Kull the Conqueror 1997

Kull [Kevin Sorbo] fights to earn a place among Valusia’s elite Dragon Legion, but is warned by Thomas Ian Griffith as General Taligaro that, as a barbarian from Atlantis, he will never belong to a noble-blooded crowd. Taligaro then uncovers a shocking truth: the Valusian King Sven-Ole Thorsen Borna has fallen into madness and is slaughtering his own heirs, riding toward Valusia with Kull on his heels. The confrontation that follows ends with Kull mortally wounding Borna, who, with his last breath, names Kull as his successor—a decree that stirs dismay among Taligaro and most of the assembled nobles. Soon after, Kull encounters a harem member he recognizes as Zareta, a fortuneteller he had met before and who foretold his rise to kingship, and whose card-reading hints point toward a fateful kiss. Kull invites her to his chambers, where she reads the cards and declares that the fate of his realm hinges on a single kiss. He attempts to sleep with Zareta, but she reminds him that she is a slave who acts only when commanded, and he brushes off the idea.

The next day, Kull tries to free his slaves, yet his authority is hampered by the rigid stone tablets that outline Valusia’s laws. Taligaro and his cousin secretly plot to assassinate Kull during his coronation, but their scheme fails. That same night, the necromancer Edward Tudor-Pole Enaros summons Taligaro and his conspirators, offering to aid them by resurrecting Tia Carrere Akivasha, the Sorceress Queen from the ancient Acheron Empire—an empire the god Valka destroyed long ago, leaving Valusia built upon its ashes. Akivasha uses Taligaro’s faction to seize power and restore Acheron, then enchants Kull to become her consort and queen. She also places Kull in a deathlike slumber and frames Zareta for regicide, taking Kull to her temple to keep him as a captive plaything.

Kull escapes with help from the Valkan priest Ascalante, Litefoot, and the two free Zareta. The trio then head north aboard the ship of Kull’s wary ally Juba, played by Harvey Fierstein, hoping to obtain the Breath of Valka—the only weapon capable of stopping Akivasha from reclaiming her full power. Akivasha, aware of their pursuit, orders Taligaro to hunt them down; he catches up just as Zareta secures the Breath, mortally wounding Ascalante and leaving Kull close to death. Taligaro unveils his plan to use Zareta to betray Akivasha and seize the Topaz Throne for himself. On the day of the solar eclipse, Kull returns to Valusia as Akivasha begins to reveal her true demonic form, expertly fending off Taligaro’s attempt to kill her with Zareta by his side. Kull wounds Taligaro and kills Enaros, and Zareta kisses Kull, passing the Breath of Valka to him. Kull then kisses the now fully demonic Akivasha, transmitting Valka’s Breath and extinguishing her flame forever. With the sorceress defeated, Kull defeats Taligaro when he tries to seize Zareta hostage, removing the final obstacle to his newly restored rule.

Reinstated as king by a now more amenable nobility, Kull names Zareta his queen and, with a decisive act, uses his axe to smash the Tablets of the Law. Slavery is abolished, and Valusia is reborn as a kingdom founded on honor rather than tradition. The realm begins a new era under Kull’s rule, shaped by the courage to challenge corrupted power and the hopeful bond between a king and his queen.