Conan The Barbarian (Special Edition) (DVD)

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Liked it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Good
How does it compare to similar films?	Good

Advantages:	Great atmosphere throughout the film
Disadvantages:	Quite simple, not a lot of dialogue from the star

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

In 1982, internationally celebrated strongman and bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger burst onto the big screen with his portrayal as the title role in Conan The Barbarian, a film directed by John Milius. Arnie, as he has become better known, had appeared in a few films already, but this is considered to be his breakthrough film.

The Plot

As a child, Conan witnesses the vicious killings of his family and clansmen at the hands of a vicious warlord who is controlling of his people and of all the land, Thulsa Doom. Years later, following a childhood of slavery, Conan finds himself as a champion gladiator, and sets his life to finding Doom and exacting his revenge. He teams up with Valeria and Subotai, two thieves, in taking on Doom, his lieutenants and his fearsome warriors, the Vanir, with the blessing and aid of King Osric and the wizard Akiro.

The Cast and Performances

Arnie here plays the silent but deadly built like a wall Conan. The part requires little vocal acting, more of a physical presence and believable action scenes, and he does this perfectly. As a point of note, there is one scene where Conan is standing on a rock precipice practicing by brandishing his sword in controlled fight movements. This is highly skillful, and a testament to the dedication Arnie displays in many of his performances.

Sandahl Bergman is sassy as the warrior Conan falls for, Valeria, and Gerry Lopez does very well as the haunting thief Subotai. Max Von Sydow turns in a small but effective role as King Osric, and Mako is extremely believable as Akiro the wizard. James Earl Jones plays villain Thulsa Doom with great fear and anger eminating from his character - excellent.

The remainder of the cast support the leads very well, particularly Ben Davidson as one of Doom's lieutenants, Rexor.

My Opinion

I remember watching this when I was younger, probably a lot younger than the 18 certificate it is given, and not quite understanding it. The film is set very much in a Bronze Age type era, with some sorcery thrown in for good measure throughout the film. I found this entrancing when I rewatched it when I was old enough to understand the film.

Director John Milius has done very well considering there is no need for much dialogue in the film. Just as well, considering Arnie's lack of English vocab at the time. But the actions speak louder than words in this film as the tale of revenge follows its natural course smoothly towards the end.

The film does lack a little pizzazz, and is more of an artistic and cult film, with the scenery and sorcery featured heavily in the tale, as well as the swordsmanship from the characters and the sinister soundtrack. I enjoyed this immensely when I finally understood it all. There is some good acting here mixed in amongst all the bravado and blood spilling.

Conclusion

Breakthrough role for Arnie is a very good film.

The DVD is available from amazon.co.uk for £3.98.

This review may also be posted on dooyoo.co.uk.

Thanks for reading.