Eye Candy #479 - "Gor"

Gor:  A prime example of the low-budget macho male escapist fantasy action films that populated the 1980’s after the success of the superior “Conan the Barbarian”, replete with scantily clad women and swords.  “Ator the Fighting Eagle” and ”The Sword and the Sorcerer” are also solid examples of the sub-genre.  Don’t get me wrong - I love some of these movies, like “Krull” and “Beastmaster”, but it’s not unfair to say that most of them were pretty terrible.  This one is based on the Gor novels of John Norman, focusing on the (mis)adventures of Tarl Cabot, a contemporary American who finds himself transported to Gor (a la John Carter), where he runs afoul of Sarm (played by Oliver Reed in a really ridiculous helmet and over-acting his rear off).  Ending up with some of the local inhabitants, they bring Cabot along though he appears to be almost completely inept and anything he accomplishes is in spite of himself, rather than because of himself.  Paul L. (Bluto) Smith co-stars, as does Playboy Playmate Rebecca Ferratti, playing the part of the sexually-objectified woman sidekick.  Third-billed Jack Palance appears in all of 5 minutes of the film as a set-up for its sequel.  Overdubbing, bad acting, and positively sedentary action scenes abound.  Nothing redeeming here, whatsoever.  Woodchuck sez, “Avoid!”