The Beastmaster

Rating:
Summary: Animal Wars
Review: Beastmaster is one of the more enjoyable sword films from the early 1980's. The credentials of Marc Singer as a gifted prophet, whose ability to communicate with animals, forms a coherence unmatched by any other films. He gets along with the ferrets, a painted tiger, and an eagle. The plot concerns him doing battle with an evil warlock whose wretchedness is exemplary. The battle scenes are enjoyable and there is even some humor to go along with it all. In the end we root for the good guys.


Rating:
Summary: The Beastmaster DVD
Review: I must say Don Coscarelli had a wonderful vision w/this movie. He co-wrote the movie as well as directed it, he probably also produced it. The problem w/ Don Coscarelli's movies is no one ever gives the poor guy a budget. He has made some really great/interesting movies, Phantasm ($500,000 budget), Beastmaster, and Bubba Ho-Tep.

Don Coscarelli had the largest budget of his career for this movie, Beastmaster, which was $9 million dollars, but ran into stiff competition when this movie was released into theatres. Playing during the same 6 weeks span was the likes of E.T and Road Warrior, not to mention Poltergeist had been released a few weeks earlier. The $3.5 million Beastmaster drew during its short stint in theatres has cursed poor Don Coscarelli into always being forced to do low budget works, but he doesn't lack for creativity.

Don Coscarelli doesn't exactly have an all-star cast, but they do a fantastic job in this movie. Marc Singer plays the hard bodied hero, who looks a lot like Kevin Bacon, and doesn't over act, I thought he did a fantastic job. John Amos (yes, that John Amos from Coming to America, McDowell's ;) joins him later. John Amos plays a man who is assigned to protect the king's son, and acts as protector of the future king. He also does a fantastic job.

Tanya Roberts is in the movie playing a slave girl who looks a little curiously like Red Sonja (which came out three years later). She tries to play the innocent virgin slave, whom every time captured is "scheduled to be sacrificed." It seems everyone in this movie gets "scheduled to be sacrificed."

In the end, the animals steal the show. The ferrets are wonderful, and you find yourself loving them the most, at least I did. They play the little mischievous thieves. The panther/tiger was also great, and while watching the movie, it was honestly amazing to me that you never read about anyone getting seriously hurt. That tiger/panther was messing people up.

In conclusion, this was a great, great movie. It's not as good as Willow or Conan, mainly because the sword fighting scenes are slow, and look really fake, but other then that one aspect, this is a great movie. If you liked Conan, you will like Beastmaster. I would give this movie 4.5 stars of I could, but since I can't it gets 5.

Grade: A-


Rating:
Summary: Better then Tarzan
Review: THis DVD was a great find. I classic film I grew up oninthe 80's. This movie is the basis for the television series now.