STARRING:
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sandahl Bergman, James Earl JonesGerry Lopez, Mako, Ben Davidson,
Sven Ole Thorsen, Max von Sydow, Valerie Quennessen, Cassandra Gaviola, William Smith
1982, 129 Minutes, Directed by: John Milius
Description:To avenge the murder of his parents, Conan tracks down the evil Thulsa
Doom (James Earl Jones) with the help of Queen Valeria (played by buff
B-movie vixen Sandahl Bergman) and Subotai the Mongol (Gerry Lopez).
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Amazon.com
Robert E. Howard's pulp Sword
& Sorcery hero, well-known to generations of Marvel comic book readers, Conan The
Barbarian (played perfectly by Arnold Schwarzenegger in one of his earliest roles)
makes it to the big screen.
No comic book stuff here:
the film is dark and gloomy with excessive violence. Dealing with the massacre of Conan's
parents when he was a child and his eventual revenge by beheading the man who were
responsible (James Earl Jones, perhaps best known as voicing Darth Vader) and featuring an
orgy scene and several bloody sword fights along the way, this film isn't really for kids
- you'd be more comfortable with them watching this film's sequel, Conan
the Destroyer, which is perhaps more in spirit to the popular comic books.
However, what makes it
better than its sequel, spin-offs and various rip-offs are the excellent production
designs by Ron (Alien) Cobb and the music by Basil (Robocop) Poledouris. But the film (directed by John Milius,
co-screenwriter of Apocalypse Now) could have done with some tighter editing since
it is overlong and tends to drag at times.