Amazons and Gladiators (2001)
You know when you watch a movie that you can tell clearly isn't very good but enjoy it anyway? Well Amazons and Gladiators is definitely one of those pictures.
Hitting screens in Gladiator's slipstream this aspires to be something that it soon becomes obvious it will never achieve. The acting is less Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix and co and more like the inept Ted Raimi side of Xena. Patrick Bergin hams things up as the nasty Roman General Crassus bedding wenches and murdering slaves whilst Jennifer Rubin copes as best she can with, shall we say haphazard dialogue. Meanwhile the heroine of the piece Serena, as played by Nicole Hiltz is definitely more Baywatch babe than fighting Amazon. It was great to see former Doctor Who actress Mary Tamm in the movie as Zenobia, Queen of the Amazons.
And yet, despite the cheapness of the production, the obvious character absurdities, the half arsed script, the clunky fight scenes and the obligatory orgy i found it all thoroughly entertaining. If they'd only decided to go full on exploitation as Spartacus would do a few years later this could have been a classic.
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