I watched this movie in cinema when I was twelve and I loved every second of it. Over the years I have seen it many, many times and I always enjoyed it. Now I've seen the HD version and it blew me away. The colors are so vibrant, the costumes are so crazy rich in details, I've discovered things I'd never noticed before. This is more than craft, it's art. Sure, you also see flaws in the sets better but that's beside the point and doesn't matter at all. But this movie had a budget of 20m $, which is roughly double that of the first Star Wars, and that was crazy money back then. (all according to imdb)

As for the movie itself: if you think this is cheesy you haven't understood it and you're missing the point. This picks up the tradition of the old serials and they basically hit a homerun. Beside the looks you have one of the most memorable soundtracks done by one of the greatest rock bands ever. Some exceptional actors like Max von Sydow or Brian Blessed. Beautiful women like Melody Anderson, Mariangela Melato and, of course, Ornella Muti, who was once considered the most beautiful woman in the world.

The ingredients were all there but it was probably the right movie at the wrong time. No, honestly, I mean that. A lot of modern day blockbusters are silly and just look better. This was supposed to be at least two movies according to the short interview with Mike Hodges on the disc and I sure would have loved that.

Anyway, I know it's all a matter of taste and perspective but I still love this movie.