The Beastmaster
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Movie Reviews of The Beastmaster
Movie Review: Still the best of the "B"s, even today
Summary: 5 Stars
A lot of folks trace the "Hercules" and "Xena" phenomenon back to Arnie's "Conan". With all due respect to Arnold's limited acting ability, it's a bit like comparing TV's "Temptation Island" to "Gilligan's Island". Conan had a plot, and a structured mythos established by Robert E. Howard in years of writing pulp.What REALLY started it all was this gem. It's a silly little film full of clichés and lots of gratuitous violence and nudity. In the T&A department, awards for BOTH definitely go to the male lead, Marc Singer, who is the only other actor since John Phillip Law of "Barbarella" to put to shame the lovely (and better known) leading lady starring opposite them.
Dar (Singer), who grows up in a village in the desert where both water and clothes are hard to come by, has his entire village slaughtered by the Jun Horde. Dar possesses the ability to mentally link with animals, and ventures off to the city to destroy the villainous high priest of Ar who led the Juns to his village. Rip Torn is hilariously enjoyable as the villain, with his fake proboscis and gravel-like voice giving a cheesy menace to his scenes. Dar hooks up with the juvenile heir to the throne of the kingdom (secretly his younger brother), the heir's warrior bodyguard, and the slave-girl/Amazon cousin, played by Tanya Roberts, accompanied by his black tiger, eagle and ferret companions. They destroy the evil temple and its maniacal priest, only to face the wrath of the Jun Horde, back for vengeance. Then, with the assistance of the good folk of the city, as well as some really interesting and novel bat-winged folk with caustic sweat, they save the kingdom, and the hero and heroine vanish into the sunset (kissing cousin jokes aside).
What is surprising is just how GOOD this is! There are no special effects to speak of, with what there is limited to a can of black spray-paint on the tiger, a lot of fake blood and some phosphorescent paint. The sets are just as cheesy as one would expect, and the plot is full of holes. Regardless, there is this tremendously and quirky innovativeness to the whole concept, and you find yourself, while by no means taking the film seriously, at least appreciating the novelty of it all, and appreciating it even more given the film's 1982 release date! It really is probably the very best B movie ever made, which is more than can be said for the terrible sequels which succeed it. Regardless, it's a definite must see.
Movie Review: Fun 80's fantasy film.
Summary: 5 Stars
The Beastmaster was a great film its sort of like a Conan The Barbarian ripoff so if you liked that film then your going to love this, I just saw this film more recently and heard alot of great things about it The Beastmaster also has earned some cult status and is popular on cable. I was definitely not disappointed by this film it also happens to be a huge cult classic and was directed by one of my favorite directors Don Coscarelli who also made the Phantasm series its also one of those movies that can be watched many times without being bored cause there is never a dull moment. So the film might be very silly and cheesy at times but then again who cares since this is an epic fantasy/adventure film, in my opinion I thought that the dialogue was pretty good and it fits with the rest of the film which happens to be about witchcraft and sorcery and stuff like that it also has alot of bizarre and wonderful creatures like the bat people and some hideous witches and not to mention the special fx were pretty good especially for that time during the early 80's even though some scenes did look abit outdated. The story is about a muscle-bound warrior named Dar played by Marc Singer who has the power to communicate with the animals, when his village is attacked under the order of the evil priest Maax played by Ripp Torn (who was so over the top and cheesy as hell you gotta love it) everyone he cares for is killed so he heads out on a quest for revenge. Along his journey he gathers some animals to help him out and meets a slave girl Kiri (Tania Roberts who provides some nice eye candy ;-)) who was trying to escape from her capture at the hands of the evil priest, he also meets a couple of friends the sword fight were fantastic and it also includes a very cool battle scene where the fighters are surrounded by fire check it out, this scene was stylishly shot almost like an 80's music video. Anyway if you want to see some fun and excitement and if you like Conan The Barbarian then watch this now!.Movie Review: Not a "Conan" Rip-Off!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
How can The Beastmaster be a rip-off, when it was made & released the same time as "Conan" in 1982, both movies rode the coatails of 1981's "Excalibur" it seems, Like many, I too remember this on HBO back in the 80's, & as a kid liked it, I was very surprised that as an adult, I still found it to be entertaining, I bought the DVD recently, & the picture is awesome, better than it ever was on VHS, the color fidelity is sharper & clearer, In this we meet Dar(Marc Singer of "V") who swears revenge against those who have murdered & wiped out his people, Dar is also the son of a King who was taken at birth & later found by a traveler, he has a unique ability to communicate with animals, Rip Torn(Men In Black) is Maax, a high priest who acts more like a dictator who rules the the King's people with fear & child sacrifice, the king himself is imprisoned in the village Pyramid, Dar eventually arrives to take his revenge against Maax & the Jon Horde, those responsible for his people's murder, & free the King, who unbeknownst to him is his father, there are many neat sword fight scenes, & Singer totally plays Dar to perfection, Tanya Roberts who looks better as a red head is here as Dar's potential love interest, as is John Amos(Coming To America) as Tal, a fellow warrior who helps Dar in his quest, definately a fun movie, & a rare film, so missing in today's Hollywood, The Jon Horde are some of the most intimidating horseman ever seen, & the DVD is definately worth owning if you like this one, the two sequels, made in the 90's are horrible, avoid them, but get this one!!!Movie Review: A+ in the B-movie genre!
Summary: 5 Stars
If you're looking at this then you probably already like the movie. Repeated viewings on TBS have made this one of my favorite "comfort" movies. After a stressed out day you can sit down with The Beastmaster and trivial real world stuff just drifts away. It's like a great song. Am I right? It's also a great way to waste a few hours on a rainy day. From the cheesy opening titles to the back-to-back perfect timing sequences that save our heros from certain death - it's forgivable fun. When watching Lord Of The Rings recently I was reminded of Beastmaster (Xena, Hercules, Dragonslayer and all my favorite RPG computer games too). You can *just tell* when the actors are going through the motions and when they are having fun. Beastmaster (and Lord Of The Rings) is the latter. Swords and witches are what it's all about. If that's your bag then read on!The DVD presentation is much better than I though it would be. The picture and sound will please most. Good color and sharp images. The extras are numerous and vary in quality. However, at this price, why complain? Some of the "behind the scenes" stuff reminds me of someone narrarating their own home movies; introducing family members and whatnot. But seeing the locations and the construction of the villiage and the pyramid used in the film was interesting. The rest is good for a quick look. I haven't watched it with commentary turned on yet but look forward to it.
The Beastermaster DVD is a good value for fans. I wish all B-movie DVDs (or ALL DVDs period) were at least this well presented. Perfect score!!
Movie Review: Who Doesn't Remember This One??
Summary: 5 Stars
If you were a yungun in the early to mid 80s and had HBO or just regular cable, it was impossible for you to miss The Beastmaster. This film will forever be part of your subconscious due to those childhood viewings. How could you ever forget the eyeball in the ring? Or a naked swimming woman in a PG film? Kodo and Podo? The scary guy with the leather mask and green eyes? Or those gruesome, creepy bat people who wrap you in their wings and eat ya? This film is pure nostalgia and is still entertaining after all these years and many, many viewings. Sure, some complain that this film is cheesy(obviously they didn't grow up with the film). Of course! Sure, 80s sword and sorcery flicks are easy targets for that, but so what? You trying to tell me there's no cheese in Lord Of The Rings? Or Hercules and Xena? Come on, Beastmaster is no more or less. At least the guys who made these films(Beastmaster, Conan, Deathstalker, etc.), made them with grittiness. These aren't for kids, folks. Beastmaster may be rated PG, but give it another viewing and ask yourself how it slipped by the ratings board with that rating. A kid gets thrown into a pit of fire for crying out loud! But this film is great, and the dvd is great as well-not to mention a decent price.