Plot: While traveling across a barren landscape, caveman Yor (Reb Brown) arrives at a village in time to save the people from a dinosaur attack. During a feast held in his honor, Yor manages to rescue beautiful Ka-Laa (Corinne Clery) and her guardian, Pag (Alan Collins), from a raid by a hostile neighboring tribe. After being told about another woman who wears the same mysterious medallion he has always had, Yor and his new companions set out to find her and learn about his destiny.
“It’s Yor’s World! He’s the Man!!” Yor, the Hunter from the Future is an easy film to like mostly due to Reb Brown who makes Yor such an appealing character. He is a total hero who can’t help but save people in trouble and he smiles easily, so he isn’t a miserable bastard like most people in movies today.
I always found it odd that the title of the movie literally spoils any surprises in the story; it’s supposed to be about him finding out who he is meanwhile the audience is saying “you’re from the future; it’s literally in the title of the movie!”
It’s very much a product of the 80’s and that’s only a good thing; the music is awesome, there are regular action scenes including shoot-outs, fighting dinosaurs and more.
The film is directed by Antonio Margheriti and tells the story of Yor (Reb Brown), a man who embarks on a quest to discover his true identity and purpose in life.
It’s easy to criticize things like acting and dialogue but these 80’s sword and sorcery/barbarian movies were all like that and that’s part of their charm. You’re not looking for Oscar fodder here; if anything what hurts it is the PG rating so there’s no nudity or graphic violence which is a shame, but it still manages to entertain.
The action sequences are plentiful and exciting and the brisk runtime keeps the pacing tight.
In terms of its storyline, Yor, the Hunter from the Future may not be groundbreaking, but it is still engaging and easy to follow. I like how it mixes fantasy and sci-fi together, so it feels like Conan meets Star Wars, especially considering the androids look remarkably like Darth Vader…
Overall, Yor, the Hunter from the Future is a fun science fiction/fantasy/action film with Reb Brown at his best, featuring plenty of action and angry dinosaurs. What more do you need?
