
Gor is a two-parter film series based upon the Gor book series. The films are Gor (1987) and Outlaw of Gor (1989; aka Gor II). Very loosely adapted from the first two books, the films depict professor Tarl Cabot's adventures after being magically transported to Gor. The films toned down the sex-slavery aspect. This is by no means the only instance of a movie bearing virtually no resemblance (save a few names) to the book that supposedly inspired it.
If you were looking for the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode Outlaw featuring the film Outlaw of Gor, please go to the episode recap page.
The Gor movie series contains examples of:
- Adaptational Early Appearance: The Big Bad of the first film is Sarm, a priest-king. Sarm the Priest-King only appears in the third book.
- Adaptational Heroism: The source material was squarely in Deliberate Values Dissonance regarding the casual slavery and sex slavery on Gor. Here, Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil, with the good king Marlenus abolishing the practice, the evil Queen Lara reinstating it, and Tarl fighting to free the slaves in the second movie. He also doesn't sleep with a freed sex slave, both out of loyalty to Talena and because he understands that her consent is dubious in the situation, while book Tarl freely raped any woman who so much as annoyed him.
- Adaptation Species Change: In the books, tarns, kailla and thalarions are used as modes of transportation since equines don't exist on Gor. In the films, people ride horses instead.
- Adapted Out: A number of characters from the books do not appear in the films. These include Tarl's father Matthew, the Older Tarl, Torm the Scribe, Tarl's sword brother Kazrak of Port Kar, the slave girl Sana, Nor the giant spider, Pa-Kur the Master Assassin, Mintar the Merchant, and Tarl's tarn Ubar of the Skies.
- Advertised Extra: While Jack Palance's character is a major villain in Outlaw, in the first film he only had a cameo at the end to set up the sequel. Nevertheless, Palance was
third billed on the first movie. - Casanova Wannabe: Watney starts the movie hitting on women who are blatantly not interested. The only time he actually sleeps with anyone is Lara, who's manipulating him and then immediately discards him once he's served his purpose.
- Cat Fight: There's one of these about halfway into Outlaw of Gor between Talena and two Amazonian Beauties.
- Death by Adaptation: Marlenus is killed by Lara. In the books, the two never meet and it is unlikely that they even know each other.
- Doing in the Scientist: In the books, Gor is a different planet that humans came to by Alien Abduction and spacefaring technology. In the movies, it's done by a magical teleporting stone. It's possible that it's still scientific, but it's treated as magic by everyone in story.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep":
- The Hunter.
- The Elder. Even Xeno awkwardly states, "That old fool The Elder..."
- Evil Chancellor: The High Priest Xeno, as played by Jack Palance.
- Fan Disservice: We get more up-skirt shots of Tarl Cabot's short-statured sidekick than we do of the female cast.
- Fanservice: While there aren't any naked slavegirls, there are a lot of scantily clad serving wenches and muscular men in gladiator armor for everyone to drool over.
- Gainax Ending: For some reason, Watney ends up transported to back to Earth in the middle of a city in his Gorean toga. "Hilarity" ensues.
- God Save Us from the Queen!: Queen Lara, in Outlaw of Gor.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Lara.
- Impractically Fancy Outfit: The Hunter wears these, although he's bordering on Rummage Sale Reject...
- In Name Only: The characters, setting and plot when compared to the books.
- Informed Ability: The Hunter doesn't appear to be as talented or bloodthirsty as Lara wishes us to believe. He does throw a mean javelin.
- Punch-Clock Villain: The Hunter.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Xeno gets off a good one to Lara.Xeno: Because you are behaving like a bitch in heat, and not as a proper Queen!
- Say My Name: CABOT! Repeated endlessly when he arrives in Outlaw of Gor (the film). According to IMDB, the name "Cabot" is said 55 times in the first ten minutes of the film alone.
- The Schlub Pub Seduction Deduction: The queen actually seduces Watney just to have an alibi for her husband's murder.
- Shorter Means Smarter: Tarl's sidekick is a little person and thus his ability to contribute to fights is minimal. He makes up for it with cunning and snark.
- Sliding Scale of Adaptation Modification: Level 1: In Name Only. It has very little to do with the source material outside of the names of some characters being the same.
- Slimeball: Watney sexually harasses the women around him, covers up a murder and implicates his best friend in it in exchange for sex with Queen Lara, and is really annoying overall. At least he gets some karma, both by being tossed in prison by Lara and being unceremoniously teleported to Earth.
- Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Xeno trying to convince Lara to have the captured Cabot killed.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Downpalyed, Lara doesn't actually kill Watney, just has him tossed in prison.
