'The Beastmaster' (1982), Future King with a Telepathic Connection to Animals

Maax (Rip Torn) is a corrupt priest who uses evil magic and witches to try to control the kingdom and usurp power from King Zed (Rod Loomis). He learns that the King is about to have a son who will result in Maax's downfall when he grows up; Maax is banished and has the witches steal the King's unborn son. One of the witches uses magic to place the unborn baby into a cow, which gives birth to the baby who they plan on sacrificing. A farmer (Ben Hammer) attacks the witch and rescues the baby to raise as his own son, naming him Dar. As a young child, Dar and the farmer discover his ability to communicate with animals and see through their eyes which they conceal from everyone.

When Dar (Marc Singer) grows into a man, his village is attacked by barbarians known as Juns and everyone except for Dar is killed and he is left alone to seek revenge. Along the way, Dar befriends a few animals named Sharak (falcon), Kodo and Podo (ferrets), and Ruh (black tiger) who help him on his journey. He later meets a young woman, Kiri (Tanya Roberts), a slave of Maax, Seth (John Amos), a warrior, and Tal (Joshua Milrad), a boy who is the son of the King imprisoned.

Later, Dar must save Kiri and the imprisoned king before doing battle with Maax's cult and later against the Jun with help from an unlikely source.

"The Beastmaster" is a favorite movie of mine as a kid in the 80s. Some people say it's like "Conan the Barbarian" (1982) and I agree but it also reminds me a bit of "Masters of the Universe" without the super strength of course. In fact, after watching "The Beastmaster" recently, I thought to myself that this is what the movie flop, "Masters of the Universe" (1987), starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man, could have been.

I completely forgot that "The Beastmaster" was written and directed by Don Coscarelli, who also created another of my favorite movies, "Phantasm" (1979). It's cool to see the same guy involved with two of my favorite movies that are so very different. I can see some of his touch in both movies.

It is loosely based on ideas from Andre Norton's 1959 science fiction novel, "The Beast Master" -- not the plot, setting, or characters but its concept of an ex-soldier with an empathic and telepathic connection to genetically-altered animals.

The story is a little more complex than other adventure movies of its type or so it seems to me. It might just seem that way due to its long runtime of 118 minutes. A lot happens during the movie, making it really feel like an epic journey filled with action, adventure, and cool characters. I think the movie really does feel like a live-action version of an 80s cartoon, so, if you can push aside your maturity for a while and watch this movie with the mindset of a 10 year old kid, you will find "The Beastmaster" to be much more fun and enjoyable.

"The Beastmaster" is rated PG and it is suitable for all ages although little children might be frightened by some of the special effects and makeup of some of the characters. There is some brief nudity but nothing sexual.

Don't expect much in the way of acting but this is an action movie intended for a younger audience. I was too busy getting into the story to notice if the acting ever got too horrendously bad but it mostly seemed mediocre.

Marc Singer does a great job as Dar but I'd of never imagined him in this role because he's not big and muscular like Schwarzenegger who I think of due to his performance in Conan. But he isn't scrawny either, so he sort of looks the part with a Tarzan-like muscular appearance. His voice is good and strong with a friendly yet somewhat commanding demeanor which is becoming of a future king.

Rip Torn plays Maax, the main villain of the movie (in addition to the Jun). He seems like the epitome of a cartoon villain which means that his performance is rather mediocre. However it doesn't ruin the movie because he is expected to be like this.

Tanya Roberts plays Kiri, cousin of Tal and warrior maiden to the king turned slave. She is beautiful and charming but not the best actress. She has a topless scene that guys will want to see.

John Amos plays Seth, the black warrior protecting Tal, heir to the king. He really looks the part because he's a big guy but it takes getting used to after seeing him play the father on the "Good Times" comedy TV show. His acting is a little out of place -- a bit too serious for the role and his stern eyes could stare down a rhino. But he's still fun and a very likeable character.

In addition to the regular humans, there are several other types of characters. There are the Jun barbarians in armor, priests of Maax that look like Hare Krishna, and different types of monstrous creatures.

The witches have very sexy bodies but grotesque faces.

Berserkers are men who are drained of their blood and green liquid and leeches are injected into their brains turning them into insane monsters.

Without a doubt, the weirdest creatures are the nameless winged beings that eat humans by enveloping them within their large wings, only leaving bones and clothing. They respect Dar because Sharak, the falcon, reminds them of their god.

There are quite a bit of special effects in this movie. Some are cool and some are cheesy. The Berserkers are simply men with leather masks and spiked leather gloves, like the witches are sexy women with ugly masks -- both cheesier effects. As for cool effects, I thought that the ring with the eye in it was very interesting (reminding me of some of the effects in "Phantasm") and the winged beings are both cheesy and cool at the same time.

I'm not sure why Ruh, the tiger, had to be painted black because a striped tiger would've worked the same; it's sad because the tiger died two years later due to the paint toxins poisoning him through his skin.

Dar carries a sword and some very cool type of boomerang blade weapon that he throws at his enemies.

The music is very orchestral and epic-sounding with a theme that sounds like the original theme for the "Battlestar Galactica" sci-fi TV series. I think it really helps to create the big adventure feeling that belongs with "The Beastmaster."

Overall, "The Beastmaster" is a fun and entertaining 80s action adventure movie that feels a bit retro in a good way. Some might find it cheesy but you could do a lot worse.

Rating: 3/5

Trivia

Coscarelli set the story in the Bronze Age because he was a fan of Steve Reeves, Ray Harryhausen, and sword and sandal movies set in almost the same time period.

The film did not do that well at the box office but has become one of the most successful movies on cable TV.

Demi Moore, Don Coscarelli's choice, tried out for the role of Kiri but the producers went with Tanya Roberts.

Quote

Dar: [re: the eagle] I have my eyes
[re: the ferrets]
Dar: I have my cunning
[re: the tiger]
Dar: and I have my strength.