The Blade Master: Difference between revisions

{{quote|''Ator is the avenger, the guardian of knowledge and the hope of the future. Not in that loincloth, he's not.''|'''Kevin W. Murphy ("Tom Servo")''', '''The [[Mystery Science Theater 3000]] Amazing Colossal Episode Guide''}}

''Ator l'invincibile 2'' (released in English-speaking countries as ''[[The Blade Master]]'', ''Ator, the Blade Master'', ''Cave Dwellers'', and ''The Return'') is an Italian film that was made in 1984. The movie was written and directed by Joe d'Amato. It stars Miles O'Keeffe as Ator, a man skilled in not only fighting, but in many other arts as well. It also stars Charles Borromel as Akronas, a wise ruler and teacher who is also called the Great One. Lisa Foster stars as Mila, the daughter of Akronas, and David Brandon as Zor - the principal villain of the film. The film was released in theaters as ''Ator the Invincible'' and later as ''Ator, the Blade Master''. It received the name ''Cave Dwellers'' after it was re-edited by distributor Film Ventures International. It is the sequel to 1982's ''Ator l'invincible'' and was followed by 1986's ''Iron Warrior''. The fourth film, ''Quest for the Mighty Sword'', was also released as ''Troll 3'', one of two [[In Name Only]] sequels to ''[[Troll 2]]''. The movies were made to [[Follow the Leader|capitalize]] on the popularity of the ''Conan'' movies which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger.

* [[Faux Action Girl]]: Nila. Sure, she's a strong-willed young lady with lots of rebellious spunk. Sure, she has some nominal experience fighting bad guys with swords. Sure, she knows everything her Dad taught her, even did a neat [[Mc Guyver]] job with gunpower made from cave wall minerals in a test Ator had for her. However, she gets shot with an arrow, becomes a [[Damsel in Distress]] with both the cannibal cavepeople AND the snake cult & cowers in the corner like a helpless blob of jello when in the snake pit with Ator. C'mon, lady! Wield a femur or do [[The Mc Guyver]] routine with a skull-bomb or something! CHEEZE LOUISE! She's [[What Could Have Been]] as applied to a character...she's foisted on us as a cool, cute, spunky little warrior chick with mad science skillz but turns out to be a lackluster swordswoman & [[Damsel in Distress]].

* [[I'm Aa Humanitarian]]: The cave dwellers.

* [[Old Shame]]: Played straight with O'Keefe. It's been rumored that Miles O'Keefe offered the creators of ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' a drink if he ever met them, for their take on this film. An installmentinstalment of TNT's B-movie showcase ''Monstervision'' contained a segment where a viewer wrote in to request the Ator trilogy, only for host Joe Bob Briggs to explain that the last time they'd shown them, he received a personal letter from O'Keefe himself calling the films an "embarrassment" and asking politely that they never be shown on the program again (a request which Briggs respectfully acknowledged).