Following the success of Conan the Barbarian in 1982, 1984 saw the sequel, Conan the Destroyer, with Arnold Schwarzenegger once again taking the lead role. The film was toned down a little to attract wider and younger audiences than Barbarian did, and it was released in the same year as Terminator, ... Read review
Schwarzenegger wields his mighty sword once again as Robert E. Howard's epic warrior, ... more
Conan, in this impressive Collector's Edition DVD. Battling against sorcery, slaying vicious beasts and fighting to protect his companions.Taramis, witch queen of Shadizar promises to bring Conan's love Valeria back from the dead if he will conduct a mission for her - to lead her niece, the innocent princess Jehnna, to recover a sacred born. Unknown to Conan, Taramis is planning to sacrifice Jehnna upon their return in order to raise the demon god Dagoth...
Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as the unconquerable warrior kingin this thrilling ... more
adventure. Featuringa dynamic cast including,Grace Jones, Sarah Douglas, Tracey Walter and NBA star WiltChamberlain, this tale of sword vs. sorcery is action packed fromthe first frame to last. When the powerful Queen Taramis promises to bring Conan'sbeloved back from the dead, the sword wielding hero must firstbring before her highness alegendary, jewel-encrusted horn and abeautiful young princess. But what Conan does not know is that theQueen plans to use the horn to awaken the dreaming god Dagoth andsacrifice the princess to him. Faced with enemies both mortal and supernatural, Conan mustsummon the strength to battle Taramis...a perhaps even the demongod Dagoth himself...
Science Fiction - Director: Hiroyuki Yamaga - Original Language: Japanese - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Ayako Kawasumi, Fujiko Takimoto
Production Year: 2007 - Science Fiction - Director: Francis Lawrence - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Dash Mihok, Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith
Advantages: Great scenery, Arnie's English improves slightly Disadvantages: Lacks the brutal punch of Conan
Following the success of Conan the Barbarian in 1982, 1984 saw the sequel, Conan the Destroyer, with Arnold Schwarzenegger once again taking the lead role. The film was toned down a little to attract wider and younger audiences than Barbarian did, and it was released in the same year as Terminator, which is perhaps Arnie's most famous role.
The Plot
Queen taramis summons legendary fighter Conan to her in order to send ... ...back to the God Dagoth. Conan leads a band of adventurers on the quest, and encounters his old friend Akiro the wizard as well as some other friends and foes. Wondering whether the rebirth of Dagoth is a good idea or not, his troop put their lives ont he line for their quest, for in return, Taramis has promised to resurrect Conan's dead lover, Valeria.
The Cast and Performances
Arnie is once again a powerhouse of a performer ... more
Following the success of Conan the Barbarian in 1982, 1984 saw the sequel, Conan the Destroyer, with Arnold Schwarzenegger once again taking the lead role. The film was toned down a little to attract wider and younger audiences than Barbarian did, and it was released in the same year as Terminator, which is perhaps Arnie's most famous role.
The Plot
Queen taramis summons legendary fighter Conan to her in order to send him to retrieve a special gem and a magic horn that will give life back to the God Dagoth. Conan leads a band of adventurers on the quest, and encounters his old friend Akiro the wizard as well as some other friends and foes. Wondering whether the rebirth of Dagoth is a good idea or not, his troop put their lives ont he line for their quest, for in return, Taramis has promised to resurrect Conan's dead lover, Valeria.
The Cast and Performances
Arnie is once again a powerhouse of a performer in front if the camera, with his trademark swordsmanship from Conan the Barbarian being put to the test for the second time. A little more acting is required in this film than the first, and the actor accomplishes this with ease, although the speaking element is still a little stuttery, his command for the English not full at this point.
Mako returns as Akiro the wizard, and female bodybuilder and Bond girl Grace Jones joins the troop as Zula. NBA basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain lends his considerable height to the film as Bombaata, with Tracey Walter starring as Malak, Conan's right hand man for the film. The remainder of the cast do well, particularly Sarah Douglas as Queen Taramis and a very young Olivia d'Abo (another Bond girl) as Princess Jehnna.
My Opinion
Many regard Destroyer as the better film of the two Conan movies. My personal favourite is Barbarian, but Destroyer definitely has more of a push in it towards a larger target audience. Many of the gruesome scenes were cut from the final film in order to reduce the certificate to allow a younger audience, and there are more heroes and camaradery in the film, something kids often respond well to in films.
The director's chair was not taken up again by John Milius, director of Barbarian, as he was tied up with other commitments at the time, so Richard Fleischer took the seat for the more gentle of the two Conan films. He would go on to direct Arnie in Red Sonja. The scenery is amazing in the filming. Much of the filming was done in Mexico, and the landscape is breathtaking at times. The film itself involves much more fantasy, with more creatures and fantastical events than Barbarian, which opted for a more raw, Bronze Age type feel, and many have actually criticised it for lacking the brutal edge of the first film, but Destroyer has its own place as a film, and does appeal to the wider audience, so it does balance out in the end.
Conclusion
A decent sequel, but not a patch on Conan the Barbarian.
The DVD is available from amazon.co.uk for £0.97, used at the moment.
Advantages: conan retunns in his usual bad mood Disadvantages: special effects
...follow up to the successful Conan the Barbarian was not quite what I thought it would be. Made in 1984 the story line revolves around another Conan adventure which the evil Queen Tamaris has sent him on to retrieve a sacred horn that will summon a god and in return the queen will resurrect Conans lost love who died in the Conan the Barbarian. Destroyer is directed by Richard Fleischer and Arnie plays the muscle-bound man with no pants again and the ... ...(played by Grace Jones) whom Conan saves from slavery. The evil Queen Tamaris is played by Sarah Douglas, her daughter Olivia D’abo plays the lovely princess Jehna.
The story runs over mountains and valleys and Conans sword being run into numerous guards and soldiers, his main enemy being a giant of a man named Bombaata (Wilt Chamberlain) who is the princesses bodyguard. The plot is fairly decent bearing in mind the year it was made however ...
chew.barker 16.02.2002 (05.03.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Conan The Destroyer (DVD)
Advantages: It can be quite funny (without intent) in places Disadvantages: Too much of the original movie is reused
...than its still Arnold playing Conan and that clearly a little bit of time has passed since the end of the first movie. Basically the plot is this:- Conan doing a favour to try & retrieve a magical gem and get his lover brought back to life which devolves into a rescue movie as only 1 person can touch the gem and Conan has to get her back from the evil wizard who actually has the magical gem they've gone to steal which is rather handy as it kills ... ...thin plot device to a fight to another thin plot device to another fight and so on and so forth. I still don't understand why Conan 3 wasn't made quickly after number 2, was Arnold cast for Terminator shortly after this? (this review also appears on dooyoo) ...
atytyut2434 12.06.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Conan The Destroyer (DVD)
Advantages: It's Arnie as Conan, one of the finest roles in cinema... Disadvantages: ...but the rest is unbelievably poor
With Conan the Barbarian being a smash hit, a sequel was inevitable. Dispensing with the original writer/director team of John Milius and Oliver Stone, the directing duties were handed to Richard Fleischer while the admirable original story by a separate writing team was pretty much ruined by a poor screenplay from Stanley Mann. Returning in the role of Conan (at least they got something right) is Arnold Schwarzenegger who is joined by a new sidekick ... ...adding a new theme for Conan as well as some nice incidental music. The rushed aspect of the film really shines through. Fleischer was not up to the challenge of satisfying the fans of the exceptional original and as such, the film has a lazy, half-hearted feel to it as well as descending into unwelcomed slapstick and parody. There are maybe some interesting parts but they're few and far between. Overall, it's a very disappointing sequel and not ...
psymonb 22.04.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Conan The Destroyer (DVD)
Advantages: Watch if you have nothing better to do Disadvantages: A yarn
After watching Conan The Barbarian, this film lacked the necessary depth for it to warrant to be a good film. In my opinion it would have been much better, had a series been created immediately after Conan The Barbarian. The only part, though presented as a yarn, that I thought was nice, was the creature coming to live. And it was good riddance to all the companions that had accompanied Conan. Those from the previous had been reduced to charicatures ...
nmforste 24.12.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Conan The Destroyer (DVD)
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Advantages: Arnold Schwarzenegger's muscles Disadvantages: Arnold Schwarzenegger's acting
Before there was The Terminator; before there was the Kindergarten Cop and before there was Danny DeVito's twin brother, there was this bad, yet not as bad as most action sequels, sequel to Conan The Barbarian. Non-sensical plot, over-the-top acting and dialogue my cat could predict make this inferior to the original and hardly a DVD worthy of 'collector's edition' status. (Who are these anonymous 'collectors' anyway?)
But Arnold does do what he does best and growls and flexes his way through a script which he probably did not need to read. The first one at least had James Earl Jones in it ("I am your father, Conan"), but if you are a Schwarzenegger fan, or like cheesy action sequels, you will most likely enjoy this. It also comes with a booklet and other bits of paper, which surely will sell on eBay for at least two quid in ten years ...
Advantages: None Disadvantages: Rubbish film. Rubbish DVD
This film, in the words of Dickinson, looks as cheap as chips. The effects are really bad and cheesy, the acting is dreadful and the story is ridiculous.
I would not recommend this film to anyone, it just isn't worth the money.
It took me about a week on and off to watch, because I kept getting so bored. The only reason I finished it is because I always finish watching a film when I start, to give it a fair chance. Lots of films are sluggish at the beginning but quite often get better. Not this film. The start is actually better than the end (but still dismal).
The DVD itself is also poor, the menus are clunky and not user-friendly and the extra features are even more boring than the film (if that's possible).
I really don't think that anyone would enjoy this, I can't believe it got made in the first place, let alone released ...
Fast-moving mystical adventure set in the Hyborean age. Conan goes in search of a magical key which will unlock vast treasures. If he returns with the treasure the Queen makes a promise which she does not intend to keep.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
PRISM LEISURE
Release date
19/07/2004
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
PPA 1575
Barcode
5014293157551
Featured
Wilt Chamberlain
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Aspect Ratio
16:9 Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital Mono
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital Mono English
Professional reviews
Review
"...The ideal sword and sorcery picture. Loaded with action and pitched just right for maximum tongue-in-cheek humor..." (Variety, 27/06/1984)
DVD Description
Following CONAN THE BARBARIAN, Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as Robert E. Howard's warrior hero in action director Richard Fleischer's CONAN THE DESTROYER. First seen praying at a shrine, Conan and his sidekick, Malak (Tracey Walter), are inveigled by Queen Taramis (Sarah Douglas) into joining Princess Jehnna (Olivia d'Abo) and her bodyguard, Bombaata (Wilt Chamberlain), on a quest to wrest a magic key from the wizard Toth-Amon (Pat Roach). On the journey, Conan saves his magician friend, Akiro (Mako), from cannibals and helps female bandit Zula (Grace Jones) as she fights off some angry villagers. The motley crew find Toth-Amon's castle in the middle of a lake. But, while they rest for the night before confronting the wizard, he spirits away Princess Jehnna. Conan leads the rescue. Compared to the first Conan movie, CONAN THE DESTROYER has less violence but more humour. The film's stunt casting includes the 7-foot-tall basketball player Wilt Chamberlain and pneumatic singer Grace Jones. Other actors featured are the 17-year-old Olivia d'Abo (in her first screen appearance), playing the petulant teenage princess with sexy innocence; Tracey Walter as the cowardly jewel-swallowing thief, Malak the Quick; and, of course, Schwarzenegger, who put on 10 extra pounds at Fleischer's request, as the pectorally-perfect Conan.
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