He talks to animals

Released in 1982, The Beastmaster was yet another entry in the sword-and-sorcery genre which was taking off thanks to the success of the Conan films ( the best of sword-and-sorcery films). Directed and written by Don Coscarelli (Phantasm, Bubba ho-tep), Beastmaster had it's own charm to it and was not just another fantasy film, but one that has stuck with me since I first saw it as a kid.

Dar (played by Marc Singer) is a young man who sets off on a journey for revenge...oh, and he can communicate with animals featured in the film such as an eagle, tiger and even ferrets! He is in search of Maxx (played by Rip Torn) who was behind the slaughter of not only his people but also his father. The look of this film is nothing short of epic, Don Coscarelli does a great job with the directing and the writing which keeps the film rolling at a great pace in which it never lets up or gets boring. There are some excellent scenes involving the ferrets including one in which they save Dar from drowning in quicksand. There are some really cool creatures in this picture, my favorite being the winged creatures who wrap their wings around their victims and strip them of their flesh and the evil green eyed monsters who when injected with leaches go absolutely ballistic.

The black tiger in the film was actually a stripped tiger in which they dyed black and the eagle refused to fly when they needed to get a shot so they would drop it from a hot air balloon. The film ended up being a box-office failure yet has created it's own cult following and is actually one of the most successful cable-tv movies of all time.

The Beastmaster may not be as good as the Conan films but it carries alot of weight and I would say it is the second best of the sword-and-sorcery films just under Conan. Don Coscarelli was actually offered the Chance to direct Conan but after reading the script he declined. After not seeing this film in about 16 years I have to say it still holds up and it is a lot of fun, yeah there is some cheesy scenes and the costume design is awesomely bad and good (the helmet with antlers is the coolest helmet ever) it is a lot of fun to watch. Anchor Bay put out a great DVD a few years ago of it which is hard to find but worth getting, The cover art alone is pure magic.

Rating: B-

Reviewer: Jason