History Film / TheBeastmaster

* NonIndicativeName: The sequel's subtitle is ''Through the Portal of Time'' despite the fact that Kyranna explicitly states that it's a dimensional portal and no time travel involved.

This movie has examples of:

* AntagonistsAssimilate: Played straight in the second movie, but justified; Arklon can MindRape locals on present-day Earth to gain knowledge of how society works. Dar is every bit the confused hero, prompting both the police and animal control to come after him.

* AdaptationDecay: In spades. From a well-written science fiction story by author Andre Norton with a Native American lead, with themes of post-traumatic stress (the Earth is ''destroyed'') and the futility of revenge, to ''this''. The author had them remove her name and drop the word "The" from the title to make the distinction clear.

* FanDisservice: All over the place.

* DarkIsNotEvil: The bat people

** So, it's ''The Beastmaster'', [[RecycledINSPACE [-NOT IN SPACE-]]] with a MightyWhitey [[{{Fanservice}} in a loincloth]] set in [[{{Mayincatec}} pre-Columbian Mexico]] [[RaceLift with no Indians]]. And the Earth isn't [[EarthShatteringKaboom destroyed]]. This is like saying ''[[ThreeHundred 300]]'' is based on a true story, isn't it? {{Troperiffic}}!

** YourMileageMayVary, but it was Nightmare Fuel for some.

* HeyItsThatGuy Seth is the father from GoodTimes
** [[MenInBlack Zed]] is the evil high priest Maax

* CultClassic

* NightmareFuel: The people turned into wild madmen with glowing green eyes, the birdmen who eat by wrapping wind around people, and only bones are left.
** In the second movie, when Arklon betrays his {{Dragon}}, she curses after him as he drives away, screaming "May tarantulas grow in your mouth!" She's a witch, so it ''happens.'' It's played for laughs as Arklon makes a face and then spits them out, but it's still insanely gross.
*** For this troper, the ''butterface'' trio of hags in the first movie caused him to have a lifelong disgust towards ugly women.

* SoBadItsGood

* [[{{Ptitleueswu2fx0swd}} They Just Didn't Care]] - see AdaptationDecay above.

* {{Vindicated By Cable}}: The frequent airings of the film on TBS in the 80s and 90s saw the channel receive the nickname "The Beastmaster Station". TBS would even mock themselves for this years later.
** And HBO was known as "Hey, Beastmaster's On."
** TVGuide even said that ''TheBeastmaster'' had been shown ''somewhere'' in the country, every day between January 1, 1989 and December 31, 1989.

* AdoredByTheNetwork: ''Two'' networks used to play this movie a lot: [=HBO=] and [=TBS=]

* CoversAlwayLie: NoriyoshiOhrai got a bit carried away. [[http://www.flickr.com/photos/9120653@N06/4276445530/ This movie is not as awesome as it looks.]]