The Beast and the Magic Sword (1983)

Spanish horror star Paul Naschy's Hombre Lobo series had been going on for 15 years, and 9 entries (technically 8), and the early 80s was simultaneously a period for big money and hard times for Naschy. His previous film Return of the Wolf Man got a bigger budget than normal, courtesy of Japanese financing, which led into his next film, The Beast and the Magic Sword...

Centuries ago the Daninsky family bloodline was cursed by a satanic witch. The latest to bear this curse is Waldemar, who visits a Jewish mystic named Salom in search of a cure. He is unsuccessful, and the bigoted Inquisition causes them to flee. Before his death, Salom urges Waldemar to find the great healer Kian in the faraway land of Japan. Only he has a hope of eliminating this curse forever...

The Beast and the Magic Sword (La Bestia y la Espada Magico) is a real treat of a movie! From its first scenes the increased budget is apparent, and it feels like the kind of project Naschy had always dreamed of making. Apparently the series was quite popular in Japan. They must have been pleased that the entry they helped produce is of such high quality!

This is a fun movie, brimming with imagination. There's always enough going on to entertain, and I was looking forward to everything that came next. There are werewolves, samurai, ninjas, and more!

Unlike previous Hombre Lobo films, where budget dictated they be in the present day, Beast and the Magic Sword is set completely in the past, ranging from the middle ages, to Medieval Spain, then Feudal Japan. Ir's a rich choice of settings!

Surprisingly the film has two different prologues, which goes a way to explaining why it's nearly two hours long! The scenes set in the past are unnecessary and probably could've been cut...but they are still good, and it's cool seeing all these different time periods and place.

As the film goes on it becomes increasingly punishing, due to the sheer amount of story here. To sum up, there's the first prologue detailing the origin of the curse, the second with Salom, then the shift to Japan and Kian (with his own ninja enemies), and a demon sorceress. And she dies with half an hour left! It makes you wonder what else is gonna happen, and if there'll be a test.

Some scenes, and whole plotlines, are redundant. The ultimate decision that there is no cure and Waldemar has to die is insulting really. It completely wastes our time, and makes everyone involved an idiot. The wise sage Salom was wrong, Kian wasn't all-knowing and didn't have the answers, Kinga and Esther died for nothing, as did everyone in Japan killed by the werewolf. The tragic endings to other Hombre Lobo movies can sometimes be a downer when a cure is so close but he dies anyway, but at least the existence of a cure provides the possibility of a happy ending. Here though the movie makes it quite clear. There is no cure, and nothing matters.

The last act is where the film really goes off the rails. Despite the sorceress being dead, her castle is still full of magic. Armies of fox spirits, zombie samurai, and ghost witches armed with silly string. This is all in the name of finding the silver katana, despite it being in such a trap of a location! Can't they just make a new sword? Is there really no other silver in all of Japan?

The finale has to make things difficult. I'm not sure why Kian can't just stab Waldemar in his human form, or mid-transformation. Or why he can't even be in the same room when he transforms, instead of letting the werewolf roam freely and just hope he ends up in the sacred temple? Despite his prowess, Kian does a pretty poor job fighting, until his sister busts in and takes the wolf out easily!

We're closed out with an ok ending, if a bit morose. It's a relief finally seeing the credits roll, but the film doesn't seem to know when to end. The music keeps going even after the credits have actually stopped and the screen's cut to black.

Despite its more colourful trappings, The Beast and the Magic Sword is a horror through and through. On one hand this is great, showing that the movie always has teeth. On the other hand, I was kinda hoping this'd be more of an adventure film! A Spanish werewolf roams a mystical foreign land, fighting witches, zombies, and ninjas in spectacular sword fights as he seeks a cure! Sounds like a load of fun! The film does deliver all that content, but in a darker less rollicking way. Because the tone is still bleak, the ending is inevitable, and Waldemar isn't able to survive the one entry I thought for sure he could!

Beast and the Magic Sword is critical of the Catholic church in a way that would have been forbidden by the Franco regime only a few years prior. We see how bigoted, intolerant, and violent the Spanish church was, and how they mistreat those they claim to love and care for.

Where the film excels is its portrayal of Japan! We get immersed into their culture, from their behaviour, customs, and all-important sense of honour. It's also interesting seeing Christianity and Shinto side by side, with magic from both theologies presented as real.

The characters here are extensive. The prologue has its own cast, which are pretty distinct, from the well-meaning but sneaky king, to the strong Daninsky ancestor, the waifish young princess (and her hilarious bedroom dialogue), as well as a pair of fun villains.

The film's lead is ostensibly Waldemar Daninsky. He's your average dude, caring, but depressed about his curse. His wolf form meanwhile has no such morals, and exists only to kill. The film does a great job showing how dangerous a werewolf is, though it also might go a bit far. I mean, it's just one werewolf! And it almost takes out all of Japan!

One thing I found ridiculous was how Waldemar uses absolutely no restraints! He just transforms every full moon and goes out slaughtering the innocent (Admittedly Japanese architecture probably isn't adept at holding werewolves!). How his loved ones survive each time is a mystery! He's good guy, yet he leaves behind a swath of corpses, especially in the country he has the nerve asking help from! Even Waldemar acknowledges that his cure is coming at too high a price.

The film's supporting cast is expansive, and many of them are unnecessary. This is no more evident than with Waldemar's female entourage. Long stretches of time go by without seeing them, and his wife Kinga barely says a word, to the point where I forgot she existed. She also has a ridiculously abrupt death! Esther fares a little better, and her final moments at least accomplish something.

Kian is a likeable dude, and his depth and screentime make him tied for lead character. Oddly younger than you'd expect from Salom's description, he's supposedly wise and gifted, yet we see little of this, as every attempt to cure Waldemar ends in failure. As a fighter though he can sure throw down!

The supporting cast includes the distressed emperor, and Kian's uncle, who is forced to deal with the responsibility of the growing death toll, upon his honour. He meets a depressing end, which is entirely Kian's fault! A human villain is shifty court warrior Eiko, who has a grudge against Kian and will do anything ot see him dead. He confronts his enemy and is killed after only one fight! I expected him to stick around longer to cause trouble, or at least his death would cause a stir, but nope.

Then there's an evil sorceress, who's a nice presence. A clearly malevolent being with unknown motives. It's fun seeing how her plan plays out, and the tiger gladiator fight she sends the werewolf into is great! Then she's killed though, with far too much of the film left.

The acting here is good. Paul Naschy does a fine job as usual (even if his werewolf growl here sometimes sounds like excessively clearing his throat). He was 49 at this point, and it's nice seeing him still do these familiar roles even in a more mature age. His weightlifter's physique has broadened with age to make him a larger fella, but in a stocky way, rather than portly. Shigeru Amachi does a fine job as Kian, taking much of the film on his own shoulders. The women meanwhile are gorgeous, even if some of their performances can be a bit stiff. The rest of the pretty hefty cast of supporting characters and extras are fine. Also amusing is a matter of language. In this film, everyone in Japan speaks fluent Spanish, even with each-other! "Si heneral, voy a destruir este monstruo."

The effects in Beast and the Magic Sword are a real high point! The werewolf make-up is great, vicious yet fluffier than usual, to adorable effect. Other monsters are designed well too. The gore is plentiful and well made, with a lot of variety (including one jawdropping dream sequence!). No expense is spared, and the budget is always visible on-screen. If it was high for Naschy, it shows, and if it was still low, then how commendable a job the crew did to make it look this good! One noteworthy scene is the fight with the tiger. It's a real tiger, so I have no idea how they managed to do this without either harming the animal, or getting the actor killed! It seems like they managed though? One would hope.

The set design and location work is stellar too! Medieval Europe is recreated well, and both the Japanese settings and locales are gorgeous. The direction is by none other than Naschy himself, and once again he proves himself more than up to the task! This film has such great visuals and framing that he could've easily made a full-time job of it as a director.

The music here is quite good, with a decent amount of spooky tracks, and Oriental tunes. There's also a J-pop song that might feel out-of-place to some, but it's not too peppy at least, and fits the mood.

The Beast and the Magic Sword is one of the most vibrant and good looking films in the Hombre Lobo series! With its creative ideas, mix of cultures, and great action, it's a great entry, despite its other flaws. How many 10th entries can you say that about!...