The answer is a lot of bloodshed as the treacherous caveman Vood uses his newfound technology to fight his way to the top and begin a reign of terror against his neighboring primitive tribes.
Michael Klossner, author of Prehistoric Humans in Film and Television. said the film was noteworthy for portraying "intelligent, articulate prehistoric people making discoveries, facing moral issues and showing capacity for great evil and finally for good."
Ironmaster provides examples of the following tropes:
- Alternate History: Subverted. Once Vood and his people are defeated, their iron weapons are thrown into a lake to be forgotten by history.
- Antagonist Title: The titular ironmaster is a bloodthirsty warlord who the heroes must rise up against.
- Clash of Evolutionary Levels: Between humans and proto-humans as well as between stone age and iron age tribes.
- Covers Always Lie: The various posters and home video covers feature not only the pterosaurs in the page image but also fanged neanderthals
, a sabre-toothed cat and a fully bare-breasted Isa. None of these creatures appear in the film itself and Isa keeps her breasts covered. - Frazetta Man: A tribe of primitive hominids menace the human characters before Vood and his men wipe them out.
- Fur Bikini: Most of the female characters dress like this. The men don't wear much more.
- Handsome Heroic Caveman: Ela is a pretty straight example.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: The fair-haired Ela and Isa are contrasted with the dark-haired and evil Vood and Lith.
- Lost Technology: Iron becomes this at the end of the film.
- Nemean Skinning: Vood wears a very unconvincing lion skin after slaying one early in the film.
- Nipple and Dimed: Subverted. The women in the film do cover their breasts, but Lith still gets to show off a nipple.
- Nubile Savage: Impressive that Neolithic women found time to shave their legs.
- Panthera Awesome: Various characters are menaced by lions throughout the film. A single individual is enough to throw an entire village into screaming panic.
- Rape, Pillage, and Burn: What Vood and his men do to the other tribes after discovering iron.
- Rock Beats Laser: The simple stone age bow and arrow triumph over iron blades.
- Stop Motion: The briefly seen mammoths are animated thusly.
