User reviews

Every male who was in his teens during the video-boom of the early 80's, must have some affection for the Barbarian/Roman epics which were in abundance. They just about skirted around the soft-porn self-embarrassment issue and could be nonchalantly given to the video shop assistant without too much shiftiness. It was an historical adventure film for the more mature viewer and the fact that this may include the occasional orgy scene, naked whipping, brothels and sumptuous exposed breasts was by the by.

'Warrior Queen' was released as the sub-genre was being replaced with mainstream films which could now get away with graphic simulated sex scenes - 'Fatal Attraction' was released the same year. No tarty business-woman could replace a statuesque, Amazon-like, 6-ft blonde, wielding a huge sword though.

The video cover for 'Warrior Queen' is almost certainly the film's highpoint, featuring a trio of muscular, tanned, bikini-clad beauties. Needless to say, the film itself is pretty crap - although there is just about enough going on to not feel completely cheated.

The film begins with a sub-title informing us that this is "Pompeii, August 22, 79 AD". Sybil Danning is a visiting Queen, entertained by Pompeii's ruler, a shambling Donald Pleasence who was presumably desperate for work. Along the way to the films inevitable conclusion (featuring lots of stock footage of a volcano doing its worst), we are treated to a pretty good slave auction scene; a rubbish arm-wrestling contest, complete with poisoned spikes; a gladiatorial duel featuring Goliath (a baddie, played by a big dumb Steve Reeves/Lou Ferrigno lookalike) against an opponent, both tied to pillars throwing discus's at each other; and a hang-tough contest played over a floor of wooden stakes.

Whilst not up to the standard of Sybil Danning's other Roman epic 'The Seven Magnificent Gladiators'-1983, 'Warrior Queen' provides enough nostalgia to give the viewer an entertaining hour or so of adolescent memories.

Basically WARRIOR QUEEN is Joe D'amato, Harry Allan Tower & Chuck Vincent's version of CALIGULA LITE. I'm giving it a lower score than I might normally because of how downright mean-spirited of a little movie it is. Cult favorite Sybil Danning plays a visiting Roman empress to Pompeii who sits around yawning & looking bored while local Nero type Donald Pleasance hams it up as an insane, debauched, filthy, sadistic pervert ruling over Pompeii with a reign of terror that would have made Saddam Hussein blush. The film is cheap, sleazy, voyeuristic, under-written, over produced, filled with confusing distractions, sexual violence, rotten music, absurd lighting and costume design by a 12th grade home economics class doing a project on Toga Trash.

And yet it still has something going for it, probably the resemblance to an actual Peplum film centered on court intrigue, heroism in the Arena, forbidden love for a comely slave girl, a vengeance that has waited as long as an Ernesto Gastaldi plot development, and a genuine sense of helplessness for those who are not of the elite ruling class. All of these themes were of course explored under the cold, clinical light of an actual X rating by CALIGULA, and while this film is definitely cashing in on the whole Debauched Roman History genre it serves a role that CALIGULA could not in it's complete form, which is to appear to be actual mainstream entertainment. WARRIOR QUEEN is far less bloody, sadistic, lacks the actual hardcore sex inserts and ends a hell of a lot quicker. If someone was wanting to maybe get warmed up for CALIGULA this would be a good starter: If you like what you see here go for the gusto, and if not you're only behind on life by another 79 minutes.

A lot of fuss is also made over the 'unrated' version, which I happened to have, and aside from some obscured male genitalia in the big orgy scene there really isn't much here that is beyond a current-day MPAA R; The board may just have objected to the tone of the film in 1987. with the 'unrated' version is sort of a marketing ploy to sell rental tapes of a version that's about 90 seconds longer. There's a pretty good Snake Dance scene (always gotta love those) and some OK gladiator battle footage, but by the time they roll the stock shots of the volcano erupting at the end I was about done with this myself. If you want a perverse, overtly violent and sexualized Peplum but do not want to subject yourself to three hours of Macolm McDowall urinating on screen, here you go.

4/10: And yeah, the box cover is better than the movie.

...so the title (and the video cover) could be described as misleading. Sybil Danning does fight off a couple of attackers at the start, and does decapitate one guy with her sword later on, but that's about it. Her character (the mistress of the Roman emperor) barely speaks in this movie. She looks unimpressed by what is going on around her and occasionally even yawns - reflecting the audience's reactions perfectly! Donald Pleasence, as the ruler of Pompeii, is ludicrous; if Sybil doesn't talk enough, Donald talks too much, and at least half of his dialogue is made up from the same three words, repeated ad nauseam: "My lovely highness". The rest of the cast includes Rick - "Deathstalker" - Hill, and a Lou Ferrigno-lookalike, and some beautiful women. The movie has literally NO PLOT - for 55 minutes we are watching these people do nothing, until it's time for Vesuvius to erupt and Pompeii to be destroyed. This climactic disaster sequence is OK for the budget standards of the movie, but it's obvious that stock footage was inserted at some points. (*)

A word of warning: the Warrior Queen available on Amazon Prime is the R-Rated version which runs at a scant 69 minutes, ten minutes less than the director's cut. What did I miss? Well, seeing as this film is from producers Harry Alan Towers and Aristede Massacesi (AKA Joe D'Amato), and porn director Chuck Vincent, I imagine a whole lot of sex and graphic violence.

The shorter version still has its moments though, since not all of the sleaze hit the cutting room floor, with lots of full frontal female nudity and a little gore to make the experience less painful (without it, the film would be close to unwatchable).

The plot for the film is virtually non-existent, with almost an hour of random Roman nonsense before the climactic eruption of Vesuvius and the destruction of Pompeii (largely consisting of scenes from another earlier movie and volcano stock footage). The build-up is a series of unexciting but occasionally bloody gladatorial contests, sleazy slave trading, rape, and assorted acts of deviancy, with Sybil Danning as the titular Warrior Queen, who spends most of her time looking bored and yawning as bumbling Pompeii official Clodius (Donald Pleasence) tries his best to entertain her, pitting his slaves in arm-wrestling to the death and hosting a games in her honour.

Despite Danning and Pleasence's top billing, the real stars of the film are Rick Hill as charioteer Marcus and Tally Chanel as slavegirl Vespa, eye-candy for both sexes. Hunky Hill is all macho posturing while Chanel definitely makes up for the fact that Danning remains clothed throughout, the blonde stunner baring all. Look out too for porn-star Samantha Fox (not the singer) as Clodius's wife Philomena and Lou Ferrigno lookalike Marco Tullio Cau as Goliath, Marcus's rival in the arena.

4.5/10, rounded up to 5 for the hilarious sight of Pleasence catching doves in a net.

Other reviewers have pretty much summed up the general lack of quality of the film, the mistitled "Warrior Queen" which I can only term a 79 minute orgy of soft-core sex and hard-core violence. It has elements of both "Satyricon" and "Caligula" but not half the interest of either of those films, due to a non-existent script. However, it must be noted that two performances hitherto unremarked almost redeem the film: David Cain-Houghton gives a genuinely creepy and decadent portrayal of the owner of Pompeii's premiere whorehouse, a heartless slave-owner who cares nothing for either the female or male flesh he buys and then rents out. Mario Cruciani evokes a great deal of sympathy in his role as the handsome, innocent male slave who tries to protect a young girl sold into the same brothel as himself but only succeeds in bringing greater misfortune on them both. It is truly amazing how these two actors, with very little help from the script, managed to convey their characters so convincingly. Both actors deserved a much better film than this and they are the only two reasons to spend the time watching it.

Warrior Queen (1987) is a movie I recently watched on Amazon Prime. The storyline follows the slave and prostitution trade during the days of Pompeii. When a female queen emerges and rises up the ranks she uses her powers to change the slave and trade business and free the victims of the system.

This movie is directed by Chuck Vincent (Sex Drive) and stars Sybil Danning (Amazon Women on the Moon), Donald Pleasence (Halloween), Rick Hill (Liar Liar), Samantha Fox (Jack+Jill) and David Brandon (StageFright).

The female auction is an A+ and was my favorite part of the movie. The props, unfortunately, were poorly constructed. The background music was funny and the storyline was painful. It felt like just a reason to put hot girls in a movie. There were some good kill scenes and I got a good chuckle from the Lou Ferrigno lookalike.

Overall this is a bad movie that is only worth watching for the ladies and unique circumstances. I would score this a 4/10 and recommend watching it once.

Where to begin? The "Warrior Queen" has basically no relevant part in the movie aside from disinterested brooding and maybe a single line of dialogue, the plot is entirely non-existent, and the choreographed fighting looks like bored rehearsals... yet somehow this movie is still frightfully entertaining. It truly defines "so bad it's good" but my god, it is a calamity of indescribable proportions. Everyone must watch this at least once in their lifetime.

This is a rather strange little ditty that comes to us courtesy of exploitation and soft-porn veterans Chuck Vincent, Aristide Massaccessi (Joe D'Amato; director of "Emanuelle," "Buried Alive," "Anthrophagus") and Harry Alan Towers. More or less a T & A retelling, if not a send-up, of "The Last Days of Pompeii," this film focuses on the plight of a young, amply-endowed slave-girl, (Tally Chanel) who is sold into servitude in a brothel frequented by studly gladiators and politicians. Her struggle for freedom is encouraged by Caeser's sympathetic wife, the semi well-preserved Sybil Danning, who discovers her while on a diplomatic trip to Pompeii. As it turns out, she herself, is of the same tribe, but has to conceal her heritage, due to her royal station.

A campy, but dreadfully stilted lampoon of sword and sandal peplum, "Warrior Queen" does boast a delightfully hammy performance by Donald Pleasence as the vice-ridden pro-council of Pompeii. There's hardly any dialogue from the rest of the cast and that's probably a blessing! But, on the prurient plus side, there's a generous helping of nudity and "hard-gore" violence, which is the obvious draw of such a film. However, I must include "Warrior Queen" in my personal pantheon of golden turkeys, which, although it doesn't reach the same heights of lunacy as say, "Plan Nine from Outer Space," it does run an impoverished, if not very close second-place to "Caligula"!

Firstly the title n poster is totally misleading. There is no warrior queen present n none of the girls r shown fighting except for one scene where Sybil Danning decapitates a guy who attacks from behind that too without turning around. N in other scene she stabs a guy by throwing a weapon.

The entire half hour is full of softcore sex, lots of nudity. Throw in some gladiator fights with violence n end it with a volcano erupting with bad footages from other sources. Rightly stated by other reviewers about a Lou Ferrigno lookalike n we have Donald Pleasance with a unique crown on his bald head. Saw this in the early 90s on a vhs. Revisited da 79 mins cut recently.

(1987) Warrior Queen HISTORICAL ACTION DRAMA

My rating is strictly for it's entertainment value, as I have seen my fair share of quick cash spaghetti gladiator movies. I appreciate the fact there is nothing sugar coating about the Roman-like environment, and the last days of Pompeii is no different different. It has Warrior Queen, Berenice (Sybil Danning) her traveling troupe being attacked by bandits in search of gold and jewels. And of course, Berenice kills them in an unconvincing manner before she stops by at Pompeii, dropping by at the middle of a slave selling bidding war. That has a ruthless slave owner, Victo (David Brandon) winning to own supposed virgin of Vespa (Tally Chanel) and two young couple who are in love with each other of Roberto (Mario Cruciani) and Veneria (Suzanna Smith). Donald Pleasence also stars as Clodius the ruler of Pompeii married to sleazy trophy wife, Philomena (Samantha Fox) who is in love with idealist, Marcus (Rick Hill).

There is a soap opera element to this, and although it's low budget and that majority of the fights looked fake, some of the nude scenes looked real, as well as the cruel way how people are treated is real. And without sugar coating it, the implications in regarding the gladiator games are innovative, even though it may not be exactly the way it happened such as the a razor sharp frisbee like blade, and two gladiator's swinging back and forth from opposite sides each wearing a spiked glove.

The implication that there is nudity and make out scenes happening throughout is false, as there was barely any in the last 35 minutes as I had set there's a soap opera. Element into this. It's sometimes be boring if gladiator times like Spartacus, Troy, Cleopatra and Ben-Hur to name a few are sugar coated to suit family oriented viewers when we both know that is not how it used to be back then.

Yes, here a caligul'ish mostly drone tale again, of big hunk, acquiring a young naked philly, and taking her virginity. This is another cliché'd tale of Pagon, Rome, it's ulterior motive, a skin and naked flesh sex romp, to get some people off, trying to hide under the facade of a genuine grade B action romp. Danning is the heiress. Watching her and her master, Pleasance (wasted yet again) play off each other is fun, but the real reason, for watching this pic is just to see some beautiful Phillies naked, and probably see some blood spilled in some shock scenes, where the upside here is, at least it's a better watch then the dreaded Caligula, where a lot of devote fans of that one, would laugh this one off. Idiots. Too it's nice to see hot sexy Danning, (an underrated B actress)kick arse. strictly a pic, for undemanding shock/bird watching audience, which I gather is a lot.

The writer who had a hand in the ultra-crap Gor films also helped write this awful flick about slaves in ancient Pompeii and the queen who helps them escape. Even with the abundant nudity, this film still can't be saved from a stupid storyline, abysmal acting, and just plain being boring. It was a tough chore sitting through this tedious moronic movie. The late great Donald Pleasence is slumming and wasted in this.I mean Sybil Danning I expect, she choose to do "Howling 2", so her sense of picking good films was never exactly the best. Simply dreadful in every sense of the word.

My Grade: F

Warrior Queen (1987), is a mess. These people can't even kiss correctly on camera, let alone have a sword fight, throw a believable kick or deliver a line of dialogue (there isn't a lot of dialogue by the way and many scenes, go by the screen speechless). Donald Pleasence, on break from the Halloween movies, gives probably his worst performance ever. The rest of the cast moves around like mindless zombies. Why Donald chose to do this movie is anybody's guess. I'm going with, he got a free trip to Italy in exchange for being in this. Perfect incentive.

When your film is more embarrassing then Plan 9 From Outer Space (1957), or Roger Corman's Sorceress (1982), you have achieved a goal like none other. Wow! Warrior Queen (1987), is bad. If it wasn't for the, somewhat, positive attempts at costumes, maybe a punch or two, that looked believable and a finale, which looked like they spent their last couple hundred bucks on the volcano scene (I have no idea what they spent on the volcano scene, but I think, I can even afford it), this would be a total loss for the night. I wouldn't even worry about historical accuracy. Let's get past any hope for accuracy first and just move on. Oh, and you thought, Sybil Danning couldn't be in a worse movie than the direct-to-video, Howling II (1985)?

PMTM Grade: 0.9 (W) = 1 IMDB.

It made me long for the unlicensed pharmaceuticals I haven't used in three decades.

Could be a great drinking game, boob drink, stab drink, scrawny chick defeats Roman soldier,............... Sadly, I also eschew the grape.

Sigh.

This is basically a tamer version of Caligula. Director Chuck Vincent made his own share of porn movies with a sideline of softcore action movies.

Clodius (Donald Pleasence) is the Pompeii official who enjoys sex, debauchery and keeping his wife Philomena (Samantha Fox) frustrated. She has lusty eyes on a gladiatorial hunk Marcus.

The Warrior Queen is Sybil Danning. She wears a skimpy costume, not say much and has an interest in saving beautiful Vespa. She is the virgin that has been found, untouched by male hands.

Vespa's presence in Pompeii drive the men wild, who all bid to spend the night with her. Goliath a rival gladiator is determined to get his wicked ways and ride Vespa.

The Warrior Queen does not actually do much here. There are gladiatorial contests that are badly staged. There is some gore, plenty of nudity, bad acting. The movie is drivel. It is not even bad camp.

When the volcano erupts, stock footage is used from The Last Days of Pompeii.

Well, just within the first minute of the movie, you already can tell what kind of cheesy late 1980s fantasy movie you're in for here. However, I still opted to sit through "Warrior Queen", as it was a movie that I hadn't already seen before.

Writers Rick Marx, Harry Alan Towers and S. C. Dacy put together a script and storyline that proved boring, bland and downright pointless. And I ended up turning off "Warrior Queen" a mere 31 minutes into the ordeal. By then I was just bored to tears, and it felt like I had been sitting through two hours of nothingness already.

There was a lot of pointless nudity that didn't help to promote the narrative, and I guess it was in the movie only for the writers to get to show off nudity and semi-lewd scenes. And it just made the movie all the more sleazy and laughable to sit through. Truth be told, I would much rather have preferred a version of this story without the nudity.

I was somewhat surprised to see the likes of Donald Pleasence, Rick Hill and Sybil Danning on the screen in this movie, in a movie such as this. The acting performances in "Warrior Queen" were actually fairly adequate, especially when taking into consideration the script they had to work with.

Suffice it to say that I am never returning to attempt finish watching "Warrior Queen", it just simply was a movie that failed to entertain me on any levels.

My rating of director Chuck Vincent's 1987 movie "Warrior Queen" lands on a two out of ten stars.

I'm literally only a half hour in and I'm bored out of my mind. I was lucky... if you can call it that... to find a 79min version of this movie, a direct rip from a fairly bad VHS copy, but I did find it. I think if I had the shorter copy that I would still be checking my watch. I'm certainly no prude, I see a pretty girl flash a bit of skin (or more) and it tickles the senses a bit, but it's usually followed by a plot of some kind that at least keeps your attention. This movie... there is no plot. I repeat a lot of what other reviewers have already said about the (non) acting of Sybil Danning (not that she was Oscar material to begin with) and the obvious over(re)acting of Donald Pleasence. He can certainly ham it up like many other actors, but there was nothing for him to play off of in this movie, I felt like he was literally carrying the whole movie and trying to make his character work, but with nothing to work with.

I think what bugs me the most about the acting is no one even attempted to un-Americanize the dialogue. There have always been pure American actors playing Greek/Roman characters, but for most movies they at least tried to tone down the more modern speech, like saying "have not" instead of "haven't" (bad example, but you get what I mean).

The sets and costumes are ok, but there are a few interiors that just look like someone rented out their house with the open floor plan and just had some pillars put up. The cart at the beginning looks more like it should be at a renfest instead of a movie, it just looks really out of place for the time this is set in. At least it has a chariot! A chariot that looks like it should have had chrome hubcaps and racing stripes. It's not the worst movie I've ever seen, it's just boring.

I'll make it through, it's just gonna take me a bit...

Thought it'd be a laugh, it partially was but some sections were uncomfortable to watch. Donald Pleasance is the only actor featured who holds any sort of respectability and I don't know what made him do this film.

1/10: Mindless film without a plot or proper characters.