Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time

Last updated
Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time
Directed by Sylvio Tabet
Screenplay by
  • Jim Wynorski
  • R. J. Robertson
  • Sylvio Tabet
  • Ken Hauser
  • Doug Miles
Story by
  • Jim Wynorski
  • R. J. Robertson
Based on The Beast Master
by Andre Norton and Characters
by Don Coscarelli
Paul Pepperman
Produced bySylvio Tabet
Starring
Cinematography Ronn Schmidt
Edited byAdam Bernardi
Music by Robert Folk
Production
company
Distributed by New Line Cinema
Release date
  • August 30, 1991 (1991-08-30)
Running time
107 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$6 million [1]
Box office$773,490–869,325 [1] [2]

Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time is the 1991 sequel to the 1982 film The Beastmaster . Marc Singer reprises his role as Dar, a barbarian from another dimension who travels to 1990s Los Angeles and befriends a young woman, Jackie Trent, played by Kari Wuhrer. Dar must stop his evil brother, played by Wings Hauser, from bringing back a neutron bomb.

Contents

Plot

Dar, the Beastmaster, learns of a previously unknown half-brother, Arklon, who plans to conquer the land with the help of a sorceress named Lyranna. Both escape to present day Los Angeles through a dimensional portal. Dar and his animal companions, Ruh, Kodo, Podo and Sharak, must follow them through the portal and stop them from obtaining a neutron bomb. During his visit, Dar meets a rich girl named Jackie Trent, and they become friends.

Cast

Production

Jim Wynorski was originally meant to direct and wrote a screenplay with R. J. Robertson for producer Sylvio Tabet. Wynorski later said:

We wrote him a helluva good screenplay. Then at the last moment, he pulls the rug out from under me and says he's directing it himself. And then tops it off by threatening to take our writing credits off the picture. I took the bastard straight to court. He hired big time attorneys to stall paying out the final script installments. I hated his guts. But I got the last laugh when Republic Pictures picked up the show. They wanted a picture totally clean of legal entanglements. So they came to me to make a deal and I held them up but good. Cleaned up. I still remember Tabet's pained face when I told him what it would take to get me to sign off. Even my own lawyer whined! [3]

Shooting locations include Glen Canyon [4] and Antelope Canyon. [5] Parts of the film were also shot in Los Angeles and Canoga Park, California as well as the Grand Canyon in Arizona. [4] Director and co-writer Sylvio Tabet was a producer on the original film. [6] Andre Norton's novel The Beast Master was credited as an inspiration. After reading the first film's screenplay, Norton had her credit removed, but her agent talked her into allowing it for the sequel. [7]

Release

Beastmaster 2 was given a limited release in the United States, [7] where it grossed between $773,490 and $869,325. [1] [2]

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 17% of six surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 3/10. [8] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it "a silly, ill-advised sequel" that is not funny despite Singer's "likable presence". [9] Roger Hurlburt of the Sun-Sentinel wrote that the film is tongue-in-cheek enough to make audiences forgive its frivolity. Hurlburt also complimented Douglas' acting. [10] Chris Hicks of the Deseret News wrote that the film is not clever or funny enough to overcome its silliness. [11] TV Guide , in rating it 2/4 stars, wrote: "The satire in Beastmaster 2 hardly breaks new ground, but it's a tonic that makes the minutes pass more or less agreeably". [7] Like Beastmaster, it was broadcast regularly on American cable television stations TBS and TNT. [12]

Related Research Articles

<i>Chinatown</i> (1974 film) 1974 film directed by Roman Polański

Chinatown is a 1974 American neo-noir mystery film directed by Roman Polanski from a screenplay by Robert Towne. The film stars Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway. It was inspired by the California water wars, a series of disputes over southern California water at the beginning of the 20th century, by which Los Angeles interests secured water rights in the Owens Valley. The Robert Evans production, released by Paramount Pictures, was Polanski's last film in the United States and features many elements of film noir, particularly a multi-layered story that is part mystery and part psychological drama.

<i>The Beastmaster</i> 1982 fantasy film directed by Don Coscarelli

The Beastmaster is a 1982 sword and sorcery film directed by Don Coscarelli and starring Marc Singer, Tanya Roberts, John Amos and Rip Torn. Loosely based on the 1959 novel The Beast Master by Andre Norton, the film is about a man who can communicate with animals, and who fights an evil wizard and his army.

<i>Romancing the Stone</i> 1984 film by Robert Zemeckis

Romancing the Stone is a 1984 romantic comedy-adventure film directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Diane Thomas and produced by Michael Douglas, who also stars in the film alongside Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. The film follows a romance novelist who must venture beyond her New York City comfort zone to Colombia in order to save her sister from criminals who are holding her for ransom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casper Van Dien</span> American actor (born 1968)

Casper Robert Van Dien Jr. is an American actor. He is best known for his lead role as Johnny Rico in the 1997 science-fiction action film Starship Troopers. He has also appeared in a large number of television and film roles, often in daytime and primetime soap operas, and a large number of TV movies and direct-to-video films, including Starship Troopers 3: Marauder, a 2008 sequel to the original film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Coscarelli</span> American screenwriter

Don Coscarelli Jr. is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Born to Italian settlers in Libya, he is best known for his work in horror films. His directing credits include the first four films in the Phantasm franchise, as well as The Beastmaster (1982) and Bubba Ho-Tep (2002).

<i>Dead Ringers</i> (film) 1988 film by David Cronenberg

Dead Ringers is a 1988 psychological thriller film starring Jeremy Irons in a dual role as identical twin gynecologists. David Cronenberg directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Norman Snider. Their script was based on the lives of Stewart and Cyril Marcus and on the novel Twins by Bari Wood and Jack Geasland, a "highly fictionalized" version of the Marcuses' story.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kari Wuhrer</span> American actress (born 1967)

Kari Samantha Wuhrer is an American actress, model, and singer. She is known for her time as hostess of the MTV game show Remote Control (1988–1989), and for her portrayals of Abigail on USA Network's Swamp Thing (1991–1992) and Maggie Beckett on the Fox/Syfy series Sliders (1997–2000). Wuhrer has appeared in horror films such as Anaconda (1997), Eight Legged Freaks (2002), King of the Ants (2003), The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting (2003), Hellraiser: Deader (2005), two entries in the Prophecy series, and Sharknado 2: The Second One (2014). Gamers also know her for her role as Agent Tanya in cutscenes of Westwood Studios' real-time strategy video game Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 and its subsequent expansion pack, Yuri's Revenge. She also provided the voice of Maria Hill for Disney XD's The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (2010–2012).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akiva Goldsman</span> American screenwriter, director and producer

Akiva Goldsman is an American filmmaker.

<i>Women in Revolt</i> 1971 American film

Women in Revolt is a 1971 American satirical film produced by Andy Warhol and directed by Paul Morrissey. It was initially released as Andy Warhol's Women. The film stars Jackie Curtis, Candy Darling, and Holly Woodlawn, three trans women and superstars of Warhol's Factory scene. It also features soundtrack music by John Cale.

<i>Phantasm II</i> 1988 film by Don Coscarelli

Phantasm II is a 1988 American science fantasy action-horror film and the sequel to Phantasm (1979). It was written and directed by Don Coscarelli and stars Angus Scrimm, James LeGros and Reggie Bannister. The first film's protagonist, Mike, recently released from a mental institution, recruits Reggie and some new friends in an effort to defeat the villain Tall Man.

Jim Wynorski is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. Wynorski has been making B-movies and exploitation movies since the early 1980s, and has directed over 150 feature films. His earliest films were released to film theaters, but his later works have predominantly been released through the cable or straight-to-video market. He often works under pseudonyms such as "Jay Andrews," "Arch Stanton," "H.R. Blueberry," "Tom Popatopolis," and "Noble Henry." His adult films often spoof popular horror movies: Cleavagefield, for example, parodies Cloverfield, The Bare Wench Project parodies The Blair Witch Project, and Para-Knockers Activity parodies Paranormal Activity.

<i>The Slumber Party Massacre</i> 1982 film by Amy Jones

The Slumber Party Massacre is a 1982 American slasher film produced and directed by Amy Jones and written by Rita Mae Brown. It is the first installment in the Slumber Party Massacre series, and stars Michelle Michaels, Robin Stille, and Michael Villella. The film follows a high school senior who gathers her friends for a slumber party, unaware that an escaped power drill-wielding killer is loose in the neighborhood.

Sylvio Tabet is a Lebanese filmmaker and Producer. The only movie he directed was Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time.

<i>Not of This Earth</i> (1988 film) 1988 film by Jim Wynorski

Not of This Earth is a 1988 American science fiction horror comedy film, directed by Jim Wynorski and starring Traci Lords in her first mainstream role after her departure from the adult film industry. It is a remake of Roger Corman's 1957 film of the same name, written by Charles B. Griffith and Mark Hanna.

Robert Elms Folk is an American film and television composer and conductor who has written over 80 film and television scores, as well as concert works.

<i>Big Bad Mama II</i> 1987 American film

Big Bad Mama II is a 1987 American action–crime–sexploitation comedy film produced by Roger Corman, directed by Jim Wynorski, starring Angie Dickinson, Robert Culp, Danielle Brisebois and Julie McCullough. While it has been identified as a sequel to Big Bad Mama (1974), it is more accurately described as a reboot, as the film exists on a parallel plane with its predecessor.

<i>Vampirella</i> (film) 1996 American film

Vampirella is a 1996 American direct-to-video superhero film which was part of the Roger Corman Presents series. It was based on the Vampirella comic book.

<i>The Haunting of Morella</i> 1990 film

The Haunting of Morella is a 1990 horror film directed by Jim Wynorski. The film began shooting on September 13, 1989, in Los Angeles. It was released sporadically across the midwest United States in February 1990 where it performed poorly at the box office.

<i>Red-Blooded American Girl II</i> 1997 Canadian film

Red-Blooded American Girl II is a 1997 Canadian thriller film by New Zealand-born director David Blyth. It is billed as a sequel to Blyth's 1990 film Red Blooded American Girl, despite featuring a different cast and premise.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time (1991)". The Numbers . Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  2. 1 2 "Beastmaster 2". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  3. ↑ "Jim Wynorski [Interview]". Trainwreck'd Society. 22 February 2017.
  4. 1 2 D'Arc, James (2010). When Hollywood Came to Town: A History of Movie Making in Utah. Gibbs Smith. p. 296. ISBN   9781423619840.
  5. ↑ Yozwiak, Steve (2006-06-13). "Antelope Canyon sees the light". The Arizona Republic . Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  6. ↑ "The Beastmaster". American Film Institute . Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  7. 1 2 3 "Beastmaster 2: Through The Portal Of Time". TV Guide . Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  8. ↑ "Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time (1991)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  9. ↑ Thomas, Kevin (1991-08-30). "MOVIE REVIEW : Ill-Advised Sequel to 'Beastmaster'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  10. ↑ Hurlburt, Roger (1991-08-30). "Time-travel Action Adventure Is Hokey Stuff, But Fun". Sun-Sentinel . Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  11. ↑ Hicks, Chris (1991-08-30). "Dialogue Pushes Beastmaster 2 into Depths of Silliness". Deseret News . Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  12. ↑ King, Susan (1998-07-10). "MOVIES : What AFI List? TV Viewers Have Own Film Tastes". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2016-11-03.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.