As far as the Sword and Sorcery genre goes, this is it’s shining star. A lot of people comment in negative ways(bad acting, poor costumes, etc.)but the’re missing the point of this film style. Let me summarize: A man’s village is slaughtered by a cult called the Jun Horde. He seeks revenge on them and follows their trail. He discovers he can communicate with animals, and travels with them. He also picks up some human companions along the way, including super-hot Tonya Roberts. Each one has their own reason to defy the Jun Horde. This revenge theme is typical of S & S films; muscle-bound hero, love interest, cool sidekicks, evil wizard, etc.. But this movie is loaded with creative and original material. Animal co-stars, at least three very skilled actors(John Amos in particular), an incredible soundtrack, super-cool throwing weapons, and an emotional character. Conan came only months earlier, and had a much bigger budget. Even with that it pales in comparison to the much superior Beastmaster. All Conan does is mope and get angry, the only time he’s even likable is when he’s drunk. Plus everything he does is for himself. Dar on the other hand, risks his life to save strangers. He even reveals himself while unarmed to save a child. He can talk to animals, but doesn’t control them. They are viewed as his friends, not servants, a good message if you ask me. He even turns down his birthright so he can live his own life. Conan, Dragonslayer, Ator, etc., used fake animals to engage the actors. The Beastmaster had two ferrets, a tiger, an eagle, horses, doves, and more interacting with very believable screen-presence. Even the scenes involving the tiger attacking the actors looked convincing. Dar also has a sense of humor, and isn’t afraid to cry. What’s more instead of having the bad guys on one side, and the good guys on the other, you have many gray areas in between. The bat people, the priests, the guards, the people who live inside town, the ones that live outside, the ancient sect that used to live in the temple, the witches, the death guards, the Jun Horde, even the animals themselves, all have their own outfits, motivations, and behaviors. This makes it a rich tapestry and very interesting to watch. The characters are layered so that they appear and disappear at the right time, every time. The scene involving the fire was real fire, they didn’t have to rely on fancy, over-budgeted special effects. The only thing that comes close in this genre is Ladyhawke. It is a wonderful movie, and the only reason I didn’t give it a ten/ten, is the scene where Tonya Roberts appears from the back of the skull in the temple. They never explained how she got there, or why she and Dar couldn’t escape the way she came.
