Michael's Kevin Sorbo Review

The script for "Kull the Conqueror" changed hands and underwent revision. In March of 1998 Charles Pogue, the original scriptwriter, came across this Web site and he sent me some email. After reading what he had to say, I pointed out that I was merely posting second-hand information which I could "confirm" through independent sources. I felt uncomfortable with the idea of changing the Web site based on a single person's point of view, even if that person had first-hand knowledge of the situation.

I will however make this point: the demographic for Hercules: the Legendary Journeys is clearly not as Mr. Pogue describes it, but even Universal has grossly miscalculated about the nature of its audience and underrated us. Mr. Pogue's comments are, for me, forgiveable because of his strong feelings about an apparently bitter experience and because I don't believe he has been involved with Herkuleans. His knowledge of Kevin's fandom (and audience) is thus not based on personal experience.

I recently read your review/assessment of KULL THE CONQUEROR. As the screenwriter of the original Conan III movie that it was based on and of KULL THE CONQUEROR (before it was ripped asunder by another writer and dumbed down to the comprehension level of an eight year old), I must take issue with you when you say that Kevin Sorbo had no culpability in the decisions that undermined the screenplay and took it away from its Howardian roots. I was told very specifically by executives at Universal that 1) Mr. Sorbo would not do an R rated movie, which the original would have been, because he wanted to be able to make the whole thing palatable for his young 8-12 yr. old demographic. Given that script had very sexual and darkly violent themes which embraced Robert Howard's style, this decision more than any other undercut the entire mature aspect of the movie.

Instead of going for a new and wider audience and embracing the film's core audience -- the Howard and SF/Fantasy fans, Mr. Sorbo limited himself to appeasing his TV audience, which given the dreadful box-office (6.9 million worldwide), proves that people will not pay eight bucks to see in a theatre what they can get for free on TV.

But mostly, you can not squeeze the essence of Howard into the restricting framework of a Hercules episode. This was a mature, highly-praised script. But after hacks got through trying to deconstruct it down to a kiddie adventure (which it even fails at...it is a juggernaut of illogic and bad acting), what was supposed to be a thinking man's swashbuckler, Conan by way of Spartacus, became Conan by way of Red Sonja.

I was also told by Universal (since I was not permitted to meet with Mr. Sorbo...despite the fact, at the time, we shared the same agency) that he felt that the women characters overshadowed his role and he wanted them winnowed back, hence both went from very complex characters to basic stereotypes...damsel in distress and evil witch.

It's a pity. Mr. Sorbo had the chops for the part. But instead of wanting to stretch as an actor into new arenas, he chose to play it safe and rely on the tried and true...despite the fact those choices were utterly wrong for the character and piece of material. Universal and Raffaella De Laurentiis must also share the blame for wanting to cash in on a trend (that was never a movie trend) and kowtow to the insecure whimsey of an actor who had never made a major motion picture before. Ms. De Laurentiis herself told me years ago that the KULL had to be an "R", because the biggest mistake they made with the second Conan movie was making it PG-13 and cutting out the main audience for the movie.

The dismal box-office and rotten reviews this picture got have vindicated my point-of-view and proven me right, but it is a somewhat pyrrhic victory...I would have preferred a successful movie that had stayed true to Howard's moody, dark prose and true to his characters.

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Copyright © 1997-2000 Michael L. Martinez. All rights reserved. No portion of this document may be reproduced electronically or otherwise without express permission from the author. The above text is a private communication from Charles Edward Pogue posted with his permission. No rights belonging to Mr. Pogue are superseded.