Diagonaldi Very well executed

Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Konterr Brilliant and touching

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

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.

SnoopyStyle Maax (Rip Torn) receives a prophecy from witches of his death from the unborn son of the King. He is banished from the kingdom. The witches steal the unborn son in a cow. An old man rescues the boy from the witches and raises him as his own. Dar (Marc Singer) would grow up with powers to communicate with animals. Mauraders massacre his people and he sets out for revenge. He is joined by two thieving ferrets, a hawk and a tiger. He wins the heart of slave girl Kiri (Tanya Roberts).This is mostly compared to Conan which came out a few months before. Beside being second to the screen, this is an inferior product in many ways. Marc Singer is no Arnold Schwarzenegger but who is? Tanya Roberts is a good slave girl reminiscent of all those great B-movie bimbos. The story is alright especially considering the genre. The production is even cheesier than Conan. It's a movie that can't be taken too seriously. The only thing superior are the animals. I love the ferrets and they stay with me all these years.

dworldeater The Beastmaster is a classic fantasy adventure movie from writer/director Don Coscarelli. Known previously for his independent horror classic Phantasm. Beastmaster is Coscarelli's first bigger budget studio picture and one of his only movies not to cast Reggie Bannister. Even without Reggie, the film kicks serious ass. Marc Singer is great as our hero Dar, The Beastmaster. Singer went out of his way to be in amazing shape and is totally ripped. What he lacked in acting ability he makes up for with athletic prowess, charisma and one sick mullet! In addition to being a powerful warrior, he has the skill to befriend animals. The animals help him on his quest to liberate the kingdom from evil priest Maax and repel The Jun Horde. Maax is a great villain played by the legendary Rip Torn. Tanya Roberts is slave girl Keirie, love interest for Dar and eye candy for the male hetro audience. John Amos, best known as Cleo McDowell in Coming To America is strong support and gives a great performance. The film looks great and was shot by Academy Award winner John Alcott. Alcott won the Academy Award for best cinematography on Stanley Kubrick's classic Barry Lyndon. The F/X look good as well and there is a lot of great action as well. Unlike many similar genre films that came out during the same period, The Beastmaster is a bloodless movie and is family friendly without being corny. That feat was one many movies can't manage, especially the sequel to Conan, Conan The Destroyer. The Beastmaster took in little money at the box office when it was released. However, it blew up when it came out on cable and home video. Since then it has found its audience and is a cult classic that holds up well. The sequels, to the best of my memory are real bad and do not involve writer/director Don Coscarelli. Had he been involved, the sequels would have been better. Even so, this film is still awesome and a classic.

samuelzjones All that any cult-Fantasy fan should need to know about this film is that the setting cribs heavily from John Norman's "Gor" novels. Rip Torn's evil god is Ar, and there is a reliance in the plot upon breathy slave girls and macho barbarian chauvinism. In this regard, The Beastmaster is one of a number of "unofficial tributes" to Gor that are actually truer to the novels than either of the two licensed Gor movies made in the same era.Whether or not this is a good thing is entirely a matter of taste. The plot of the film is more or less irrelevant, as is the quality of the acting. It's Swords & Sandals, one of the better examples of knock-offs that tried to cash-in on the success of Conan The Barbarian. Good enough, at least, to warrant an "expurgated" edit for general release, unlike the majority of similar examples of the form.