Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time
| Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Sylvio Tabet |
| Produced by | Sylvio Tabet |
| Written by |
Andre Norton Paul Pepperman |
| Starring |
Marc Singer Kari Wührer Sarah Douglas James Avery Wings Hauser as 'Arklon' |
| Music by | Robert Folk |
| Cinematography | Ronn Schmidt |
| Edited by | Adam Bernardi |
| Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $6,000,000 |
| Box office | $869,235 |
Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time is the 1991 sequel to the 1982 cult classic film The Beastmaster, starring Marc Singer and Kari Wührer.
Plot
Dar, the Beastmaster (Marc Singer), is back and now he has to deal with his half-brother, Arklon (Wings Hauser), and a sorceress named Lyranna (Sarah Douglas) who have escaped to present day Los Angeles. Despite the name, the movie is not about traveling through a time portal, but traveling through a portal to a parallel universe that 1991 Earth exists in. 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 (Kari Wuhrer) and they become friends.
Production
Nearly a decade after the first film was released, Silvio Tabet- one of the original co-producers of the first film- returned to direct the sequel, with his fellow co-producer (and co-writer of the original) John Pepperman wrote the script. Already lacking the rest of the production and creative team behind the first, the titular star of the first film Mark Singer was the only character to reprise his role this time around. The film's budget this time was $6 million- while less than the first, is equal to nearly $10.5 million when adjusted for inflation.[1]
Reception
Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time was widely panned by critics and fans and often regarded as "one of the worst sequels ever made". Most criticism comes from the B-movie quality, poor direction, various plot-holes, inconsistencies with the first film, ignoring its source material and the overly tongue-in-cheek feel. Its poor sales- $869,235 (roughly $1.5 million adjusted) against a $6 million budget- would have been a major factor in the demise of hopes to turn the property into a theatrical franchise.[2]