Anssi Vartiainen So we have our hero, a barbarian, who wields a mighty sword, doesn't believe in shirts and travels the land with his odd group of misfits, looking for the pillagers who wrecked his home village and killed his family. On his journeys he will meet magical beings, lost royals, nefarious cults and all manners of beasts. No, I'm not talking about Conan the Barbarian, although the two films are eerily similar. They even came out the exact same year. Funny how these things work out sometimes.And while admittedly Conan is clearly the superior film, The Beastmaster has its own definite upsides. Marc Singer may not be Arnold, but he has this boyish rogue thing going for him and he makes for an interesting main character. The whole 'beastmaster' thing is also a nice addition, giving the film its own feel, its own unique signature. And I also like that it's not just a gimmick. Dar's (Singer) various animal friends are constantly present and an intrinsic part of the plot.As far as the plot goes, I've seen worse, though it does seem to wander around a bit. Then again, so does the plot of Conan, so that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's how these stories work. I cannot deny that I didn't enjoy every minute of it. Especially because while the storytelling is not as strong in this one as it is in Conan, the film makes up for it with a more exploitative tone. Kinda cheap, admittedly, but I do enjoy my greasy fast food next to my steaks just fine.If you absolutely cannot see more than one barbarian film from the 80s, see Conan the Barbarian. But if that leaves you hungry for more, The Beastmaster should definitely go to your list.

Leofwine_draca This schlocky slice of sword and sorcery entertainment comes from the man who brought us PHANTASM - and it's full of the same cheap cheeriness as in that film. As far as fantasy films go, it's not half bad, with plenty of action and exploitation to keep things moving along steadily. While lacking the visceral excess of CONAN THE BARBARIAN, it has all the key ingredients for these '80s adventure larks, including a black sidekick, monsters, a muscle-bound hero in a loincloth, some cheesy special effects and a baddie wizard who lives at the top of a giant stone staircase. Okay, so this film is a rip-off, but it's a good one at that.It also has a refreshing twist in the tale: our hero is telepathically able to control animals, and has a number of sidekicks. An eagle is handy for flying into his enemies' faces and spying, his (surprisingly tame) black tiger is useful for mauling baddies, and his two pet ferrets live in a satchel and steal stuff. The magical elements are primitive yet memorable, and include a ring with an eyeball in it - what more could you want? There's a race of SWAMP THING-like creatures who act as giant Venus Flytraps and dissolve their prey; some incredibly cheesy brute men with glowing green eyes who run around and kill things; a few hideous witches here and there for good measure, and of course lots of cruel warriors with evil-looking helmets whom our hero battles.The acting? Pretty much as you'd expect. Sub-par compared to mainstream films, i.e. just about non-existent, yet typical for your average barbarian flick. Marc Singer (you might recognise him as one of the leads in V) is suitably lean and muscular as the warrior, although his acting skills leave something to be desired, bless him. Tanya Roberts displays little acting talent, instead plenty of flesh; while Rip Torn goes over the top to make an enjoyably hammy villain. John Amos, who you might recognise from DIE HARD 2, fits the stereotyped role of a black sidekick just fine. Strangely enough, the cute animal stars manage to act their human counterparts off the screen every time...With plenty of action, ranging from sword fights to punch ups, an impressive array of sets and scenery, and some natty costumes, you could do a lot worse than THE BEASTMASTER. Two sequels predictably followed in the '90s, both of which have received a lot of flack - but they sound right up my street.

InakiArias Let's start saying that this movie is getting old badly. It is a low Budget film and compared with AAA films of that time like the first Indiana Jones it's easy to appreciate that they don't play in the same league. Cheap scenarios and costumes, poor cinematography... The story is simple, dialogs are plain and some of battle scenes are laughable (of course, in 2013).However this movie has something that the most of our days films lack: magic, charm and entertaining capability for all the family. This movie is full of magic from the beginning until the last scene. There are a lot of ridiculous scenes or situations which you forget immediately because of the enormous sense of magic and good feeling of this film.It's very hard to explain, but there is something that evolves you and captures your full attention.I can conclude saying that this film is as wonderful and great as technically bad, but always worth of your time.

pcsarkar Story? Hey.. we have already seen Conan, The Barbarian, right? So whats new here? The acting? Zilch. Special effects? Zero. Female presence? Boring. The Beastmaster himself? Ineffectual - who must rely on two ferrets to do his job for him. I fail to understand if this film was targeted at kids or at adults? The hero is off to search for his enemies as usual. His travails, pointless fights and harmless flirtations fail to bring any sort of expression on his face, any fatigue of his body or any wear / tear of his garments. Even after emerging from vicious fights, somehow his doesn't ever have a scratch or dust on him. Truly a superman. But he does forget his parents, his village and his heritage, once he comes across a slave girl. Then its the girl all the way. Poor dude.. spoilt for choice, he falls flat for an expressionless female, because he hadn't seen any female in the buff for so many years. The villain is OTP and the side kick has to be a black. I am yet to see a film, in which the hero is a black and the side-kick is white.The pacing is slow, and there appear to be gaping gaps in the editing. Some of the sequences seem pointless, e.g. the dude comes across a cauldron with a human head floating in it.. Some black magicians appear.. a dwarf gets killed.. and then?? Then nothing.. The hero wakes up somewhere, all nice and shiny as usual. With a great smirk, as he is wont to be. Jesuz. The ferrets steal the show. The painted tiger lumbers about. The falcon cheeps like an eagle. And a rather adorable dog dies early in the proceedings. Comparing this film with Conan is an insult to Conan. Actually slept nicely after seeing this. Afterall, there was nothing in this film to excite my senses or keep me awake at night.