It seems these days that every popular IP has already been remade or rebooted, so filmmakers are having to scrape the bottom of the barrel. However, Steven Kostanski’s Deathstalker doesn’t feel like a cash grab — not that the original Corman-produced film was ever that popular or well-regarded to begin with — thanks to the visible passion on display from everyone in the cast and crew.
Deathstalker Review
This reboot follows the eponymous antihero, a former soldier who answers to no man, as he sets out on a quest to free himself from a curse he got from stealing a dying soldier’s amulet. Along the way, he and his trusty companions fight all kinds of opponents who are hunting for the amulet. If this sounds like a fairly standard fantasy action flick, that’s because it is, but Kostanski manages to hit the perfect balance of nostalgia with his reimagining of this so-bad-it’s-good cult classic.
Deathstalker moves along at an incredibly quick pace through its 100-minute runtime thanks to an effective use of its action sequences. The story is quite minimalistic — essentially a mere frame to kick off our protagonist’s hero’s journey — but the action sequences are so propulsive and shockingly unrepetitive that audiences will be invested.
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That’s not to say there is no emotional investment in Deathstalker — even though all of the characters are blatant archetypes, Kostanski does a good job of developing their relationships with one another to make viewers root for them and care about their fate. He also does a great job of creating a fun rogues gallery for our heroes to battle, as giving us someone to root against is just as powerful as having someone to root for.
One of Deathstalker’s biggest strengths is its lead actor, Daniel Bernhardt, who gives a much better performance than your typical action leading man. His background as a stuntman (having worked on franchises including John Wick and The Matrix) lends him the physicality, but a key characteristic that he brings to his role here is personality. Lots of actors can deliver silly one-liners in between fight sequences, but Bernhardt also manages to infuse a much-needed humanity into the character that makes him a more compelling hero.
Voicing Deathstalker’s sidekick, Doodad, is comedian Patton Oswalt, who is very much in his element as the comedic relief. In fact, the casting is almost too on-the-nose. However, there is a significant disconnect between Oswalt’s voice performance and Laurie Field’s stand-in performance. The character’s mouth barely moves, making it almost distractingly obvious that the voice and person don’t match up. Although this may be a purposeful attempt at camp, it does create a bit of distance.
Apart from that, though, the film’s use of practical effects is extremely impressive, especially for a modern day action movie. Steven Kostanski’s past few films, including Frankie Freako and Psycho Goreman, have extensively used old-school techniques like puppetry and practical gore, and Deathstalker continues that trend. When combined with outstanding production design and costuming, you have a very effective throwback to the scrappy origins of the franchise that also feels distinctively its own.
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The other aspect of the film that’s impressive is its fight choreography. Sword-and-sorcery films can often be a little lazy with their action, substituting scale for creativity, but Deathstalker’s independent origins (along with Bernhardt’s martial arts experience) do it wonders. Even more awe-inspiring is the amount of different fighting styles that the film integrates, with each antagonist essentially feeling like a unique segment.
Is Deathstalker worth watching?
Ultimately, Deathstalker is much better than a remake of a not-very-good Conan the Barbarian knock-off has any right to be. Boasting great effects work, creative fight sequences, and clear love from everyone involved, this is the delightful reboot we didn’t know we needed.
Deathstalker screened at the 2025 edition of Fantastic Fest, which runs September 18-25 in Austin, TX.
