Mention "Conan the Barbarian" and it isn't hard to conjure up a feeling of all muscles and no brains, and pure campiness. Given that several "barbarian" films of the 80s (and even today) are like that, such as 1987's "The Barbarians," one can be forgiven for thinking the same about this John Milius film. I too felt the same, and seeing the sequel "Conan the Destroyer," my notions seemed confirmed. Then I heard praising this film, even calling it one of their favorite movies. Naturally, I was curious, and I happened to catch this on TV.
I can say one thing: This is better than I expected.
This is by no means a film meant for the Oscars (although there are some Oscar-worthy elements). This is an action flick, and it doesn't try to be anything more than that. What it does try, though, is be an acceptable adaptation of the Robert E. Howard "Conan" stories as well as be decent entertainment in general. These efforts do however make this film more of a classic rather than just passable entertainment.
The story is simple: Conan's family is killed as a boy; he gets taken into slavery, becomes a gladiator, gets freed, and seeks revenge on the ones responsible for killing his family, eventually succeeding.
Okay -- maybe the story isn't so simple. The choice of the Friedrich Nietzsche quote in the beginning is interesting; it makes for a great story theme: strength. Conan, here, through suffering and toil, becomes strong. This is summarized in the concept of "The Riddle of Steel": Steel isn't strong -- flesh is stronger.
Like the original "Conan" pulp stories by Howard, this movie is a part of the "Low Fantasy" genre, having magic and sorcery but still taking place in the real world -- in Conan's case, a time period "between the time when the Oceans drank Atlantis and before the rise of the sons of Arias" -- so well-said by the narrator, the late Mako.
In keeping with this, there is an attempt at being realistic. There is magic and the supernatural, yes, but just enough. For the most part, it tries to portray civilizations and world that could have existed, from their clothing, weapons, architecture, to their way of life. The costumes and sets look great; they truly make the viewer believe he's/she's in some lost time period in our history -- a world so strange, yet so familiar.
There isn't a lot of special effects, though. But they are decent for the most part. The scene, though, when the villain Thulsa Doom turns into a snake is convincing, and the choice of back-and-forth shots to show his transformation is clever, avoiding cheesiness.
Arnold Swcharzenegger may not be the most phenomenal actor out there; he's no De Niro. But he does, however, have star power, and he has presence in this film. He is just perfect for the role of Conan. He has the right built, the right facial expression -- he truly does look intimidating as Conan. And the role isn't too demanding of his acting abilities.
The other principal actors, Gerry Lopez and Sandhal Bergman, are decent. Max Von Sydow is excellent in his brief appearance as King Orsic. Mako is compelling as the narrator and hilarious as the wizard. But the best performance is, without a done, from the legendary James Earl Jones, giving another great performance in just two years after "The Empire Strikes Back." His Thulsa Doom is a great villain. What's more, you can truly believe that he's a cult leader.
The music for this movie is done by Basil Poledouris.
And I. Simply. Have. No. Words. To. Say.
The music is just mind-blowing. It is deep, booming, heavy, and just fantastic. It truly does give the film an epic feel. The use of drums gives the film a primitive feel, which is perfect, considering that this is set in a prehistoric time. The use of booming brass instrument, as well as the choirs with their heavy chanting, is extraordinary, sounding aggressive and relentless, the way Conan should be. The softer instruments, such as harps and violins, give Conan a noble, heroic feel.
The music, combined with the excellent cinematography (filmed in Spain), creates really excellent results. There are some truly sweeping scenes, such as when the riders raid Conan's village, and his final battle with them. The scene when Conan stumbles upon the ancient tomb and finds the sword is made great because of the music. And the scene when Conan recovers and is practicing with his sword, combined with the softer part of "The Anvil of Crom" piece, is one that will linger in your head -- a truly iconic scene.
It is the music that truly elevates this movie from a mere action flick in a sea of many to a truly epic film. A classic.
This may not be a perfect film (no film is), but compare this to many other 80s fantasy films, and you'll know what I mean.
I can say one thing: This is better than I expected.
This is by no means a film meant for the Oscars (although there are some Oscar-worthy elements). This is an action flick, and it doesn't try to be anything more than that. What it does try, though, is be an acceptable adaptation of the Robert E. Howard "Conan" stories as well as be decent entertainment in general. These efforts do however make this film more of a classic rather than just passable entertainment.
The story is simple: Conan's family is killed as a boy; he gets taken into slavery, becomes a gladiator, gets freed, and seeks revenge on the ones responsible for killing his family, eventually succeeding.
Okay -- maybe the story isn't so simple. The choice of the Friedrich Nietzsche quote in the beginning is interesting; it makes for a great story theme: strength. Conan, here, through suffering and toil, becomes strong. This is summarized in the concept of "The Riddle of Steel": Steel isn't strong -- flesh is stronger.
Like the original "Conan" pulp stories by Howard, this movie is a part of the "Low Fantasy" genre, having magic and sorcery but still taking place in the real world -- in Conan's case, a time period "between the time when the Oceans drank Atlantis and before the rise of the sons of Arias" -- so well-said by the narrator, the late Mako.
In keeping with this, there is an attempt at being realistic. There is magic and the supernatural, yes, but just enough. For the most part, it tries to portray civilizations and world that could have existed, from their clothing, weapons, architecture, to their way of life. The costumes and sets look great; they truly make the viewer believe he's/she's in some lost time period in our history -- a world so strange, yet so familiar.
There isn't a lot of special effects, though. But they are decent for the most part. The scene, though, when the villain Thulsa Doom turns into a snake is convincing, and the choice of back-and-forth shots to show his transformation is clever, avoiding cheesiness.
Arnold Swcharzenegger may not be the most phenomenal actor out there; he's no De Niro. But he does, however, have star power, and he has presence in this film. He is just perfect for the role of Conan. He has the right built, the right facial expression -- he truly does look intimidating as Conan. And the role isn't too demanding of his acting abilities.
The other principal actors, Gerry Lopez and Sandhal Bergman, are decent. Max Von Sydow is excellent in his brief appearance as King Orsic. Mako is compelling as the narrator and hilarious as the wizard. But the best performance is, without a done, from the legendary James Earl Jones, giving another great performance in just two years after "The Empire Strikes Back." His Thulsa Doom is a great villain. What's more, you can truly believe that he's a cult leader.
The music for this movie is done by Basil Poledouris.
And I. Simply. Have. No. Words. To. Say.
The music is just mind-blowing. It is deep, booming, heavy, and just fantastic. It truly does give the film an epic feel. The use of drums gives the film a primitive feel, which is perfect, considering that this is set in a prehistoric time. The use of booming brass instrument, as well as the choirs with their heavy chanting, is extraordinary, sounding aggressive and relentless, the way Conan should be. The softer instruments, such as harps and violins, give Conan a noble, heroic feel.
The music, combined with the excellent cinematography (filmed in Spain), creates really excellent results. There are some truly sweeping scenes, such as when the riders raid Conan's village, and his final battle with them. The scene when Conan stumbles upon the ancient tomb and finds the sword is made great because of the music. And the scene when Conan recovers and is practicing with his sword, combined with the softer part of "The Anvil of Crom" piece, is one that will linger in your head -- a truly iconic scene.
It is the music that truly elevates this movie from a mere action flick in a sea of many to a truly epic film. A classic.
This may not be a perfect film (no film is), but compare this to many other 80s fantasy films, and you'll know what I mean.