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I’ll start out by admitting that I’ve never seen any of the four original Deathstalker movies, nor did I attempt to watch them before heading to the theatre to watch the new Deathstalker. From what I know about the 80’s movies, I made a good decision to not watch them. I will not say the same about the new Deathstalker movie because this movie was a good time.
Where the 80’s Deathstalker movies are trashed for using excessive nudity, gratuitous sexual assault scenes as comedy, incoherent plot, and bad acting, this 2025 version is quite the opposite.
The movie follows Deathstalker as he tries to shake the curse of an amulet he found. I mean, um, stole from a dead guy.
Sorry, um, an almost dead guy…
Anyways, once Deathstalker knows he is cursed, this movie plays out like a half-baked D&D campaign, where you meet an unfriendly, barely helpful bog witch, slowly gather your gang, and meet lots of colorful characters and monsters along the way.
The three main class types are covered: fighter (Deathstalker), rogue (Brisbane), and magic caster (Doodad). And you can almost feel the Dungeon Master trying to build a better story throughout the campaign as they realize they aren’t going to kill the characters in the first couple of fights.
Yes, there are tons of massive blood-spurting, limb-ripping fights, which are fun; however, it wouldn’t be a D&D campaign if there wasn’t some other way to defeat your enemies. So not all enemies need to be fought and conquered with a blade or brawl, some can be turned into friends with a soft song and a brotherly hug.
Bonus feature: Patton Oswalt voices Doodad, and it is amusing and endearing, as always.
The simple plot, silly jokes, and over-the-top fights make this self-aware bad movie an excellent time at the theater. In fact, there were several points during the movie where the audience erupted with laughter, and some of those were splatter-punky deaths.
One helpful tip: the ending felt like there was definitely going to be end credit scenes, but there were not. However, I would not be mad at Deathstalker 2: Too Brotherly Two Hugs.
NerdScore
7.5/10
Deathstalker (2025) Review
A revival done right—*Deathstalker (2025)* captures the goofy, gory, sword-and-sorcery charm of the cult original while injecting just enough modern flair to make it feel fresh. (Read full review)
A gleefully nostalgic fantasy adventure that re-embraces camp, carnage, and brotherly bravado in the spirit of 1980s sword-and-sorcery epics.
IMDb
6.5/10
Metacritic
N/A
Rotten Tomatoes
89%