Two warring Kingdoms propose an alliance to fight The Beast that is to be sealed by marriage between Prince Colwyn (Ken Marshall) and Princess Lyssa (Lysette Anthony). On the night of the wedding, The Beast's Slayers storm the castle and kidnap the Princess and kill the King.
Having survived this, Prince Colwyn intends to rescue her and slay The Beast but first he must retrieve an ancient fabled weapon, The Glaive.
This is a mix of the magnificent and the bizarre.
The two royal heirs seem to be totally on for random marriage in a love at first sight way that seems strange now. Also why does The Beast kidnap Lyssa. There's something about a prophecy and her children ruling the galaxy but it just seems strange.
However the design and costuming is top notch. The castle is kind of modern as is the armour worn by the guards.
The Slayers look at first glance like baroque medieval plate but it's more like beetle carapace and they seem to be automatons piloted by some kind of burrowing thing that escapes or maybe dies when they are taken down. They carry what seem to be one shot energy weapons and sparking electric swords but also ride ordinary horses.
The Beast has other minions he sends to harass the heroes, shapeshifters and sirens but we also have Rell the Cyclops whose people were betrayed by The Beast and now fight him.
It does a load of little explained worldbuilding that would fall apart with scrutiny but in the moment is great. Things like The Widow of the Web are just random but also really interesting detail.
It's a series of kind of random encounters until we get to the Dark Fortress which has shades of The Derelict from Alien but less phallic/vaginal and white.
The Beast himself is never seen clearly and seems to vary in size and I think this is deliberate to make him clearly something unnatural/extradimensional. They have demonstrated an ability to do decent creature effects so I don't think it's covering for a lack in the costume.
The score is great, very much in the John Williams mould and this is fitting as they seemed to be going for "Star Wars, but Fantasy".
Performances are spotty but not terrible and it's got a load of familiar faces early in their careers.
I'm not sure it makes a great deal of sense but I didn't begrudge it this, a solid 6/10 slice of 80s randomness.