I Watch Films: The Beastmaster

 

The Beastmaster

High Priest Maax learns the unborn son of the King Zed of Aruk will kill him; to confound the prophecy he has one of his witches transport the child away. She’s caught cutting him from a cow (?) and is killed, the man who stumbled on the situation bringing up the boy Dar, in the remote village of Emur. Dar grows up, is taught to fight and discovers he has the power to talk to animals. However the Juns, horse-riding raiders who work with Maax, burn the village. Dar heads for Aruk to get revenge. He swiftly gains some animal companions, an eagle named Sharuk, two thieving ferrets Podo and Kodo, and a black panther named Ruh.

Dar has several adventures, encountering Kiri, a slave girl, and some bird-men who enclose their prey in their wings to dissolve them. They let him go because he has an eagle friend. Maax is in control of Aruk and sacrifices children to the fire at the top of the ziggurat. Dar learns Kiri is the king’s niece and also encounters the king’s son (who he does not know is his brother). Kiri is going to be sacrificed so he rescues her, then Zed, and they gather their forces to liberate the city. Zed refuses to listen to reason, attacks, and is captured. Dar then rescues them, fighting on the ziggurat. In a complicated bit of business Maax is protected by the witches, kills Zed, and is only defeated when the ferret Kodo sacrifices himself to throw him into the sacrificial fire.

The Juns come to attack and Dar rallies the defenders of Aruk for a final battle, where all the bits and pieces come together. And here’s where I think this lifts the film; it has some clever bits, the scene when Dar can’t see and Ruh can’t get to him, but he can see through the panther’s eyes is very good. The fights are set up well, we can see what’s going on. Even when you’re watching the animal bits are edited together seamlessly.

Watch This: Fun swords and sorcery adventure
Don’t Watch This: People murdered by swords, mauled by animals, burned alive etc