AllMovie

Children -- who are its main target audience anyway -- are likely to enjoy The Magic Sword, although those who expect CGI-level special effects or big budget sets and costumes are likely to scoff at it. Most adults will not particularly care for Sword, which is admittedly a pretty slipshod affair; however, those adults who saw Sword as a child or who have a soft spot for earnest and sincere if not very well done children's movies may find themselves entertained. Those who enjoy laughing at such film's shortcomings will also find plenty to enjoy here, for Sword is filled with laughably poor dialogue and inept characterizations. Many of the howlers come about because the film does have such an innocence about it that the possible double intenders it inadvertently includes can be quite amusing. Star Gary Lockwood's unpolished and basically poor performance only adds to the amusement. Fortunately, Basil Rathbone and Estelle Winwood are on hand to provide some professional performances. They're both operating in "high ham" mode, mind you, especially Rathbone, but they're rather delicious. Sword may not be a good film, but it's basically inoffensive and safe, and it does provide pleasure in its way.