| The Beastmaster (1982) Cast:Marc Singer,Tanya Roberts,John Amos, Rip Torn Marc Singer stars as "The Beastmaster" a warrior who can communicate with animals, when an evil priest crosses the beastmaster's path and kills the beastmaster's stepfather, the beastmaster swears revenge so with a his black tiger, ferrets, eagle and his stepfather's sword he swears vengeance in this highly enjoyable sword and sorcery epic. The Beastmaster's novel touch is that it's main hero is like Dr. Dolittle mixed with Conan The Barbarian, not that it matters because The Beastmaster works very well at what it wants to do. It's straight up simple minded entertainment that is generally entertaining. The fightscenes and battles are well staged and Marc Singer has some charisma which explains why this became such a hit on TV and video. There are a few flaws to be had though, one in particular is the climax which has Singer confront the evil priest first and then the priest's army second, which is somewhat anti-climatic because the movie feels unsatisfying. Infact one wonders why they didn't switch the footage around and give us a much more satisfying ending to the movie. Another aspect is how some cheesy some scenes are, such as the beginning as well as the whole thing featuring those guys who like gimps. These are of course minor flaws which hardly distract the viewer from fully enjoying the movie. I also wondered why they spray painted a tiger and how an eagle could lift a child but that's beside the point, The Beastmaster is a superior sword and sorcery actioner that is well worth seeing for any fan of the genre. It's one of those movies where the cheesiness only adds to the enjoyment. D.Don Coscarelli*** |