HOME   News   Reviews   Adv Search   Features   My DVD   About   Apps   Stats     Search:
  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Widescreen 1.85:1
  • 16:9 Enhanced
  • Dual Layer ( 66:04)
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  Subtitles
    English
  Extras
  • Theatrical trailer
  • 4 Photo gallery
  • Animated menus

The Beastmaster

Big Sky Video/Big Sky Video . R4 . COLOR . 114 mins . M15+ . PAL

  Feature
Contract

Some films struggle to belie their age, others seem to live forever in cinema history, and some set benchmarks against which others are measured. The Beastmaster most certainly falls into the first category, starring two actors that scream B-grade in Marc Singer and Tanya Roberts, and employing just about every known '80s camera trick, special effect and, of course, poorly trained animals.

Dar (Singer) is the son of King Zed, who has been deposed and thrown in jail. Destined to be a child sacrifice, but rescued before birth, Dar knows he is different. He has the ability to communicate with beasts, and is remarkably brave and fearless. After his kidnapping, he is rescued by a poor traveller who raises Dar not knowing he is still on the hitlist of the High Priest Maax (Rip Torn), responsible for the imprisonment of King Zed. Dar's world is ripped apart when marauding hordes descend on his surrogate village and slaughter the inhabitants.

Dar sets off on a quest of revenge, armed with a mighty sword, a large eagle, two ferrets and a huge panther. His journey is fraught with dangers and constant battles with the hordes, Maax's dark army, and constant unknown and unseen enemies. He befriends the traveler Seth (John Amos), and the slave girl Kiri, and together they sneak their way into Maax's stronghold and at last look set to free the imprisoned king, emancipate the serfs and restore order and justice to the kingdom. But, of course, nothing ever goes that smoothly. Sorcery and black magic abound in this cult classic that is sure to delight lovers of fantasy adventure.

"Life is a circle."

Now some of you are probably thinking, "Come off it mate, I can see the cover on this very page. Who are you kidding?" and you'd be right. For your benefit then, here is the same plot synopsis with the sincerity removed.

Dar (Singer) is your typical fantasy hero, all brawn and no brain. He wears a loin cloth and has a big sword. He is a prince, but of course not even he knows it as he was kidnapped at birth to avoid being sacrificed. Like all warriors that are really princes but don't know it, he is amazingly brave, strong and is built like a condom full of walnuts. His village is destroyed by a gang of savages that look remarkably like the heavy metal band Slipknot, so he sets off seeking revenge with nothing more than his loin cloth, his big sword, and a bunch of animal cast offs from Siegfried and Roy.

He befriends a total stranger (the only one that doesn't try to kill him) and they join forces in their quest to defeat the High Priest Maax, who is responsible for the deaths of his village and surrogate family. Naturally, Maax is ugly, fat, and sacrifices children, so he's pretty easy to despise.

Our hero is joined by the slave girl Kiri (dressed like a Raunchy Girl), who is also quite brave, handy with a sword and has enormous breasts and long legs. Needless to say they hit it off pretty quickly, and the three of them manage to sneak into Maax's fortress with the intention to cause havoc, defeat the evil ones, and free the peasants (who should have done it themselves years ago there's that many of them) who seem unable to organise a booze up in a brewery let alone stage a rebellion. Of course getting into the fortress is the easy part and the hordes of half-naked soldiers prove tough foes indeed. And just when you think it's all over, Slipknot show up again and threaten to hand out another hiding to Dar and his band of Britney Spears back-up dancers.

Choose the plot synopsis that seems the most likely, for both are actually pretty accurate in describing this relatively low-budget epic. The film is a lot of fun, and is nothing more than B-grade fare with lashings of swords, death and magic, featuring buff men and women in skimpy leather outfits. The acting is fine (especially from the ferrets who provide great comic relief), there are some interesting camera angles, unusual colour filters employed, and a story that is pure comic book and never promises more than it delivers. And for those of you that were thinking, "Surely then the cover says it all?" you're correct - but that's a good thing, right?

  Video
Contract

There are a number of good things to report in this transfer, including the aspect ratio of 1.85:1 that is 16x9 enhanced. Those expecting brilliance might want to have a reality check for this release that is more than 20 years old, but when all is considered, it is not bad. There are a number of marks that seem to vary from scene to scene but are rarely intrusive. The marks are both of the positive and negative types such as dirt, dust, scratches, and flecks, black and white blobs, the odd vertical line, some large blotches, and the occasional discolouration. However, it sounds worse than it really is, and is markedly better than what can be seen on the theatrical trailer that has been included.

Colours are mostly good tending towards the slightly dark and oversaturated. The image is not especially sharp, but neither is it overly soft, and there is quite an amount of noticeable grain in many scenes. It has a dark look in most scenes but I suspect this may be deliberate. There are no real problems with colour bleeding or chroma noise, and black levels are generally even. Shadow detail suffers regularly, but most action can be distinguished with a little extra intention. The result is typical of low-budget fantasy epics from this era.

The layer change is placed between scenes at 66:04, but is rather clunky as there is a noticeable pause.

  Audio
Contract

Brownie points are to be awarded to whomever decided to remix this soundtrack into Dolby Digital 5.1, for it really is quite a surprise. It is still not reference quality or window rattling, but is enjoyable nonetheless. Most sound emanates from across the front with dialogue placed almost exclusively in the centre speaker. The dialogue is clear and audible, despite the large amount of on-screen action.

Rear channels are used mostly for music and ambient sounds, though these are not constantly present. Sounds such as the wind and crowd noises get a look in at the back, and there is some use also for directional sounds such as fireballs and some of the fight scenes. The subwoofer is not overly busy, kicking in occasionally when the rousing music increases in volume.

Audio synch is fine, but there appears to be some over-dubbing that infrequently looks a little off whack, but again, this is not going to trouble most viewers. The overall volume is a tad quieter than is normal for these swords and magic movies, and you can safely give the volume a nudge without fear of blasting the poor neighbours into last century.

  Extras
Contract

Well folks, there are a few extras on offer, though none are of the 'get excited' variety. But they do add value for the purchaser. It's a shame the region 4 version didn't get the same extras as the region 1, which also has hidden deleted scenes, a 30-minute 'behind the scenes' featurette, cast and crew biographies and DTS-ES 6.1 and Dolby Digital EX 6.1 soundtracks. So what do we get in region 4? By comparison, bugger all really.

The only genuine extra is the audio commentary provided by director Dan Coscarelli and producer Paul Pepperman. They seem to remember the filming of The Beastmaster in great detail, and divulge quite a great deal of trivia (and small goofs and bad special effects to look for), as well as more substantial information with regards to filming on a budget, working with the various cast and crew (and animals), and location filming. There are some short pauses, but this is mostly a solid and free-flowing commentary.

The trailer provided has a rather dramatic voice-over and I can't be sure he isn't taking the proverbial as he seems a bit too keen and excited. It is presented in the same aspect ratio as the feature and is 16x9 enhanced, but only in Dolby Digital 2.0. Watching this highlights the superior quality of the feature, as this trailer has not been cleaned in any way and is riddled with artefacts, but it does what it has to do in its allotted two minutes and that is sell the film.

The remainder of the extras are basically photo galleries entitled Production Stills, Original Production Art, Behind the Scenes Stills, and Poster and Advertising. Consisting of a total of 57 stills, why they could not have been placed together in one gallery is a bit of a mystery.

There is also a rather nice and glossy 16-page booklet included which has quite a wealth of information about the film against some very nice artwork. Quite a nice little extra this one.

  Overall  
Contract

If fantasy is your thing, and Conan or Xena appeal, then The Beastmaster will not disappoint. It is not your corny Saturday afternoon B-grade effort, but it is not Lord of the Rings either. It is a modestly budgeted film with actors who probably had no better offers at the time (although Marc Singer did go on to do V, and a couple of Beastmaster sequels and Tanya Roberts had been the last Charlie's Angel and would go on to be a Bond girl). The amount of violence and the ample amounts of exposed flesh indicate it is not really a kids film, and is destined to remain a cult classic.


  • LINK: http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=2254
  • Send to a friend.

    Cast your vote here: You must enable cookies to vote.
  •   
      And I quote...
    "Xena's cousin teams up with Conan's little brother in this flesh and leather-fest cult classic..."
    - Terry Kemp
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Akai
    • TV:
          TEAC CT-F803 80cm Super Flat Screen
    • Receiver:
          Pioneer VSX-D409
    • Speakers:
          Wellings
    • Centre Speaker:
          Wellings
    • Surrounds:
          Wellings
    • Subwoofer:
          Sherwood SP 210W
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard RCA
    • Video Cables:
          standard s-video
      Recent Reviews:
    by Terry Kemp

    The Boondock Saints
    "This ‘Tarentino-coulda-been’ film is pretty damned enjoyable..."

    Take the Money and Run
    "... will appeal to die-hard Woody Allen fans but be lucky to earn passing interest from most."

    Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em - The Christmas Specials
    "By this stage, you either love or hate Frank Spencer and nothing in this review is going to change that…"

    Beyond Imagination - Pyramid. Colosseum. Pompeii
    "This triumvirate of features is a great addition to any collection and sure to offer something to adults, children and armchair historians everywhere…"

    Empires - Islam: Empire of Faith
    "…forget the “Be Alert – Be Alarmed” campaign (or whatever the fridge magnet assault suggested) and try – “Be Informed”."

      Related Links
      None listed

     

    Search for Title/Actor/Director:
    Google Web dvd.net.au
       Copyright DVDnet. All rights reserved. Site Design by RED 5   
    rss