Barbarian Queen II: The Empress Strikes Back (1990)

Pretty Good

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Actually this wasn't that bad. Lana Clarkson is lovely as usual and yes there are plenty of topless shots, but what set this b-grade sword and sorcery tale apart is the other actors. Rodger Cudney is a great villain as always and somehow manages to maintain his dignity no matter how awful the situation. Greg Wrangler does a nice job as the conflicted love interest and best of all is the young Cecilia Twerina as the evil little Tamis. Who the heck let a kid on this picture? Who cares? she's great.The plot is simply, Athalia's father, the king, may be dead and the evil Ankaris wants the throne, but needs the magical scepter to hold it. For some reason, never really explained, Hofrax (Cudney) is helping him. Tamis is Ankaris's wicked daughter. OK, the budget is obviously low, but the film doesn't look that bad and the performers appear to be trying. Note the convenient barrel of water that spills off the back of the wagon so Althalia and a barbarian babe can mud wrestle!! the fights aren't too badly staged and the plotting is pretty decent. Chris Young tries hard to convey a sense of epic with the music.Athalia refuses to divulge the secret, in case her Father is still alive, and gets tortured by Hofrax and Tamis!! All together for the rack sequence and spider bite-ewww! Orian (Wrangler) rescues Athalia nd together they unite, literally and then the King's warrior's return and it's off to strike for justice! I won't reveal the fate of Ankaris and Tamis, but it is rather moving.All in all this is a good b-movie with attractive performers and plenty of fun for all.

Move along people! Nothing to see here! And I mean that…quite literally. Unless you're some sort of dyed in the wool Lana Clarkson fan, I sincerely doubt you'll find a whole lot about Barbarian Queen II to enjoy. Other than a couple scenes where Lana gets topless (one, where she mud wrestles for the leadership of the rebel force and, two, where she's tied to the rack) you can safely fast forward through the magical hokum, the poorly done fight scenes, and the failed attempts at acting on the part of the entire cast without missing anything. Add to that a plot that's not worth mentioning (so I won't), awkwardly choreographed action sequences, and a complete lack of anything remotely entertaining. In fact, I can't think of a single redeeming feature of Barbarian Queen II. Overall, 30 or so seconds of a topless Lana Clarkson vs. wasting 80 minutes of your life – not a very good ratio if you ask me.

As its 1985 predecessor, "Barbarian Queen 2: The Empire Strikes Back" of 1989 is once again an incredibly awful, and equally hilarious Z-grade Sword and Sorcery film that fans of bad cinema should have one heck of a time with. The whole film is a lineup of crappy battle sequences, hilariously stupid dialogue, bared breasts and (unintentional?) hilarity. The late Lana Clarkson once again plays the sexy eponymous heroine, Barbarian Queen Princess Athalia. Actually, I don't really see why the people in this flick are referred to as 'Barabarians' since it clearly takes place some time in the middle ages (although the first part took place in times of the Roman Empire). Both movies, of course, are actually set in some indefinable fantasy time, but while the first film equally mixed up medieval and more ancient elements, everything looks predominantly medieval here (well, except for the Amazon warrior chicks in buckskin mini skirts and tank tops). The battle sequences are extremely crappy, and so is the entire choreography. During fights, it always looks as if the 'actors' are going to drop their weapons anytime since they act so amateurish. The performances are plain awful and the dialogue is even worse (in a hilarious way though), not to mention that all the medieval 'Barbarians' talk in American English. Even though this film is about as awful as it can get, you can't really get bored. One hilariously awful fight literally hunts the other, and each time this seems to become monotonous Lana Clarkson bares her breasts for a change. Both the "Barbarian Queen" films are hilarious examples for movies that are 'so bad they're good'. This "Barbarian Queen 2" must be one of the silliest and most amateurish films ever brought to screen, but it sure is great fun to watch!

Lana Clarkson is back as A barbarian Queen (her name's different) in this Z-grade flick. The tale has something to do with a queen being outcast and joining up with other rebels to fight the king and his snotty brat of a daughter to get a magic scepture, but you didn't choose to watch something called Barbarian Queen 2 looking for plot did you? Copious amounts of T&A are what you're after, perv. Fortunately, it has a liberal dose of those. But it seems Lana spent more on her chest than the film makers spent on the movie. There's cheap, there's low-budget, there's NO budget, and then there's Barbarian Queen 2. Pretty watchable late at night while in a drunken stupor though. We'll miss you Lana, it's sad that a piece of excrement felt the need to take your life.My Trash movie grade: D+