Conan the Barbarian

I spent my teenage years buried in Anglo-Saxon fantasy and RPGs, the latter of which has somehow endured to this day. Conan is a divine Sword & Sorcery fantasy film not lacking in epic scenes, loads of pathos, boobs, a good dose of blood, beautiful exteriors, and Max von Sydow. I’m not left wanting for anything and only the minimum of things are extraneous. The soundtrack is one of the best on the market. Even the giant snakes and demons don't look awkward all the time. A favorite and Arnold's best role. (10/01/2011)

Arnie in a strong silent type role that he was born for, supported by the unforgettable, atmosphere creating music by Basil Poledouris (one of the best cases of linking music and picture that I have ever heard/seen). And in fact, almost all the characters are silent. And in the end, isn’t this better than the empty prattling that we know from most movies nowadays? And that isn’t just my nostalgic blindness speaking, from the days when I watched Conan’s movie adventures for the first time. To this day I remember hassling my father for a whole week to record it on VHS. Not to speak of the delight I felt when at last I got my hands on a DVD version, so I could watch it in the original format and with the original English language soundtrack. One of the movies that was murdered by the 4/3 format. P.S.: I’m pleased that I’m not the only one to notice that some scenes seem like they came straight out of Alexander Nevsky. ♫ OST score: 5/5 (24/01/2007)

A solidly shot, grand-looking fantasy film, with a stunning production design and one of the best musical scores. Basil Poledouris created a captivating epic music that ranks among the highest peaks of his work. The legendary Arnie is fairly bearable as Conan, he looks better in the fight scenes than in the dialogues, but that is nothing new. (11/09/2005)

I’ve noticed that this is my 900th review, and let me tell you what, I could have chosen better. I expected more from a film with such a reputation. Perhaps the only one who fulfilled his role here was the young Arnold, who runs around the set for two hours half naked, displaying his body in detail, which is fine with me, though I would have rather appreciated close-ups of his companion. The film itself is pretty much about nothing, everything takes a long time, the action is scarce and real entertainment even less. Only the music deserves praise, though it didn’t sit me well with me during some passages. What sticks in my mind the most is probably the intent and devilish look of James Earl Jones, who was perfectly cast as the bad guy. 60% (09/02/2012)

A film of truly barbaric qualities. Terrible acting, primitive directing, trivial story, excellent musical accompaniment... All of this brings together a completely unique atmosphere, which goes with the subject like a sword in the chest. What is the use if the fights are built more like a fitness demonstration of Arnie's muscles, what is the point if only the demonic James Earl Jones’s performance is the only decent one...? Milius's Conan remains a fearless war cult among fantasy films because, despite all the objectively visible flaws (and there are as many of them as there are naked women in Thul's harem), it retains a special pagan charm. Which doesn't change the fact that the film is actually quite lousy... (30/09/2004)