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Marc Singer, Tanya Roberts, Rip Torn, John Amos, Josh Milrad ... see more see more... , Roi Loomis , Hugh Armstrong , Bruce Barbour , Vanna Bonta , Janet de May , Tony Epper , Ben Hammer , Thomas Huff , Janet Jones , Mike Kirton , Paul Reynolds , Linda Smith , Ralph Strait , Jeremy Whelan , Hank Hooker , Gary McLarty , Larry Randles , Eddie Hice , Billy Jayne , Joshua Milrad , Rod Loomis

This low-budget entry into the sword-and-sorcery cycle of the early '80s wasn't successful during its initial release, but has steadily built a strong cult following over the years. The Beastmaster te... read more read more...lls the story of Dar (Marc Singer), the son of a king who was stolen from his mother's womb by a witch under the command of vicious sorcerer Maax (Rip Torn). A poor villager saves Dar from being sacrificed and raises him as his own son, teaching Dar how to fight and witnessing the boy's ability to telepathically communicate with animals. Their happiness is destroyed when their village is attacked by the evil Jun horde, a race of beast-like warriors controlled by Maax. Dar vows revenge and journeys to his father's former kingdom to destroy Maax. Along the way, he falls in love with gorgeous slave girl Kiri (Tanya Roberts) and teams up with former royal guard Seth (John Amos). Dar also uses his powers to enlist the aid of an eagle, a panther and two adorable ferrets named Kodo and Podo. Together, Dar and his unlikely but brave team square off with Maax in an impressive two-part finale that involves a swordfight on the side of a pyramid and a showdown with the Jun horde near a flaming moat. The resulting film was full of action and eccentric surprises, but failed to make an impression at a box office already glutted with fantasy films. However, The Beastmaster eventually became a serious cult favorite thanks to home video and extensive exposure on cable (it is the second most aired movie on TBS after Gone With the Wind). This enduring popularity led to two sequels and a syndicated television series chronicling the further adventures of Dar. ~ Donald Guarisco, Rovi

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52% liked it

28,550 ratings

Critics

50% liked it

10 critics

PG, 1 hr. 58 min.

Directed by: Don Coscarelli

Release Date: August 20, 1982

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DVD Release Date: October 23, 2001

Stats: 839 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (839)

  • cancercapricorn2002
    May 6, 2011
    cancercapricorn2002
    The Beastmaster is an above average entry in the sword and sorcery stakes. Released around the same time as the influential (and even better) Conan The Barbarian, Don Coscarelli's fantasy film moves along at a rapid pace and has some memorable and imaginative sequences. I saw the... read more film for the first time when I was a 10 years old, and watched it many times on video and cable.

    Evil priest Maax (Rip Torn) orders the sacrifice of his king's unborn son in order to prevent the coming of a prophecy in which the said son grows up and slays him. However, the baby survives its fate and is rescued by a farmer who raises him as his own and names him Dar. As Dar grows into adulthood (the adult Dar being played by Marc Singer), he gradually discovers that he has bizarre powers, including the ability to communicate with animals. He also is trained by his adopted father into becoming a very skilled swordsman. Dar's village is destroyed by a marauding band of raiders called the Juns, who kill everyone including Dar's adopted dad. Dar, the only survivor, sets off in pursuit of the Jun horde hoping to avenge their deaths. Along the way he gains several animal companions - a hawk, two ferrets, and a black panther - and also meets a slave girl named Kiri (Tanya Roberts) to whom he is immediately attracted. During his travels Dar eventually, almost accidentally, stumbles across the town where he was born. The king has long been imprisoned in the town's pyramid, and Maax is now in control, busily sacrificing the children of the repressed townsfolk. Dar vows to rid the town of Maax, but his plan is jeopardised following the rescue of the king.... for the king, during his years of imprisonment, has grown old and blind and, not realising who Dar is, refuses to take his advice on how best to confront Maax.

    Some of the sequences in the film have a really impressive, long-lasting level of invention. The sacrificial murder of a child thrown into a fiery pit; the eagle men liquefying a victim inside their rubbery capes; Dar pulling himself upside-down and backwards along a passage full of gauntleted hands that grab at his legs; the rather sad demise of one of the ferrets near the film's end. On the other hand, the performances (as noted already) are pretty bad. Singer is physically imposing but that's about all; Torn makes for a hysterically overblown villain; and Roberts struggles with even the simplest of lines (though she does LOOK terrific - and even has some skimpy costumes and a nude swimming scene to encourage us to forgive the amateurishness of her acting). Lee Holstridge provides an infectious score that sounds somewhat similar to the old Battlestar Galactica music. And John Alcott, the cinematographer, gives the film a visual polish that is probably a bit above the material. The Beastmaster is a guilty pleasure - lots of fun, lots of blood-spilling, lots of earnest enthusiasm all round.
  • ScoopOnline
    December 15, 2009
    ScoopOnline
    I watched the Beastmaster Movie after the TV Series with Daniel Goddard and I have to admit. I rather stuck on the TV Series. The Movie is Horrible!
  • phubbs1
    November 17, 2008
    phubbs1
    Yet another strangely addictive and well made fantasy film close on the heels of Conan. Singer is a much leaner barbarian and his animal abilities actually work well and dont stink of cheese like the crappy sequels.
    The good thing about BM is its very much a rip of Conan but actu... read moreally much darker and quite sick in places, there are children burnt alive, drilling into peoples heads and some excellent monster creations in the bat like creatures that wrap their wings around you and reduce you to a pile of bones n goo haha brilliant imagination there.
    The creatures in the gimp style masks that have green eye are also quite eerie and send a shiver down yr spine as they roar and run after their victims, cheesey yes but at the time it was cool stuff, and it does still work today.
    Nice cast, well trained animals and a rough n sexy look make BM a worthy Conan adversary.
  • puffchunk
    October 25, 2007
    puffchunk
    eh
  • garyX
    July 14, 2007
    garyX
    Swords and sorcery nonsense with a straight-to-video feel. Amusingly camp, and the Dr. Doolittle twist elevates it from the usual S&S mire, and it even inspired some hilariously bad sequels too.
  • timandterrybarker
    February 27, 2007
    timandterrybarker
    When I was a kid, I probably watched this movie at least once a week. It wasn't the first movie on the tape, so I memorized the exact spot on the reel (we had a top loader VCR) so I knew how far to rewind. That kind of devotion sticks with you for life.
  • mjgildea
    December 24, 2006
    mjgildea
    This movie was incredible back in the day. A briefly nude Tanya Roberts and thieving marmots. Unfortunately it hasn't held up but its still fun.
  • husky10000years
    January 26, 2008
    husky10000years
    This is one of those movies that was intended to be serious and comes out as a comedy. Interesting portrayal of The Occult as evil.
  • chadroesti
    February 26, 2009
    chadroesti
    Tanya Roberts in that little bikini outfit! Continuing my review of 80's movies I thought were fantastic when I was a kid. Now I watch it, and I still like it, but the level of campyness (new word?) is much higher than I remember. Still, it is an enjoyable movie and the best p... read moreart is still the interaction with the beastmaster's animal companions. The animals are well trained and are used well in the movie. The creature special effects were good for 80's Sword and Sorcery movies, at least as good as Conan with a decent storyline. The inclusion of the creepy batwing people that suck the juice out of you was one of my favorite parts. Rip Torn rounds out the cast as the evil wizard bad guy.
  • leekyle1968
    March 5, 2008
    leekyle1968
    this is a pretty cool flick i was introduced too in my early teens i re-watch it occasionally when it rarely aires on tv

View All The Beastmaster Reviews

Critic Reviews

Steve Crum
October 16, 2008
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com

So-so adventure fantasy that spawned several sequels.

Rob Thomas
April 6, 2006
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)

Extra goofy, but basic cable couldn't survive without it.

Chuck O'Leary
October 6, 2005
Chuck O'Leary, Fantastica Daily

An OK time killer when I was 11 years old.

Staci Layne Wilson
December 31, 2004
Staci Layne Wilson, StaciWilson.com

Hey, Beastmaster's On! Full Review

Scott Weinberg
April 26, 2002
Scott Weinberg, Apollo Guide

What The Beastmaster lacks in lustre and expense, it more than makes up for in sheer "guilty pleasure" enjoyment. Full Review

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Vincent Canby
August 30, 2004
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Emanuel Levy
August 11, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Carol Cling
February 25, 2004
Carol Cling, Las Vegas Review-Journal

No review available.

Michael Szymanski
December 23, 2002
Michael Szymanski, Zap2it.com

No review available.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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The Beastmaster Trivia

  • Which one of television's "Charlie's Angels" played the female lead in the 1982 film "Beastmaster?"  Answer »
  • In the movie The Beastmaster what were the names of the ferrets?  Answer »
  • Who directed the cult classics "Phantasm", "The Beastmaster", and "Bubba Ho-Tep"?  Answer »
  • what 1982 movie starred RIP TORN as a high priest who tried to kill the kings unborn child. this movie spawned a fairly recent t.v. series as well  Answer »
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