Do you love excessive doses of 1980s cheese? "Ragewar" (re-titled "The Dungeonmaster" to profit from the popularity of the Dungeons & Dragons game) is the movie for you! It's one of the most deliriously cruddy B movies that this viewer has seen from that decade. If you're anything like this viewer, you'll be smiling while also shaking (or holding) your head. It's that goofy. The acting is priceless, the special effects plentiful, the sequences blessedly brief, and it never pretends to be serious stuff. Hell, it's got to get an extra point for the cameo by heavy metal band W.A.S.P. alone.

Each sequence is written and directed by a different director, and there are *seven* of them in total: Rosemarie Turko, John Carl Buechler, Charles Band, David Allen, Steven Ford, Peter Manoogian, and Ted Nicolaou. They each tackle a different "challenge" that computer repairman Paul Bradford (Jeffrey Byron) must meet as he is menaced by an overlord named Mestema (Richard 'Bull' Moll of 'Night Court') who's been looking for a worthy opponent. Also along for the ride is Pauls' imperiled girlfriend Gwen (Leslie Wing). Fortunately, Paul has on his side a computer intelligence that he's created that he can conveniently wear around his wrist.

If you're still reading, you should have a fairly good time with this, knowing full well that the movie itself may not be "good", but earns many big laughs. Makeup effects expert Buechler and the late special effects artist Allen do some good work, the music is fun to listen to (both the score and the W.A.S.P. tune "Tormentor"),the acting from the heroes endearing if not that competent, and Band and company throw many different elements - a claymation giant, ice "sculptures", post-nuke mutant bikers, a serial killer, cartoon dragons - to help prevent us from ever getting bored.

If I'd first seen this back when it was originally released, doubtless my rating would have been even higher.

This is a cheesy B-movie. That much is not in dispute. But is it cheesy good? That is the big question. It certainly has potential. The actors are watchable. It certainly has all the silly FX. It has all the silliness that is quintessential B-movie. The biggest problem I had was its disjointedness.

The fact that this movie was written and directed in segments mean that there was some jarring transitions. Sure the evil wizard sends them to different scenarios each time which alleviated the need for an explanation. But it certainly was distracting to go into such divergent trials. Having so many different directors with their own styles makes this a disjointed experience.

Nerdy computer expert Paul Bradford (a solid and likable performance by the hunky Jeffrey Byron) has both his mental and physical skills put to the ultimate test by evil wizard Mestema (robustly played with deliciously hammy brio by Richard Moll),who has been looking for a worth adversary to set his powers against. Paul must defeat seven challenges in order to save not only his own life, but also the life of his girlfriend Gwen Rogers (a luminous portrayal by the fetching Leslie Wing). The assorted directors that include Charles Band, stop-motion animation master David Allen, and make-up f/x expert John Buechler treat the gloriously loopy story with admirable seriousness. The challenges are quite colorful and entertaining: A giant stop-motion animation statue, a bunch of rot-faced zombies brandishing all kinds of weapons, pesky dwarfs, an ice gallery of notorious criminals, a homely cackling puppet demon, gnarly animated dragons, and even an ugly cave-dwelling troll. The variable special effects run the gamut from rather shoddy to really impressive. Moreover, it's the way the nifty modern technology versus ancient magic premise gets handled with tremendously engaging aplomb and imagination that in turn makes this picture so much fun to watch. A concert appearance by the hair band W.A.S.P. and an aerobics sequence featuring sexy gals in leotards provide a certain vintage 80's cheeseball charm. Mac Ahlberg's polished cinematography offers a wealth of funky stylish visuals. The lively score by Richard Band and Shirley walker hits the stirring spot. A total blast.