The Beastmaster 4K UHD (1982)

[GENSHIFOX]

I got my replacement blu-ray 2 and UHD, blu-ray disc 2 works great now but I'm still having the same issues with the UHD disc. I have a Sony UBP-X700 Ultra Blu-ray Player.

[SpaceBlackKnight]

Can anyone elaborate the differences on the altered VFX version? I'm not hearing much (good or jaw droppingly awful) about it, so it's assumed to be handled tastefully like Phantasm's updated VFX was.

[TravisTylerBlack]

Originally Posted by slumcat

Interesting to know. Any reason for this? I would think they might embrace it more as might save them costs.

I've been told by industry friends that branching is a technology under private copyright and has to be licensed for use. It's usually cheaper or about the same cost-wise to author a second disc, which is why you don't see branching utilized much at all these days.

[DR Herbert West]

Originally Posted by slumcat

Interesting to know. Any reason for this? I would think they might embrace it more as might save them costs.

In Arrow's case, they usually drop the alternate cut discs for the standard edition.

Shout and the other labels must think 2-disc sets are more attractive.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by D00mM4r1n3

Watched last night, looks great but as another person pointed out there's a noticeable frame skip around 1:38.17.

I saw the exact same frame jump on mine at the 1:38:16 on my 4K UHD disc tonight. Aside from that, the disc presentation looks great.

I own a Sony 4K player that has never had an issue with any other 4K disc.

[jess1581]

Recieved my copy today... Holy hell, what a set.

Since I'm not yet(if ever) a UHD owner, I played the BD with the vfx improvements(honestly didn't notice). No glitches happened, so VS musta packed the fixed discs in this set in time. The yellow vertical lines were present in one scene, but dude... really? What a mole hill that was... it was so minor, and so brief it did ZERO to ruin the experience. Bunch of whiners here. The presentation is utterly fantastic given the resources and age of the film.

Overall man what a blast of 80's fantasy epic fun, and wholly satisfying. I didn't realize it was a hefty 118 minutes, so it felt long but didn't drag. It was just a beefy good time that didn't come and go ending up forgettable. Substantial, which I like.

I know they had sequels, but I remember how shitty they were so I've no need to seek them out. This movie stands on its own as a mighty experience, a satisfying one and done. Couldn't be happier to own this childhood gem.

[KcMsterpce]

I just finished watching this movie for the first time since maybe 1994.
The 4k is nice. It's not going to blow your mind, or demand a viewer to have to switch to 4k, but I think overall it's a nice transfer given the circumstances.
Having not seen this movie for many years (and I grew up watching this as a regular staple of my 80s fantasy-film diet), it's nice to see how well it holds up after all these years. This movie introduced me to Rip Torn (unbeknownst to me at the time), as well as Marc Singer in preparation for my excitement at his 'resurgence' for the "V" TV series.
This is a good example of the post-Conan lower budget fantasy sword adventure rip-offs. It has a competency level in production that elevates it above other countless titles from its time.
Furthermore, seeing Tanya Roberts' blue eyes blazing into my soul in 4k glory causes things inside me to stir that usually lay dormant.
What's this "blue pill" you talk about? Show me Tanya's blue EYES!

[D00mM4r1n3]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I saw the exact same frame jump on mine at the 1:38:16 on my 4K UHD disc tonight. Aside from that, the disc presentation looks great.

I own a Sony 4K player that has never had an issue with any other 4K disc.

Mine is a Sony player as well (X700), I'll try to get around to playing the movie on my PC tomorrow to see if it's the player or the file on the disc.

[Dunemoon]

Pre-ordered on the last day and just arrived.

[STONECOLD132003]

The vhs version had the original theatrical version with topless nude scene. The dvd release had the edited scene with no nudity. Which will be included with this set?

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by STONECOLD132003

The vhs version had the original theatrical version with topless nude scene. The dvd release had the edited scene with no nudity. Which will be included with this set?

Both the UHD and BD are uncut.

[PRO-630HD]

My set arrived today. Very impressed, everything arrived in Mint Condition! Superb quality of the slipcovers, very thick and sturdy. The Beastmaster set is insane. I picked up the Angel trilogy, Fade to Black and Deadly Games as well. Not one ding in any of the titles. Superb!

[D00mM4r1n3]

I backed up my 4K today and played it on the PC, there's no jump in the file played locally, must be something with Sony and that particular point (1:38:16) in the disc, maybe a layer switch.

[The Great Owl]

After the people of his village are massacred by a barbarian army, Dar, a swordsman played by Marc Singer, uses his uncanny ability to communicate with animals to aid him on a quest for revenge. With an eagle, a tiger, and two cunning ferrets at his side, our determined protagonist joins forces with the young heir to the kingdom and a fierce bodyguard, played respectively by Joshua Milrad and John Amos, in order to rescue Kiri, a slave girl played by Tanya Roberts, from a fanatical high priest who sacrifices children in front of his terrified followers. Maax, played by Rip Torn, is a formidable villain, though, and his relentless desire for mayhem pushes humans and animals alike to the ultimate battle for survival.

The 1982 action fantasy extravaganza, The Beastmaster, directed by Don Coscarelli (Phantasm), did not exactly set the world on fire upon its theatrical release, so, like 99% of the general public, I first saw it on HBO, where it picked up momentum during its second life to thrive later on as a Saturday afternoon movie on multiple cable channels. The mind of my mid-1980s middle school self was thoroughly blown by the level of graphic intensity of this PG-rated endeavor, by the cool animal characters, by the terrifying masked barbarian marauders, by the even more ghastly half-human/half-bird demons who play a key role in the proceedings, by the sight of Rip Torn's priest throwing children into a fire, by the sight of Singer's Dar jumping around with effortless ease on the steep steps of a stone temple, and, most of all, by the mesmerizing blue eyes of Tanya Roberts, who should have won an Academy Award for enduring freezing water during one particularly important cinema moment.

The struggles of Coscarelli, producer/writer Paul Pepperman, cinematographer John Alcott, and the cast to create convincing effects and action moments despite a limited budget, as described in multiple home video commentary tracks and documentaries, are nearly as fascinating as the finished product itself. The two ferret characters, for instance, were actually portrayed by 25 actual ferrets, each of whom were tasked with simple singular actions. Due to safety regulations, Milrad, who plays the young prince, was not allowed on the set alongside the tiger, so a similar-looking extra was used for certain camera angles.

Marc Singer, who would go on to play Resistance Leader Mike Donovan in the sci-fi television miniseries, V, is endearingly relatable as the title character, to such an extent that, despite his animal mastery superpowers, he still sells the illusion of being an underdog everyman. Rip Torn, on the flip side, is so diabolical as the bad guy that one cannot help but be engaged by his onscreen presence. The sweeping music score by Lee Holdridge holds everything together to elevate this shaky filmed-on-the-fly effort to a B-movie masterpiece.

As much as I love Conan the Barbarian and the other genre contemporaries of those years, The Beastmaster remains my favorite sword-and-sorcery film of the 1980s. I must have watched it a hundred times during repeat cable viewings during that decade. It fell off the face of the Earth on home video, but can now be viewed by way of a glorious 4K UHD Blu-ray.

This Vinegar Syndrome 4K UHD Blu-ray, taken from a surviving print, looks fantastic. The blue eyes of Tanya Roberts, in particular, draw me in all the more. The two commentary tracks on the 4K disc are both essential for different reasons, although I gravitate to the new one because of the infectious enthusiasm of the fan moderator.

My 4K disc is only slightly marred by a split-second frame jump at the 1:38:16 point on my Sony 4K player, but this minor hiccup, which could be a player issue, does not interfere with my enjoyment of an otherwise five-star presentation of the source material.

I have yet to dive into the accompanying Blu-rays, and may even wait for the replacement of the second disc, but the 4K rocks my world.

[The Great Owl]

The Beastmaster Chronicles documentary on the first Blu-ray disc is outstanding. I'm having a blast with it right now.

[Dunemoon]

Watched the 4K and enjoyed it. Tremendous nostalgia. I mind when the VHS was shown in a high school class (1987 or 1988). Man, that teacher ran for the machine when Tanya Roberts first appeared.

Wonder if the sequels will be released...

[thebarnman]

It turned out I did NOT get this for Christmas! I never asked why and assumed while ordering the site may have been shut down at that point.

That's OK, I'll be ordering it for myself and watch it for the first time. I'm also interested in finding out if my player will handle the layer change smoothly on the UHD Blu-ray version that some are talking about at around one hour and 38 minutes into the movie. I think my Panasonic UHD Blu-ray player will handle it fine.

Well see...

[PRO-630HD]

Picture quality on this is superb! I am amazed how the independent studios seem to be putting out better releases the the main studios themselves. There is film grain galore here hence why you have all the fine detail! This is almost an Anti-Disney UHD release with the lack of DNR.

[The Great Owl]

I have the bad version of the "new VFX" main feature on the second Blu-ray disc, meaning that a replacement from VS is probably soon to arrive. All of the extra features on that disc work fine, though.

[hansolo]

My BF order was delivered today. The Beastmaster and couple of other VS titles. Curiously, box travelled almost around the world. When it left New York I thought it would be heading to UK or Germany or even directly to Finland but no. Next landing was in Tokyo, Japan . From there it headed straight to Helsinki. Shipped on 21 Dec and arrived today. Not bad, USPS First Class. No import taxes for me either because parcel claimed items were worth $3 in total. Now, I see there has been reports on bad Blu-ray disc (new VFX version feature) and some have also experienced small jump in 4K disc at 1:38:16 mark. I need to check if my copy is ok.