. What can I say? I've fond memories of this junk film and like reliving my childhood from time to time. I'm also a D'Amato fan. If you like crud like I like crud, you'll want to give this one a watch soon. Have fun!

"Unable to Read Disc".......2006-10-06

This is what I saw approximately two minutes before the end credits. I worked hard to watch (yes, watching a movie this bad is indeed hard work) all the way from Chapter 1 of the scene selection to Chapter 12, and "Unable to Read Disc" came up right in the middle of Chapter 12. Ator killed the big puppet spider, and immediately after the start of Roon's death scene, the DVD failed. I was cheated out of an ending.

Not that it really matters. What ending could possibly satisfy anybody who's watched more than 15 minutes of this junk? If you've seen Cave Dwellers or Ator the Invincible, you know what I'm talking about. Loads and loads of padding facilitated by slow movement of actors and pauses in dialogue.

Ator's supposed to be some kind of Jesus figure prophesied by holy scriptures to cause the downfall of the Spider Kingdom. The black knights of the kingdom seek his life of course, but he's protected by a fellow named Greeba (I think) as a baby. Then he's given to a set of foster parents. When he's grown up, he falls in love with his foster sister, and they get married. During the ceremony the black knights capture her, and Ator goes on a quest for revenge.

Ator meets with Roon (one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen) who agrees to help him on his quest in return for a portion of the treasure of the Spider King. Ator and Roon fight black knights, bypass blind warriors, cross through a (rather sunny) land of the undead, and fight mythical shadows born from cheap special effects before they reach the Temple of the Spider. The Spider King is rather easy to defeat. He explodes when a mirror shield is shined on him. After a horribly executed Greeba-turns-villian plot twist, Ator kills the puppet spider in a very long yet highly uneventful scene, then rescues his sister/woman, and I don't know what happens after that.

I know I had Cave Dwellers fever when I bought this thing, but still, what the heck was I thinking?

Another problem I had with the DVD (besides it dying out on me at the end of the movie) was that its music was too loud and its dialogue was too quiet. I really had to have the remote control's volume button handy while watching this thing.

Avoid at all costs, even if you are a huge MST3K/Ator fan.

"The earth trembles like a virgin being drawn to the nuptial bed...".......2006-04-04

Yes, the above is an actual line of dialogue from this little stinker. The most priceless dialogue exchange, however, comes in the first ten minutes of the film:

ATOR: (to Sunya, his love interest) I love you.
SUNYA: And I love you.
ATOR: Why can't we marry?
SUNYA: Ator, we are brother and sister.
ATOR: (pauses, presumably so the audience can close their mouths) I'll talk with our father.

Thankfully (?!), Ator narrowly escapes being the village's creepy, sister-lovin' freak on the technicality that he is actually ADOPTED, and therefore not actually related to Sunya! Ator's adopted father, not at all weirded out by Ator's, er, affection for his daughter, immediately throws a big wedding for the two lovebirds. Unfortunately, their village is raided by the henchmen of some creepy dude who likes to pet tarantulas all day---hmm, perhaps he's the "Grand Priest of the Spider" mentioned on the box?---and Sunya is kidnapped! Now we must join Ator, he of the furry boots and horribly teased blonde mane, as he fights to rescue his bride and defeat the evil of the Main Evil Guy!

I don't know how the director / writers managed it, but I was bored stiff by this film, despite the incest angle and the fact that they threw in all the sword-and-sorcery plot points that could possibly exist: evil, seductive sorceresses, giant spiders, fair young maiden kidnappings, village slaughterings, walking dead, cutesy animal sidekicks, magical swords, helpful thieves, etc.

Despite all this, the only time I was genuinely interested in the movie was when Keeog, Ator's insanely adorable bear cub sidekick (shades of "Beastmaster," much?), was in action. And believe me, the poor thing was in action for most of the movie! He does more than Ator and his Amazon traveling companion combined! I'm sure someone somewhere has already concocted a suitable drinking game for this...i.e., every time Keeog appears for no apparent reason, take a sip. Every time Keeog saves someone's butt, take a shot. I imagine you will be very, very drunk before the credits start rolling...

Anyways, as you've probably guessed by now, the movie is pretty damn terrible, mostly due to the overly convoluted plot (?) and Miles O'Keefe's "I'm-either-thinking-or-terribly-constipated" stare. Recommended only if you are a die-hard fan of sword-and-sorcery flicks, or if you need something to mock over beers with the buddies, MST3K-style.

Not uncut.......2006-02-13

The american version from Ator the fighting eagle is not uncut. On the case of this DVD is written, that this movie has an running time of 98 minutes. This movie is five minutes shorter.
I have found two cuted scenes in this movie.
1. Roon and Ator are running away from the undead. One of them are hidden and catch the amazon. He struggle the woman but Ator is able to help her. Roon said in the german FSK 16 version: "Danke! Schon wieder hast du mein leben gerettet." Translated: "Thank you. You have saved my live again."
2. The last fight Roon against five black knights is probably also cut but I don't now it certainly.
It is pity, that this movie is cut. The uncut version would be better and more interesting.
The story was to short and the script writer hasn't very much good ideas. A better story and this movie would be better.

Beware the Kingdom of the Spider.......2005-05-05

Miles O'Keefe stars as the title character in this Conan rip-off. Ator is the prophesied son of a god and destined to destroy the Ancient One. But his future and the mark of his destiny have been hidden by a mysterious warrior. On his wedding day, Ator witnesses the destruction of his village by the Black Knights, warriors from the Kingdom of the Spider. His bride has been taken captive and Ator swears he will rescue her.

Ator has a one track mind in his quest to rescue his bride. He trains with the mysterious warrior and sets out to the rescue. The evil kingdom is headed by a strange priest who likes to stroke tarantulas. Oddly enough, even though it is the Kingdom of the Spider, their symbol seems to be an eagle. Meanwhile Ator gets closer and closer and goes through typical sword & Sorcery trials until the final confrontation with one of the worst special effects in film history.

Miles may have a good build, but his hair has got to go in this movie. He keeps looking like he is in drag. During the wedding scene we see some very well executed dancing only to move right into badly executed fighting. This is also the only film I have ever seen where a victim is tied, actually tied with rope, to a spider web (what, it's not sticky?). In the end some viewers will have had fun with this one, either with heckling it or just outright laughing at it. But if you are looking for good Sword & Sorcery, this one is laughable at best.

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