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Plot:
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. Transformi...( read more 
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:October 4, 2008good for its time, alot of action and killing, arnold schwarzengger didnt talk too much in it , i was hoping for a fight against a huge snake at the end but its still good
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MCT:September 26, 2008
Watched this, and I got to say the stuff that was put back in was interesting. It gives the movie a new twist. Overall I liked it.
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MCT:September 24, 2008One of the coolest guy movies ever, this movie has it all: gratuitous nudity, senseless violence, and people eating green booyah with severed human parts. This is such a guy movie I actually don't know if a girl has ever seen this movie, let alone like it. Conan has many traits. He has life lessons "Crush your enemies, see them drive before you". He also has problems with the animal kingdom. He punches a camel, bites a vulture, and has a sword fight with a snake. Snakes are also used as swords, with a little sly stroking from James Earl Jones.
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MCT:August 28, 2008ehhhhh i saw it in spanish, just arnold show his muscles and slaying monsters, didn't really get the point of it
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MCT:August 26, 2008
A powerful and profound score. If you buy the cd, read the inset about how the score was made. It's so dang epic!
Great movie! Tells an entire story in 3 sentences of dialogue. Who needs talking anyway when you've got swords and 60 foot snakes. -
MCT:August 26, 2008Conan the Barbarian was one of the most anticipated releases of 1982, especially by those who considered themselves fantasy/science fiction aficionados. Conan, the pulp hero created by Robert E. Howard in the 1930s, was at the height of his popularity in the late 1970s and early 1980s. During those years, the so-called "Swords and Sorcery" genre was experiencing a boom (in part due to the growth of a new role playing game called "Dungeons & Dragons" and in part because of the increased number of book titles available in mainstream stores). In addition to the dozen "original" paperbacks detailing Conan's exploits (compilations penned by Howard, L. Sprague De Camp, and Lin Carter), there were several new novels, and at least three comic books: "Conan the Barbarian", "King Conan", and "The Savage Sword of Conan."
Conan began life nearly 70 years ago in the pages of the magazine Weird Tales. Before his suicide in 1936 at the age of 30, Howard completed or began more than two dozen Conan stories, 18 of which were published. Of all the mythical heroes he wrote about, including the likes of King Kull and Solomon Kane, Conan was the most popular. In the late 1960s, L. Sprague De Camp and Lin Carter, two established authors who admired Howard's work, engaged in a massive project to organize and clean-up the existing Conan canon, as well as write new stories to fill in chronological gaps. This resulted in a 12 volume series that has been in print since it hit bookstore shelves in the 1967-68 time period.
Conan the Barbarian is designed to entertain both fans of the Howard stories and those who are unfamiliar with the character. The movie takes place some 12,000 years ago, during a legendary era when magic was real, monsters wandered the land, and the gods occasionally walked the Earth. Borrowing liberally from the official Conan canon, the film chronicles the barbarian's early years, beginning with the sacking of his village and the murder of his parents, and ending with his vengeance upon his first great enemy. Elements of several Howard stories have made their way into the screenplay (penned by director John Milius and Oliver Stone - yes, that Oliver Stone). Fans will particularly notice similarities to "The Thing in the Crypt", "The Elephant Tower", "Queen of the Black Coast", and "A Witch Shall Be Born."
Milius' greatest success with Conan the Barbarian was creating an entirely new and believable world. The settings are spectacular, the special effects are low key but effective, and the costumes and accoutrements have the proper feel for the era. In short, Conan's land, a lavishly detailed, long-ago place, feels as real as modern-day New York City. It's the kind of world where high adventure, magical intrigue, and heroic battles can take place without ever threatening our suspension of disbelief. Milius may have made some mistakes in his approach to Conan, but this is not one of them.
Another wise choice was hiring Basil Poledouris to compose the music. Dino De Laurentiis, the man ultimately responsible for bringing Conan to the screen, wanted a pop music soundtrack, but Milius argued for something more traditional. In the end, the director won, and the result was one of the best scores of the '80s. Poledouris' music, which includes both choral and instrumental compositions, is powerful and perfectly wedded to the material. It's hard to imagine the film being as entertaining without this element of its production.
The plot is broad and adventurous, with plenty of the elements that have made Conan popular: voluptuous women, brawny men, a vile wizard, grotesque monsters, faithful sidekicks, and plenty of violent, bloody battle action. Those who have an inherent distaste for this sort of entertainment will appreciate Conan the Barbarian's impeccable production values without enjoying the story; most everyone else will be swept away by the film's spectacle. Conan is not designed to have broad appeal. It is a well-made motion picture, but it is constricted by the constraints of the genre.
As the movie opens, Conan (Jorge Sanz), is a boy learning the "Riddle of Steel" from his father. Shortly thereafter, the young barbarian is in chains, a prisoner of the wizard Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) and his henchman, Rexor (Ben Davidson), who have burned down his village and killed his parents. Conan grows up as a slave, and, once he is an adult (now played by Arnold Schwarzenegger), he becomes a gladiator champion and is used to breed prime slave stock. Eventually, his owner, fearing Conan's physical prowess, sets him free. After stealing a sword from a crypt and picking up a thief sidekick named Subotai (Gerry Lopez), he heads for the riches of civilization. In the city of Zamora, he meets Valeria, Queen of the Thieves (Sandahl Bergman), and, with her help, robs the Tower of the Serpent. He and Valeria become lovers, but Conan is only temporarily sated by gold, drink, and sex. The flame of revenge burns within him, and he is given valuable information to find Thulsa Doom when King Osrik (Max von Sydow), the ruler of Zamora, summons him to the palace with a proposition.
The level of acting is definitely not one of Conan the Barbarian's strong suits (although it is significantly better here than in the sequel, Conan the Destroyer). Despite having extremely limited range, Arnold Schwarzenegger is actually an excellent choice for the lead. The only things required of Schwarzenegger are that he flexes his muscles, looks good in a fight, and grunts an occasional line of dialogue - all of which he does capably. There's no great emotional depth to the part, and Milius does not demand that Schwarzenegger reach beyond the bounds of his talent. The role was a breakthrough for the bodybuilder-turned-actor. Previously relegated to muscle-bound parts in cheesy movies, Conan put him on the fast track. Only two years later, he would star in James Cameron's The Terminator.
Schwarzenegger wasn't the only non-actor to appear in Conan the Barbarian. Dancer Sandahl Bergman matches him for woodenness. Mako and Gerry Lopez, playing Conan's sidekicks, are on hand primarily for comic relief. Two performers of some stature appear in the credits. The first, James Earl Jones, makes an adequate villain, although there are too few scenes in which he radiates true evil. Instead of going over-the-top, Jones' interpretation of Doom is subdued, which limits his effectiveness. Meanwhile, Max von Sydow has an entertaining turn as grizzled King Osrik. Von Sydow, the Ingmar Bergman regular, seems oddly at home in a part that some would regard as beneath him.
To date, Conan the Barbarian has been one of the few successful Swords and Sorcery movies to reach theaters. Other contenders (like Willow, Dragonheart, and Kull the Conqueror) have failed to follow in Conan's broad footsteps. The reasons for this film's effectiveness are not difficult to understand. It treats its characters and subject matter seriously without becoming lugubrious. There is some humor, but it is mostly underplayed, and Milius avoids any overt suggestions of camp. Conan the Barbarian is also adult in nature - the battles are bloody and the women take their clothes off. Most movies of the genre (including the Conan sequel) veer off into comic book territory, failing to treat their protagonists with dignity and cleaning things up to obtain the coveted PG-13 rating. Instead of the slightly overblown epic aura of Conan, most other films adopt a jokey tone. Even 17 years after its release, Conan the Barbarian still weaves a spell capable of ensorcelling fans of fantasy adventure. -
MCT:August 15, 2008
I loved this even though I know I shouldn't have. I know that it was exceptionally corny, but I still loved it. Maybe it was the sheer corniness of it all that I loved :)
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MCT:August 9, 2008
This is another one that if I saw it today, rather than in my youth, I'd probably think less of it.
It's a fun movie when you are a kid. -
MCT:July 30, 2008Young 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. Transform
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MCT:July 20, 2008
LOTR had to start somewhere lol. Bad acting and special effects, good movie with a group of friends.
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MCT:July 16, 2008The ultimate in macho revenge. A classic undying with lines such as
"You wanna live forever?"
and
"Aaaargh!"
Prevailing over the use of a conventional script. -
MCT:July 12, 2008
This was the first R rated movie I ever saw in the theatre. I was nine and my Mother just about had a heart attack. This film is as brutal and uncompromising as some of the original comic books. Milius doesn't pull any punches (neither does writer Oliver Stone) and Schwarzenegger's career was catapulted. At times, it may be somewhat of a guilty pleasure; still the timeless and elegant score helps elevate this barbaric film. I must have seen it twenty times as kid. How can you not love a movie that has Arnold biting a vulture and then hacking up a lung?
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MCT:July 9, 2008
Reminds me of the epics they made in the 50s and 60s with all the background provided to explain how the main character came about. Once they finally get around to the main plot, it isn't that bad, but don't expect intelligent dialogue. The Valeria character is nicely refreshing. A woman who can kick butt, get the man she wants, and not be evil or the main character makes me give it an extra star. Not all tough chicks have to be sexless, evil, or lesbian.
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MCT:July 7, 2008
"Conan,what is best in life"?
"To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women". -
MCT:June 30, 2008
People always talk about this film as the mindless fantasy classic, but there's more going on here than meets the eye, at least I'd always thought so growing up. My suspicions were re-ignited when I realized Oliver Stone wrote the screenplay.
The...(read more)re's plenty of sex and violence, but Conan's enemy inspired by Hassan I Sabbah(the old man in the mountain),and played oddy by James Ear Jones, spouts a philosophy of emptiness and the surrender of will and self, makes a perfect foil, to Conan's self made man individualism, and materialism. The res a very literal cruxifiction and ressurection scene here as well, followed by the film's end in a kind of public diecide, as does the second film. It's a simple philosophy in Conan, but one well told enough that I still remember it and could pick up on it as a kid, no God, no magic, no King, no object or steel, is of any value at the end, just will and a zeal for life. It's easy to pick on any film staring the current Governer of California, but this was one that crystalized the grim, Sword And Sorcery genre, and there hasn't been a better film since. "Kull The Conquerer" ,"The Scorpian King", "Conan The Destroyer", etc., maybe a one note genre for some, but for others this is as good as it gets. -
MCT:June 29, 2008
Conan the Barbarian was quite a decent movie, I think it's great to see how far Arnold Schwarzenegger has gone with his career. This was one of his finest moments.
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MCT:June 20, 2008
One of Arnold's more out there films, the story is intriguing based on the comic I think which makes it very edgy at times. The effects seem pretty laughable to some respect now especially the snake number, but the score is exquisite and the action pretty well rounded.
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MCT:June 16, 2008
Proof that a few broadswords and leather jerkins go a long way... ;]...what can I say, I own the comic books, so when I sat down to the movies I was nothing less than blown away...
Conan's parents are brutally murdered by the evil Thulsa Doom. The child is taken and chained to the Wheel of Pain, where he goes around in circles for years, building extraordinary muscles . One day he is set free. He teams up with Subotai the Mongol, and his freind Valeria, Queen of Thieves...
Valeria herself is everything you could ever hope for in a woman. She is lanky and muscular and a great sport, and she can ride, throw, stab, fence, and climb ropes as good as any man. Offtimes she engages in talk about love, but she quickly recovers herself with cover-up talk about loyalty and betrayal and emotions more central to Conan's experience and maturity...
With the Mongol and the Queen at his side, Conan ventures forth to seek the evil Thulsa Doom and gain revenge for the death of his parents. This requires him to journey to the mysterious East, where he learns a little quick kung-fu, and then to the mountainside where Doom rules his slave-priests from the top of his Mountain of Power. There are a lot of battles and a few interesting nights at crude wayside inns...
CONAN THE BARBARIAN is, in fact, a very nearly perfect visualization of the Conan legend, of Robert E. Howard's tale of a superman who lived beyond the mists of time...
The movie's casting is ideal. Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan, and Sandahl Bergman as Valeria. Physically, they look like the artist's conceptions of themselves.
Schwarzenegger's slight Teutonic accent is actually even an advantage, since Conan lived, of course, in the eons before American accents...
The movie is a triumph of production design, set decoration, special effects and makeup... -
MCT:June 15, 2008All I lked about this movie was the fact Arnie punched a camel. Frickin' Hilarious. Rest was crap.
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MCT:June 14, 2008
My favorite Arnie movie, this one is another classic. Great fantasy film, great actors, James Earl Jones rocks in this one.... Just a real fun movie...
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MCT:June 8, 2008
Technically a better film than my favorite, Red Sonja, and almost as nostalgic to me. The musical score is stunning! This movie actually gets better with every viewing.
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MCT:May 30, 2008
Just the music, alone, is enough to make you want to don your barbarian outfit, grab a sword, and pray to Crom!!! This will ALWAYS be my #1 movie.
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