Rating: 
Summary: Well that was interesting, but......
Review: .... not really satisfying. Conan the barbarian had so much potential to be a great movie but ultimately wastes all of that on trying to squeeze in as much blood and boobs as possible, now thats not exactly a bad system, but they wait a full hour before they show any of this, practically all the beginning is an overly long prolouge on conan's earlier life (with montages that last 5 to ten minutes without actually telling us anything. Conan runs into some chick (Valeria) says exactly five words to her and gives her a rock, she shows her gratitude by then having sex with him. After this really awfull beginning the film starts to show some of the action we wanted in very long sequences that despite being repetative are absolutely thrilling. It all ends with Conan killing the bad guy andsaving the day like any good Arnie flick. Arnold Swarztenheger is intimidating as hell in his role as conan, James Earl Jones is perfect as Thulsa Doom. Ben Davidson is entertaining as Rexor but Sandhl Bergman's part is only very average. The soundtrack is fantastic, it has drums pounding full blast and goes perfect with the fight scenes. I would say rent this and if you like it buy it.Acting 9/10
Story 2/10
Direction 7/10
Special effects 8/10
Characters 7/10
Screenplay 9/10
Rating: 
Summary: Thief.....Warrior.....Gladiator.....King.....CONAN!
Review: I've always loved this movie, ever since I first saw it. This is one of those films that simply defines the word "epic". (Some more are "The Postman", both "The Lord of the Rings", "Lonesome Dove", and "Independence Day".) To this day it features some of the most gritty, and all around best fighting scenes ever put to film. Okay, so the acting by Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't great, but hey, this was his, what, first starring role?! However, Gerry Lopez is very entertaining as Conan's partner Subotai. And then we come to James Earl Jones.....ahhh, one of the masters; his portrait of Thulsa Doom is no less than mesmerizing; the ultimate embodiment of evil. However, no matter how great he is, the real heart of "Conan the Barbarian", as with the sequal, is the MUSIC!!!!! Kudos to my personal favorite composer of all time, THE MAN, Basil Poledouris. (Geek-worshipped, huh? Yeah, right, and Mozart & Beethoven were un-talented losers!) From epic battle scenes, to heart-breaking love themes, not once will you feel that the music is out of place. He creates one of THE top three film scores of all time, the others being "The Lord of the Rings" and "Lonesome Dove" (the latter also by Poledouris). See a pattern forming here? One of the top action-fantasy films ever made. FIVE STARS!!!! Universal's "Collector's Edition" DVD is a blessing from heaven. The picture and sound quality is stunning, especially when comparing to even the latest VHS copy. Plus, as an added bonus, there is also a few added little bits here and there. They prove to be less than five minutes difference all together, but they are nice little additions. The best of which is that new short scene in which Conan and Subotai exchange some thoughts on their childhood as well as minor philosophy. That is so cool! The special features are about as good as you can get. The making-of documentary, which runs for about an hour, is very detailed and definitely worth far more than one viewing (as is the case with most of Universal's CE titles). The deleted scenes aren't really great, all except for that outtake with Schwarzenegger and the wolves. Hillarious! The film actually has pretty good trailers, too. Lowdown: BUY IT! BUY IT! BUY IT! If ever you were a fan of this film, it's a dream-come-true!
Rating:
Summary: HE BEGAIN CHILD ...HE GROW INTO MUSCLES... AND AFTER...
Review: He his contrained time after time to become a muscular strenght !
He become a very KEEN STRONG ! THE MORE ROBUST WITHIN THE ROBUSTS ! This storie recount some facts whitch are imaginatives but so beautifuls ! This is the beginning of the real career of MISTER ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER ! He has lost a brother many time ago in his youth, he will dicover that all of the world will be his FRIEND AND he wanted to become an Americon, he has made that ! He is an example for the rest of humanity ! I think that !
Rating:
Summary: Chew it slowly! It's the good stuff..
Review: Conan the Barbarian is one of those films that you enjoy the first time, relish the second time and then, by the third viewing and beyond, you have come to simply adore. This is a film that delights in its own storytelling, and displays surprising gravitas in exploring Conan's development as a character. The film was (well) financed by the company that typically pumped out those entertaining but vaguely embarrassing Greek legends films or Sinbad seafaring yarns, and is of astonishing quality particularly considering the company it keeps. You have high quality actors (including Arnold, whose mangling of the English language seems a perfect fit for the stoic titular hero/anti-hero), lavish sets, humor, and mayhem. The bodycount is high but never simply for show..even the primary henchmen put up a real fight instead of just slowing down the hero a little before he catches up with the villian. And what a villian! James Earl Jones in, and I'm being completely serious here, one of his finest roles as Thulsa Doom, charismatic archpriest of the snake god Set, whose disdain for physical combat aside from a brief bit at the intro actually adds to his presence and menace rather than detracting from it. A great musical score keeps the action hopping along, and the swordfights and battles are brawls rather than mincing fencing matches. I'm not writing simply to give my personal take on the film itself, however. I've owned the Collector's Edition for some time now, but it wasn't until I viewed it with the Commentary running that I felt the need to write a review. The commentary, placed over a muted showing of the film, is a discussion between Arnold and the director as the film takes place. It is a gem to listen to. Both (Arnold too!) are insightful and witty, and while it is clear Arnold hasn't watched the film in some time, his surprised reaction to parts of it is hilarious ("Boy, I sure get laid a lot in this movie!"). It's like an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 with Arnold and the director sitting beside you with a tub of popcorn chatting about the film. Everything from casting to the film's location in Spain right where Hemingway visited and based For Whom the Bell Tolls to Arnold nearly cracking his skull when the camel he's on lumbers up against one of the raised beach platforms to the wonderful marble concubine chamber actually being placed in a freezing trucking garage is discussed. This commentary, coupled with film outtakes, makes this a DVD you simply must have unless you truly hated the film. One outtake is the director's cameo as the vendor selling the infamous iguanas-on-a-stick, and another is that of Arnold being chased by the wolves/dogs just as he escapes his bondage for the first time. In the outtake, Arnold doesn't manage to make it up onto the rocks in time, and is savaged off-camera by the dogs: *lots of barking and snarling* [thick austrian accent]: "Ow, God dahmn it!" And, of course, in the film the next scene is Conan wearing a suit made of wolfskins. No stuntmen on that one, folks. We're also treated to the long and gruesome murder of the king by his own troops at the behest of Thulsa Doom (a side plot that occurred in the original Conan short stories). These DVD extras alone are worth the price of the whole DVD and I highly recommend checking them out. Tantalizingly, right at the end of the commentary, we hear the following teaser: Arnold: That was great. Now that we'ved watched it, now you know we have to make a third one. The director agrees, and so do I.
Rating:
Summary: One Of The Best DVD's I Have Ever Bought
Review: This is the first and only time I ever fell prey to the heinous `I bought the original now here's the special edition so I'll buy it too.' But it was well worth it. Not only is this version an improvement in picture and sound quality on the original, the extras are all superbly entertaining. The commentary with Arnold and Milius is at times absolutely hilarious, and the featurette is great too - but the crowning achievement is that deleted scene of Arnold being dragged cursing (OW! OW! OW! GOD -D----IT!) and complaining down that rocky hill by the dog. That has got to be one of the top ten funniest real life things I have ever seen. As for Conan? What is there to say about one of the most unabashedly macho, visceral movies of all time? CTB is completely unpretentious blood and guts adventure, with a staggering Wagnerian score by Basil Poledouris, great minimalist performences all around, and fine direction by Mr. Milius. Not precisely the great Robert E. Howard, but certainly captures the primal spirit of his most famous creation. As for the added scenes in this cut, I disagree that the bit of philosophizing by Conan and Subotai before the battle of the mounds is out of place. I found it refreshing. But I do agree that the ending of the first cut is better than this one. We don't need to see him lumber off with the Princess in his arms. Him standing alone, monolithic on those marble steps swinging that fiery brazier that spells the end of Thulsa Doom - that's the ending I will always favor. Its too bad they didn't utilize this series to its full potential. I would've loved to see Arnold make Conan a kind of sword and sandal James Bond (if the sequels would have remained in the same vein as the original, and not wallowed in silliness like The Destroyer).
Rating:
Summary: One of Arnold's First
Review: I have seen this movies several times, and although I cannot say that it is one of my favorites, it is far from the worst I have ever seen. This is certainly one of Arnold's first flicks, and although his acting was not at the level it is now, he didn't do a half bad job. This is a film that is a must have if you collect classics.
Rating: 
Summary: Collector's edition- theatrical release cut is better
Review: I finally bought the Collector's Edition Conan the Barbarian in the hope that the picture quality would be better than in Universal's prior DVD release of the theatrical version. It was. Colors are noticeably more vibrant, and the dirt, grain and scratches present on the prior DVD release are gone. I would have been very happy if the improvement in picture quality were the only change. Unfortunately, Universal decided to add back a small but significant amount of wisely-deleted material to the movie. The added material is sentimental, absurdly executed, and distracts from the film's ambivalent and appropriately understated laud of fury, revenge, and bravery-for-bravery's sake. Conan should not engage in haiku-poetic philosophizing about the value of revenge on the eve of his final battle- his short prayer before the final charge is enough to show that he is in fact a contemplative character. This is a character who has throughout the film expressed himself in as few words as possible. It was a terrible idea to change that right at the climax, and Universal was right to cut the offending dialogue. Finally, the movie should not end with Conan carrying a princess off into the sunset. The ending was far more powerful in the theatrical release, where he was left alone. Unfortunate. Because of the drastic improvement in picture quality, I must recommend this edition to other Conan lunatics like myself (I know you are out there). It is unfortunate that there is no release version available with these improvements but without extraneous garbage that should have been left on the cutting room floor. Oh well. Perhaps I will dump both DVDs on my hard drive and patch together a proper version myself!
Rating:
Summary: Average "special edition," awful commentary...
Review: The movie is great as always... I've had the original release of the DVD for a long time, and finally received a copy of the collector's edition for christmas. The "making of" featurette is decent but nothing special, and the commentary track is the worst I've ever seen on any DVD! Most of it consists of comments like "look at the expression on her face!" and "Look, that guy just fell over" and "Oh yeah, this is when I hit the sword against the stone." Perhaps it would be bearable on a half-case of beer, or if one was 11 years old and had never seen the movie before. Unfortunately, it sounds as though both Arnold and the director were reading off a teleprompter, and both of them really sound brain-damaged (like Beavis & B*tthead). My brother felt the same way, & we kept looking at each other in amazement (before turning the thing off about 20 min. into it). Overall, this DVD is not worth it if you own the original "non-collector's" release. I've seen many collector's edition DVD's that were done far better than this, and I'm not too sure how I feel about adding scenes to a film so late in the game -- I didn't like it with "Star Wars" and IMHO it's usually not a good idea to despoil a movie with as large a following as this -- why not simply present the added scenes in the "special features" section of the disc? Although I feel this is a 5-star movie, I had to knock one star off because of the 'average' nature of the DVD's special features, and the abysmally stupid commentary track.
Rating:
Summary: Cool, but a bit corny.
Review: I taped this movie about a year ago because I was very impressed with a scene that I had watched on it another time.It is a great swords and sorcery movie about Conan, who sets out to hunt down and destroy an evil sorcerer named Thulsa Doom, who had killed his family and burned his village on a raid when Conan was just a child.It seems to be a Viking/Norse tale because the god Odin is mentioned in it several times.It has several quite bloody action scenes that aren't for young eyes to view.It also has one or two sex scenes in it.
But anyway, on to the good points!
This movie has an excellent soundtrack with some terrific music.It also has some scenes in the movie that have gone down as favourites for me.One being the 'Serpents Tower' part when Conan, Valeria, and the Archer infiltrated the tower and battled with a giant snake, and managed to get out with a huge Ruby that the snake was guarding called 'The eye of the Serpent'.
The characters are all quite good, especially the Archer, who is my favourite, and the scenery(almost all of which is genuine)is beautiful.The costumes and props really suit the movie, and are very realistic.The cast stars Arnold Schwarzenneger(phew) and James(Darth Vader)Earl Jones as Thulsa Doom.
Overall, Conan the Barbarian is a classic, a good addition to any good video collection, a must for any fantasy or action lover, and is a brilliant movie in itself.
Rating:
Summary: I admit it.
Review: I admit it. Conan the Barbarian is my favorite movie.
I don't remember the first time I saw Conan the Barbarian; it was before elementary school. However, this film has stayed with me throughout the years when so many sword & sorcery films miserably miss the mark. Why?
First of all, the imagery is beautiful. Unlike Conan the Destroyer, Red Sonja, Kull the Conqueror, and the myriad other fantasy films out there, Conan the Barbarian features beautiful outdoor imagery and sets that obviously painstackingly created for that dark gritty feel of the written series.
The costumes are well done. One sees earth tones prevailing, none of the incredibly silly colors or fabrics seen in the afore mentioned movies. In other words, the costumes don't look cheap.
The outside locations were positively beautiful. They filmed outdoor sequences in Spain instead of an indoors set like many films. The range and beauty of the landscapes are stunning.
The music is haunting. Basil Poledouris' score is incredibly moving, and, in a film with little dialoge, the music helps the movie along.
As for the script. For a fantasy movie, it is incredibly well written. (Actually, compared to many movies of the late 1990's and early 2000, it is superb in comparison.) They do change Conan from the books though. He is much more honorable in the movie (trust me) than in the books. He is also well taught both in fighting and in learned pursuits (no, he isn't a scholar, but he is literate).
Most people think this is a hack and slash movie. Maybe so, but it also has a deep message; revenge does not bring peace. All througout the movie, Conan searches for revenge for a terrible wrong. However, his quest for revenge costs him dearly...to dearly. In his final scene where he is alone, what does the culmination of revenge lead? It doesn't regain him what he lost, but it is also something that he had to do. However, not all feel about it that way, and that is only the way I choose to view it.
The acting is a bit wooden here, at least from our heros. However, Conan is supposed to be stoic and Arnold's face does capture a wide array of emotions without ever having to speak. Sandhal Bergman does a surprising credible job as Valeria, fellow thief and companion. However, it is James Earl Jones who over powers the audience with his lush voice and expressiveness.
As Thulsa Doom, the main villian, he shines.
The gore factor here is fair, so you may not want to let your kids watch it. Also, a little bit of nudity is here within as well.
Anyway, if you want to see a nice sword & sorcery movie, this is probably one of your best bets. It has a little bit of everything.
My rating 5/5
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