Other watchers of Archer: Fugitive from the Empire comment harshly about its dated special effects, not being really focused overall, average acting, etc. I believe they're lost to the Content and the Context of the movie's premise, target audience, and production values which made it a forerunner for later TV shows.
1. It's a Sword & Sorcery Fantasy movie - our young hero is a rebel to his father, he uses a super-powered bow, his sidekick is a thief, he has semi-sexual tension going on with a rival sorceress.
2. In the 1980's - the special effects, costumes, and makeup were very advanced. The armor & weapons were sturdier than a lot of the other films at the time. The snake-men makeup and their ability to rise suddenly from the ground was similar to the Terrians found in the later short-lived TV science fiction series, Earth 2.
3. Like other movies and TV shows, the quest is the main theme. The hero, sidekick, and love-interest always have their quirks. If it's too obvious, the watcher loses interest - if too vague, we become lost to the plot line. This movie gave us several subplots: hero coming of age, prevent an invasion, rescue persecuted villagers & citizens, fight off the bad guy (who's so much like Darth Vader), and of course - search for your Mentor (who's like Obi-Wan Kenobi).
4. Archer intrigues the viewer not by today's measurements of story-arc, pilot episode allure, best computer/explosion/gore effects. It makes the viewer wonder what amazing twist is going to happen in a subtle way apart from the obvious Fantasy movie stereotypes (just like Heroes did every week). The target audience in the 1980's were mostly teenagers and college guys who were into Star Wars, Conan, etc. Every critic I've read of seems to want a straight-forward action/adventure movie to play out like a Shakespeare drama with intensity. I think Archer did its job of making me wish I could be the Hero as I sat in my seat enjoying my popcorn and soda!!
5. I have this movie in VHS video format - wish I could get it as a DVD. Even after all these years, I watch it late at night and weekends just to see enjoy the adventure as a teenager in a grown-man's body!
1. It's a Sword & Sorcery Fantasy movie - our young hero is a rebel to his father, he uses a super-powered bow, his sidekick is a thief, he has semi-sexual tension going on with a rival sorceress.
2. In the 1980's - the special effects, costumes, and makeup were very advanced. The armor & weapons were sturdier than a lot of the other films at the time. The snake-men makeup and their ability to rise suddenly from the ground was similar to the Terrians found in the later short-lived TV science fiction series, Earth 2.
3. Like other movies and TV shows, the quest is the main theme. The hero, sidekick, and love-interest always have their quirks. If it's too obvious, the watcher loses interest - if too vague, we become lost to the plot line. This movie gave us several subplots: hero coming of age, prevent an invasion, rescue persecuted villagers & citizens, fight off the bad guy (who's so much like Darth Vader), and of course - search for your Mentor (who's like Obi-Wan Kenobi).
4. Archer intrigues the viewer not by today's measurements of story-arc, pilot episode allure, best computer/explosion/gore effects. It makes the viewer wonder what amazing twist is going to happen in a subtle way apart from the obvious Fantasy movie stereotypes (just like Heroes did every week). The target audience in the 1980's were mostly teenagers and college guys who were into Star Wars, Conan, etc. Every critic I've read of seems to want a straight-forward action/adventure movie to play out like a Shakespeare drama with intensity. I think Archer did its job of making me wish I could be the Hero as I sat in my seat enjoying my popcorn and soda!!
5. I have this movie in VHS video format - wish I could get it as a DVD. Even after all these years, I watch it late at night and weekends just to see enjoy the adventure as a teenager in a grown-man's body!