I grew up in the second golden age of schlocky sword-and-sorcery films. The kind of low-to-no budget stuff that had all their ambition captured in the amazing cover art, but rarely in the films themselves. At best, they were earnest and fun, with enough charm to overlook budgtary restraints. At worst, the result was sleazy nudity with hairy Italian men in a Romanian sandpit.

Red Sonja, back from the dead after decades in production hell, is the first kind of movie. It's too long for its own good, the effects are questionable, the plot is far too convoluted, and the acting is all over the place. But everyone is having fun, and that energy is infectious. For the most part, you're laughing with the picture, which makes all the difference.

I was happily surprised to see the director, M. J. Bassett, has a history of low-budget ambition that I've enjoyed in the past. Her first film, Deathwatch, is one of those underseen gems from the early 2000s that's packed with great actors at the start of their careers. It, too, is tied down by a limited budget, but Bassett knows how to make her films look bigger than they actually are.

The same applies to Red Sonja, which has enough swooping flyovers and big set pieces to feel like a grand epic. Even if you can tell where the seams are. There's a big fight in a burning forest that utilizes some smart blocking to disguise the fact there are probably only a handful of people in this army, and none of them can swing a sword.

It's when the focus is on Matilda Lutz, the titular Red Sonja, that things get a bit rougher. Granted, this franchise has never boasted with Shakespearean acting, but Lutz never rises to the hammy energy the film requires of her. She's charming and clearly into the spirit of things, but something is missing. The script grinds against her acting at every turn, forcing clunky monologues into scenes they have no business in.

Meanwhile, Wallis Day and Robert Sheehan, playing the undercooked baddies of the tale, fare much better. Sheehan has clearly gone to the same bootcamp as Eddie Redmayne did for Jupiter Ascending, and there isn't a single piece of scenery that is safe from his chewing. Day is more subdued, but gets to deliver some deliciously hammy "help, help, I'm possessed by demons!" acting that's always good value.

There's also a minor cameo from the always hypnotic Rhona Mitra, who shows up for just long enough to remind us how fantastic she is in these parts. It's just a shame her part amounts to essentially an afternoon of filming.

The script, credited to Tasha Huo, is stuffed with huge exposition dumps and flashbacks that only complicate an effectively simple story. This isn't Game of Thrones, though it desperately tries to be, and the film would be far better with 20 minutes cut from the halfway point.

That said, there are genuinely great one-liners and gags that show immense promise, especially if a sequel ever materializes. Sheehan gets the funniest lines, and even Lutz gets a banger here and there. When the film introduces its downtrodden heroes as The Damnati, you know you're in for a cheesy good time.

But it's a knowing wink at audience expectations from a master of arms that gets the biggest laugh. Sonja is about to head out for her first gladiatorial match, and he presents her with a chainmail bikini.

"And that protects?"

"Nothing, absolutely nothing, but the crowd will love it."

Don't we just.