Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ben Davidson, Cassandra Gaviola, Erik Holmey, Franco Columbu ... (see more) , Gary Herman , Gerry Lopez , James Earl Jones , Leslie Foldvary , Luis Barboo , Mako , Max von Sydow , Sandahl Bergman , Valérie Quennessen , William Smith
Young Conan's parents are murdered by a horde of vicious warriors who then enslave the young child for years. He is eventually released from slavery and taught the ancient arts of fighting. Transforming himself into a killing machine, Conan travels into the wilderness seeking vengeance on the man re... (read more) Young Conan's parents are murdered by a horde of vicious warriors who then enslave the young child for years. He is eventually released from slavery and taught the ancient arts of fighting. Transforming himself into a killing machine, Conan travels into the wilderness seeking vengeance on the man responsible for his family's murder.
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R, 2 hrs. 1 min.
Directed by:
John Milius
Release Date: May 14, 1982
DVD Release Date: Feb 24, 1998
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Arnold is perfectly cast as the hero, since it works more to his strengths as an action star. He exudes the strength and power of the Conan you read from the old stories and comic books. And once again, after playing Darth Vader in the 'Star Wars' sa... (read more) Arnold is perfectly cast as the hero, since it works more to his strengths as an action star. He exudes the strength and power of the Conan you read from the old stories and comic books. And once again, after playing Darth Vader in the 'Star Wars' saga, James Earl Jones plays a very intimidating and memorable villain in the form of Thulsa Doom. With amazing sets, effects, and the on-screen presence of it's star, 'Conan the Barbarian' is one of those films that becomes required viewing for young men and action-adventure enthusiasts alike.
This film was one of the first truly violent action fantasy films I saw on video as a pre-teen (I think it was a 15 rating in the cinema due to the violence and glimpse of an occasional female nipple). Probably because it was so dumb and comic book a... (read more) This film was one of the first truly violent action fantasy films I saw on video as a pre-teen (I think it was a 15 rating in the cinema due to the violence and glimpse of an occasional female nipple). Probably because it was so dumb and comic book and that I was an avid D&D player I thought that this was just beyond great, I still enjoy it.
Crush enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of their women.
A rather dull movie in parts. A lot of B-Grade moments, and some really bad fight scenes where you can clearly see Arnie miss the person he just hit or sliced with his sword. In one moment, he clearly missed the guy by about half a meter!
Arnie in hi... (read more) A rather dull movie in parts. A lot of B-Grade moments, and some really bad fight scenes where you can clearly see Arnie miss the person he just hit or sliced with his sword. In one moment, he clearly missed the guy by about half a meter!
Arnie in his first real film role is huge, but rather flat and speaks only occasionally. James Earl Jones looks kinda embarrassed to be there and then he turns into a snake (wtf?)
This movie was horrible. It wasn't even really in the "so-bad-it's-good" category.
If this is the theatrical version, one of my favorites. The Directors cut was awful.
Conan gets way too little credit as a serious film. Sure, it's Arnold in a loin cloth, but the Nietzsche quote at the beginning, as cliched as it may nowadays, gives you insight into the heart of the film. This film is truly about Nietzche's Uberme... (read more) Conan gets way too little credit as a serious film. Sure, it's Arnold in a loin cloth, but the Nietzsche quote at the beginning, as cliched as it may nowadays, gives you insight into the heart of the film. This film is truly about Nietzche's Ubermensch. Milius may be a militaristic nut, but it works here and informs what is really multi-layered film--you just need to look past the surface. Don't confuse this with the piece of shit sequel that really is nothing more than a crappy adaptation of a comic book with zero depth--and Wilt Chamberlain.
As this movie was coming to a close, I thought only one thing.....bookends. I know that seems weird but hear me out. This film had a great beginning....a pretty stupid middle, and a fantastic end. That's why I think of bookends. When I was in the mid... (read more) As this movie was coming to a close, I thought only one thing.....bookends. I know that seems weird but hear me out. This film had a great beginning....a pretty stupid middle, and a fantastic end. That's why I think of bookends. When I was in the middle of the film, I thought that this movie was just going to be bad for the rest of the film, but it actually got progressively better and better, which is something that I very much didn't expect.
In a nutshell, this film is a revenge story. You can look at it from all different directions, but that's what it basically comes down to, and I loved it. James Earl Jones and his evil army, killed Arnold Schwarzenegger's village when he was a boy, including his parents, and left him alive. Little did they know that this was a mistake that they shouldn't have made. Arnold becomes a slave, but he eventually escapes when he is an adult. He begins an adventure seeking out the ones who did him wrong, and he meets friends along the way. It's the textbook action adventure story, but I don't have a problem with it.
Now something that I really need to address with this movie is the fight scenes. They were sort of on and off at times. Sometimes, the fight scenes were shot particularly poorly, while at other times there was some particularly unique and well shot fight scenes. It was kind of hard to keep up with, it was constantly flip flopping. For instance, fight scenes that we saw towards the beginning of the movie seemed very poorly executed, like everything was moving at a slow pace, and the fighting seemed amateur. Scenes that were shot towards the end seemed professionally filmed and well executed. This seems odd, because films are never shot in order, so that sort of made me scratch my head as well, but I'm just nit picking here.
The acting in this film was atrocious. Really, that's all. There really is no way you can justify the acting in this movie. The only person who was okay in this movie was James Earl Jones, and he's always good. Everyone else was emotionless. I know Schwarzenegger is supposed to not have emotion, but come on. This was one of his early movies, so that's to be expected. But this didn't take away anything from the overall quality of the film.
One thing that I'd also like to point out, is what the hell is with some of the audio? Certain scenes in this movie have horrible audio. Maybe it was just the copy I had. Oh well.
What I loved the most about this movie was the music. It was FANTASTIC. The score made this film infinitely better. Battle music during fight scenes made me open my eyes wider, and it just made the movie more fun.
This film really surprised me. It really did just do one big 360 move, going from a good film, to a bad film, to a good film again. Really weird, but nonetheless, "Conan the Barbarian" is an awesome flick.
bad ass. I remember my Dad, brother, and I saw this in the theaters. I was like 7. I remember getting chills listening to the opening score atching the forging of Conan's sword
Critic Reviews
Not since Bambi's mother was killed has there been a cannier movie for kids than Conan the Barbarian.full review
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