Where to watch Beastmaster III: The Eye of Braxus
1 1/2 Stars
Before he died, Dar’s father gave a mysterious amulet to Tal, Dar’s younger brother who is now king. Dar, while wandering with his animal companions, chances to meet and rescue a family who seek the help of King Tal against Lord Agon, a sorcerer who has conquered their land. Dar obtains an audience for them with Tal, who rallies his troops to march against Agon in the morning. Alas, the young king is captured by Agon’s crimson warriors during the night. It is the amulet — the Eye of the imprisoned god Braxus — that Agon really wants. But Dar now carries half of it, and is nowhere to be found. Will he fall into Lord Agon’s clutches when he comes to free his brother?
For those fortunate enough to have visited Universal Studios theme parks in the 1980s, long before the Jurassic Park ride or the Waterworld stunt show, which was at the time the Miami Vice stunt show, but I digress, visitors were treated to the Conan the Barbarian live-stage show. The 15-minute stage play, featuring Mark Dacoscos as the teenage version of the Cimmerian, was a light show mixed with practical effects; there was a fire breathing dragon for fucks sake, and it was both cheesy, even noticeable to a seven-year-old me at the time, and it was fantastic.
Beastmaster III reminds me a lot of that theme park attraction in both execution and aesthetics. After the time-traveling plot of Beastmaster 2, this second sequel is actually a “true” continuation of the story from the original. After being absent in the previous film, Dar’s brother and the King’s Guard are both back. This time being played by pre-Starship Troopers Casper Van Dien and Tony Todd, who is quite good as the replacement for John Amos, which is no easy task.
The whimsical plot, foam-walled sets, and television-level directing make Beastmaster III difficult to distinguish from an episode of Hercules:The Legendary Journey. Since both are Universal productions, it would not surprise me to learn that locations were used and repurposed for both productions. The climatic battle between the remarkably fit Marc Singer, who was about 45 at the time of filming, and a rubber-suited monster is almost worth sitting through the dull 85 minutes that proceed this showdown. Singer and fans of the original deserved much better than this.
Directed by: Gabrielle Beaumont
Written by: Don Coscarelli, Paul Pepperman, David Wise
Starring: Marc Singer, Tony Todd, Keith Coulouris