Forgotten Heroes: Rell the Cyclops from Krull

By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues

photos copyright columbia pictures

I was recently made aware of just how many movies and television shows the younger generation have never heard of, never mind seen. So to that end, we look back at some characters you really need to see before you kick the bucket.

Krull is a wonderful fantasy movie full of great characters very much in the tradition of the magic and fantasy genre. While you can point at the young Liam Neeson and Robbie Coltrane, one character stands out as one of the most tragic and interesting.

Krull is a planet where the Beast has returned in his moving fortress to take a bride in the form of Lyssa and plunge the planet into darkness. His savage, inhuman troopers the screeching Slayers kidnap Lyssa from her own wedding killing nearly everyone in attendance. Only Colwyn (Deep Space 9’s Ken Marshall) her husband to be is injured but once healed goes after his soul mate. He teams up with a ragtag band of criminals, Ynyr who knows how to kill the Beast, a terrible magician Ergo, a blind Seer and a young boy must travel to save Lyssa and their world.

They are shadowed along the way by a cyclops called Rell. Rell saves Ergo from Slayer attacks revealing himself to the group. Having heard the Best has returned, Rell came to help them. He is eloquently spoken and has a kind heart. He sees in Ergo a greatness that Ergo cannot. Rell’s race and the Beast have aa dark history.

They made a deal with the Beast to give them the gift of foresight so they could see the future. They sacrificed one eye but in a move as twisted as the Wish Master, the Beast did indeed give them the ability to see the future. Sadly the only future they would see would be their own deaths.

In a conversation as they travel through a swamp, Ergo enquires of Rell what he would wish for if he had the chance. Rell answers simply, “Ignorance.”

Rell saves Colwyn from a Changeling, another of the Beast’s servants who has murdered the Seer and replaced him. It is a close call when Rell finds the Seer’s body in the quicksand and with seconds to spare Rell spears the creature in the back as it moves to kill Colwyn.

Rell is truly a gentle giant and he and Ergo become firm friends. Given the Beast’s fortress shifts location every day, it is Rell that tells Colwyn of the fire mares. These enchanted animals can travel huge distances giving the group hope back that they can defeat the Beast. However Ergo is taken aback when Rell declines his offer to ride with him. Rell is going to die here so he can go no further. Reaching the fortress the group is under attack when Rell suddenly appears and holds the door closed to let the gang access the fortress before it vanishes again. This is where Rell foresaw his real deatha nd he is crushed between the great stone doors as the others make it to safety.

Part of any movie’s success is not only a good story but the characters that populate it. They draw us in to the plot or send us awway with a roll of our eyes. Here Rell makes such an impression that you root for him throughout the movie and genuinely mourn his heroic sacrifice. Despite the tragedy of the cyclops people’s’ fate, doomed forever to see the moment of their own death and nothing else, there is a serenity and hopefulness in Rell. He sees hope in others and will aod them to keep Krull safe and destroy the Beast himself. Rell’s death is a celebration of sort because he has helped bring about the defeat of the Beast which destroyed his people. While it is true the cyclops brought about their own demise by making a deal literally with the Devil, the experience has left them wiser and more open to the suffering and problems of others. This goodness can be taken as a sign they are not bitter but hopeful that there will be a better future as long as as they can see the good in others like Colwyn and Ergo. For Rell he had the chance to redeem his people’s folly to secure their future and grasped it with both hands in a flurry of devotion and loyalty.

Rell was played by actor Bernard Bresslaw who at 6 foot 7 inches tall was perfeect for the role. He is most famous for being part of the Carry On movies and he was the first Ice Warrior in Doctor Who when they battled the second Doctor. As Varga, the towering Bresslaw secured the Ice Warrior’s future with his massive size and hissing voice. He is credited for their success in the show and to be fair, nobody has ever come close to his performance. Sadly he died from a heart attack at the age of 59 after a long and successful career. He was much loved by the public especially with the Carry On movies success. With his experience of making distinct characters out of giants, Rell is up there along with Varga in public appreciation.

Cyclops are few and far between in movies and sci fi and horror genres and maybe that’s a good thing because otherwise rell may not stand out as a strong and unique character whose species and culture is begging to be expanded upon and explored.