Rating: 
Summary: Not for kids but designed for them.
Review: Conan the Barbarian is faithful to the books and the comics. Here a young Arnold Schwarzenegger in his third film, the second where he was permitted to speak, portrays Conan the Barbarian, a warrior, thief and future King.Conan's family is killed and he is enslaved while a young boy. He works on a farm and later becomes a gladiator-warrior. Supremely successful, his owner grants him freedom which he uses to track down the killers of his family. James Earl Jones portrays the villain, Thusa Doom. By its nature, such a story is little grim, but the writers have added some moments of levity which help move the movie along. The sword play in it may also seem a little slow compared to the movies produced today. Finally, the producers opted for a cheap scene where Thusa Doom shoots arrows made from snakes. My friend loved this scene, but I thought it took away from the movie. "Conan the Barbarian" seemed almost realistic in an "other worldly" way. That is, when you watch Conan the Barbarian, you could almost believe you were witnessing an earlier age where a man's might and wits could carry him far. Where rules were made, based on your sword. And then they start shooting snakes at people. Well, it is a small criticism. If you like swords and sorcery, you should enjoy Conan the Barbarian. It is a bloody, action film which delivers for its core audience, young teenagers and kids. The "R" rating is deserved. This movie is not for very young people, even if it seems to be designed for them. If you are older and want to travel back to a world that could have existed, this movie is for you.
Rating:
Summary: An entertaining action fantasy sword fighting film.
Review: The Plot:When he was a child, he saw his people and his parents get killed by an army of snake-cults and leader is the raiding vanir led by Thulsa Doom(James Earl Jones in a strong performance). The boy become a slave, then years pass by, he become a man and his name is Cimmerian Conan(Arnold Schwarzenegger). The he`s brougt by man, who teach him to become a fighter and professionl sword fighter also. When he become a free man after, he wants to find the man, who killed his parents and destory him. In the way of his mission, he becomes friend with another sword fighter named Subota the Mongol(Gerry Lopez) and he falls in love with an beautiful strong woman named Valeria, Queen of Thieves(Sandahl Bergman) and to understand his quest and how to destory his enemy before he become an lost warrior. Written by John Milius(Also the directed in the film) and Oliver Stone(Platoon, Natural Born Killers). DVD`s has a fine anomorphic widescreen transer(2.35:1) and well recorded 2 Channel mono soundtrack. An entertaining and often funny commentary track by the director-Milius and Actor-Schwarzenegger. An documentary of the making of the film including Outtakes and Deleted Scenes and a few more extras. One of the best films of Schwarzenegger. A true cult classic of the early eighties. Grade:A-. Todd-AO 35.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutly Excellent Stuff
Review: This Conan film showed excellent speed levels, a brillent soundtrack and excellent plot. One of the best features about this film is the screenplay by John Millius and Oliver Stone, it showed the powerpoint of the time it was set and an excellent review on Thulsa Doom's point on the riddle of steel. This DVD of the film is great and well worth buying, the extras are excellent and they tell a lot of hidden secrets behind the scenes background thats intresting. The widescreen presentation is digitally mastered and the grond level is nicely done. Although the sky tends to be dotty and the marstered edition of the widescreen downlines can be noticed. It also looks too digital but it is quite a pleasing picture. The sound is mono and although its dolby digital it can sound distorted at loud pitch but the sound is nicely clear and you will be pleased with it. Altogether it is an excellent film and is worth every penny for this collectors edition and I definetly recomend it to anyone. It is solid entertaiment and is certanly worth buying.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best fantasy films of all time.
Review: Robert E. Howard's fantasy charachter Conan blazes on the screen with the help of John Milus directing , Ron Cobb design sets and Oliver Stone writes, music by Eric Seirra th music was also used in the teaser trailer for Gladiator in a film wich made Arnold Swartzenagger an overnight superstar.Once a boy Conan is taught by his father the virtue of steel,Conans family is under attack by Thulsa Doom and his cultish warlords they slaghter , his entire family and take Conan to live a life of slavery until a unknown stranger trains him to be a Gladiator for pit fighting when Conan brutally destroys every opponent in front of him he is set free , all that is in Conan's mind is not freedom but to kill Thulsa Doom for mudering his family with the faith of crumb his god and the help of two who join him Queen Valkire an Subtai the theif he begins the battle to destroy Thulsa Doom and his minons in a bloody final battle that rivals the movie Gladiator blood soaked Warlords of Thusla Doom will have no chance against the power and experience of Conan :The Barbarian who would be king. Arnold Swarzenagger the most fit of his entire life looking like an action figure in this movie it's awsom to see him and all his glory.An hour long glimpse into the making of Conan provides an behind the scenes glimpse of the painstaking task to bring this exciting story to the big screen.Productin notes and story boards and trailers and a full feature commentary on the film by Jhon Milus and Swartzenagger a truly epic fantasy adventure that will forever have fan fare and become classic.
Rating:
Summary: The Classic Reinvented?
Review: I have to start by saying that I am biased. I love this film and always have. I remember seeing the trailer in cinemas when I was in my early teens and thinking: Wow - this looks awesome. For me, this film defines a genre. It is the benchmark against which all other films of this genre are measured. What an excellent vehicle for Arnie. He's supported by a superb representation of the Hyborian age by John Milius (Director) and Ron Cobb (Production Designer - also PD on The Abyss). Lets not forget a compelling performance by James Earl Jones as the charismatic Thulsa Doom. So few "fantasy" films allow you to suspend your disbelief and transport you to a fictional world. There is usually something that makes you think: this is so not believeable. This one overcomes this and a whole lot more. I was looking forward to the DVD release so much that I bought a multi region DVD and ordered from the US (a costly exercise with the ever dropping Aussie dollar) through Amazon as it hasn't been released for Region 4 yet. Everything was as I expected. I particulary enjoyed the Extra Features. The 1 hour documentary on the film was particularly interesting. It had only been filmed in the last few years (rather than being created as part of the media machine coinciding with the cinema release in 1982) with a bevvy of participants. I only have 2 minor gripes: 1. The commentary by John Milus and Arnold is only average. I found there were long pauses during the film - parts where I would've loved to know more about what was happening, they were slient. John Milus was much better informed than Arnold. Arnold obviously hadn't seen the film in a long time. He was predicting what would occur next in the film and was often wrong! Comments like: "Ha! Look ad dat! I fell of-ver. Dats funneee." are not that enlightening. I admire Arnold immensely, but this commentary does nothing for his image. 2. The sound quality is only good. It would've been nice to see some real improvements here, but I considering the film was filmed in 1982, you can only get as good as your original will allow. Other than these MINOR complaints, I would highly recommend this excellent film. It is a rolicking adventure, with convincing performances all around (hey - Arnie was born to play this role). The score by Basil Poledouris is truly one of the greatest movie soundtracks you'll ever hear. The Gladiator teaser used it as the main background music. This is a classic film and loses nothing in the nearly 20 years that it has been around. If you like the film the first time around, buy this DVD if you can. If you haven't seen it, be prepared for a fantasy great.
Rating:
Summary: A Conan Fan Dream
Review: I grew up watching Conan the Barbarian. It was not until recently that I realized what a masterpiece Director John Milius had crafted. When I heard there was a special edition coming out I rushed out and bought it. I was so pleased. Other than the standard DVD stuff the special edition contains A Making of Conan film and feature length conmentary with Milius and Arnold. If you are a person who loves this film as much as I do and you own a DVD player make sure you pick this up. It is very entertaining and you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece of Sound and Images!
Review: With the arrival of "Gladiator" to DVD, movie fans and critics are cheering to the film's famous chant of "Maximus! Maximus Maximus!" While indeed an impressive film, the arrival of "Conan the Barbarian" to an excellent collectors edition DVD makes a welcome companion. "Conan the Barbarian" is a fantastic film in which the marriage of visual style with beautiful rich music creates a rare fantasy adventure unlike any to blaze the big screen. Ok, all fans of Conan know this. So what makes the DVD Collector's edition so great? 1. Widescreen: I can actually see all of Arnold's sword now! 2. Audio: While still a mono soundtrack, the DVD creates a CD like audio which is presented in all its glory. 3. Documentary: Awesome! So many facts, so many interviews, so much insite. Conan heaven! 4. Full Feature Commentary: Arnold and John (the director) are both funny and informative. Who knew Conan had so much depth? Only the obsessed fans like me of course! 5. Cut Scenes & Special Effects: Awesome again! Not enough words. Overall, this is what DVD should be all about! Great Movie (widescreen), excellent picture, clear sound, and lots and lots of obsessed fan stuff. Get it!
Rating:
Summary: Vivid, sweeping, and Barbaric!
Review: This new Collector's Edition of CONAN is a joy; I give it five stars for a film of its type (heroic fantasy); those not in the mood for such fare will rate it lower, but director Milius and his crew have captured to a T the spirit of the Conan books and the requirements of large-scale Sword & Sorcery adventure. The score alone is majestic, and John Milius is the best action director since Kurosawa (one of his role models). This film BREATHES its mythic, savage ethos. Because Milius is such a believer (the alternate audio track featuring Milius and Arnold is both hilarious and revealing of the careful thought that went into this production), the film always rings true. It is not a product of some paint-by-numbers Hollywood hack going through the motions. The script is amazingly free of excess verbosity -- the lead character doesn't even say a word until 25 minutes into the film! (How many other films can get away with that?) Yet it is all done so gracefully and organically that the effect is completely natural. Milius is not a man to clutter a scene or shot with dialogue when the camera work or an actor's expression are sufficient. The stunningly choreographed battles are fluid, dramatic, and ballet-like in their grace (Sandahl Bergman is particularly impressive as Conan's Xena-esque companion), not clumsy hackfests as they might have been in lesser hands. There might have been more wizardry (this isn't one of Milius' real interests, as demonstrated by the subpar giant snake effects), but the action and pacing are impeccable and the overall effect is very genuine -- this film WILL take you back to a legendary, alien time. This is as good as Sword & Sorcery gets on film, and shines all the brighter when held next to the woefully inferior sequel (Conan the Destroyer) or spinoffs (Red Sonja) One technical complaint I have is that the theatrical trailers mentioned on the package don't really seem to be on this disk, and the soundtrack seems to be in less-than-full stereo -- otherwise, the digital transfer is impressive, with restored footage and an illuminating commentary track. The "Making Of" featurette is also a cut above the norm.
Rating:
Summary: Medieval goes technical
Review: This DVD is a MUST for any Conan/Schwarzenegger/Action/Fantasy/I-Am-Human-and-Alive type people! The Collector's edition has many great features. The Audio commentary is hilarious (featuring the director and Arnold), the making of is quite interesting, and the artwork is fantastic! The remastering done to the audio/video is fantastic. This DVD also contains some of the cut footage dealing with the King's daughter (I just wish it would have contained the footage of the King's death). If you love your VHS, then definately get this DVD (it's worth buying a DVD system!).
Rating: 
Summary: Classic guilty pleasure, but lackluster edition
Review: I will spare the obvious comments on the plot and so on, and address the specifics of this edition. I was unaware that this was an alternate cut when I purchased it, and I found that the added scenes made for a more clumsy movie. Particularly, the added scene in witch Conan and Subotai talk about the way of a warriors life before the end battle. The scene is far too lighthearted considering they are about to fight and Conan has just lost the love of his life. The alternate ending eludes to the films original intention to be a series, the first being Conan conquering his past, the second his rise to power, becoming a king, and the third, the corruption of power and rediscovering himself. But, all of these scenes should have been added to the deleted section and not woven back into the movie. The original cut is superior. The rest of the extras include deleted scenes- a John Milus selling lizards cameo, Max Von Sydow dying from various angles, and, briefly, Ah-nold falling down and cursing when chased by wolves. There is a nice costume sketch gallery, and a boring behind the scenes photo gallery that mainly seems to glorify John Milius and offers little insight. The rest of the extras include the regular, trailers and so on. I havent bothered with the commentary and may never listen to it. Personally, I just dont have any desire to listen to it. All in all, this film is one of the great pulp novel movies. It doesnt have any lofty aspirations, it has gore and action, without being stupid. My complaint is that in the future, studios should re-think offering editions that differ so much from what people already enjoy, becuase in this case, the added scenes should have been a seperate option instead of being included within the film. Its a nice edition to have, but as a fan of the original cut, I will have to own it, as well.
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