Rating: 
Summary: HAIL MILIUS!
Review: Sometimes we or somebody we know of are asked: "Who would you like to play you if they made a movie about you?". Personally, I wouldn't care if Leonardo Di Caprio starred as me, as long as John Milius was the director! Nearly 2 decades after its release, this movie is more enticing than ever! I've never read one of the books, but I'm quite sure Robert E. Howard would've approved. In an era of lefty, limp wristed, gun control happy gerbalizers, Milius (who I think harbours the soul of Hemingway) shows the audience what a meat and poatatoes man can put on film. The production length commentary conveys an intellectualism sans pretentiousness that the rest of those movies (the ones that are unwatchable, deriving from unreadable books and win all the awards) can never touch. It's enjoyable and enlightening to think of Milius as a Quixote to Arnold's Sancho as they narrate. I can't help but chuckle to Ah-nold's sadistic bemusement at certain scenes (i.e., a little girl could be depicted as being eaten alive by armored rottweillers and you'd hear, "ZHAT VAHS FAH-NEY!"). Throughout the film, he laments how it wasn't made into a trilogy. However,
it's not really necessary. In "Big Wednesday", it was surfers versus monster waves. In "Red Dawn", it was hunters versus Soviet/Cuban paratroopers. In "Rough Riders", it was his version of how America evolved into an empire. No need to lament, John, for you'll be Hollywood's grandmaster storyteller of the rites of passage towards American manhood.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the money -- lots of new stuff in here for me
Review: Everybody knows what Conan is about, so I won't bore you with that. What I *will* say is that this is some sort of director's cut, with several scenes in it I'd never seen before (and I'm a die-hard Conan fangirl). The scenes help the movie considerably. There are a few deleted scenes regarding King Osric included as freebies and a little deleted scene of the director as a peasant selling Conan lizard-on-a-stick in Zamora, but these are fribble and not in the actual movie. The included scenes include a vastly expanded role for Osric's daughter (didn't you wonder why she even got billing? In the VHS edition she gets about as much screen time and dialog as the half-naked sacrificial victim in the Tower where the jewel was) and some explanatory stuff that helped the movie flow better. I can't imagine why they were cut to begin with, but they made the movie as fresh to watch this time as it was the first time I saw it.There's some "making of" stuff that was fun to watch, some stuff we'd seen before and lots of new stuff -- a very frail Max von Sydow talking about how he took the role of Osric because his kid was into the comics, a suprisingly mature Sandahl Bergman talking about how her finger got severed during a fight scene, the composer telling how he composed Valeria's funeral song after a terrible nightmare about his own family dying... The director also explains how he decided upon his cast, which was neat, and set producers and animal handlers talk about their particular challenges. I'd never seen or heard most of this before, so that was interesting. The "archives" show onsite photos and drawings and whatnot, which didn't do a ton for me but which others might find interesting. A small bio of whatshisname who wrote the Conan books is given. I already owned this on VHS, and bought the DVD because I was afraid my tape was wearing out. I'm glad I got it. The new cut is a delight!
Rating:
Summary: Special Edition a must have if you like this movie
Review: This review is more for this edition, than just the film itself. There is added footage which, for me, filled in some gaps at the end and made the final confrontation at Thulsa Doom's Mountain much more complete and satisfying. It also made more sense to me. The quality of the transfer is good, and while I have not yet listened to the Arnold/Milius commentary I look forward to it. The Making of Documentary is very well done and worth a look. The film itself is excellent for what it is supposed to be. Arnold is perfect as Conan and the movie does all that you can expect from a film of this type. It tells a good story and entertains.
Rating:
Summary: conan! HA...HA HA
Review: what is best in life (besides watching conan)? to crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the women! conan the barbarian is the greatest arnold movie ever to be made. there is nothing in this movie that is not shear brilliance.
...i am a wizard mind you. bad mouth this movie and you shall have to deal with the dead!! i can summon demons more powerfull than all in hell! hahahaha
Rating:
Summary: AARRRNOLD!
Review: I know my husband and brother-in-laws would skewer me in a flash if I say anything less than amazing about this movie. It is a man's movie: very little talking and a lot of killing. Ladies get the movie only to recite the line about lamb-something women, enemies driven before me, blah, blah, blah. The man in your life will go nuts if you can say it correctly (remember to use the Aarrrold voice).
Rating:
Summary: Get this movie!
Review: Like most of his movies, arnold only has about 10 lines through the whole thing, but each one is quotable and priceless. I can watch this movie every day. If you have ever liked any of his movies, this is a must own. The commentary by him is quite amusing. The few deleted scenes actually show Arnold doing more than flexing, the scenes should have been kept in. The goal of a movie should be to entertain, and that is what this movie does quite well. My favorite DVD.
Rating:
Summary: CONAN: The Warrior Gladiator King!
Review: This movie is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO on my top twenty (it would be on my top ten, but I've seen a lot of movies)! Arnold's 1970 movie debut, "Hercules in New York", was one big hunk-a-junk! But he saved his career, atleast in my eyes, by coming back to the screen with this brilliant work of fantasy-adventure! I love 99% of this movie; the acting is great (especially on James Earl Jones's part, playing the evil decieving sorceror Thulsa Doom), the landscapes and areas where they shot the movie work perfectly for the story. And WHAT A MUSICAL SCORE BY BASIL POLEDOURIS! I had to buy the Soundtrack, and I did. It also has some of the greatest sword fighting sequences ever shot on film. The only thing, and I mean the ONLY THING, I didn't like about it was the sex scenes, which are few, but we still don't have to see that stuff. If you're a fantasy-adventure fan, THIS IS A MUST-SEE! Right from the beginning word of Conan's chronicler: "Between the times when the oceans drank Atlantis, and the rise of the Sons of Aries, there was an age undreamed of..."
Rating: 
Summary: Why not stereo?
Review: I saw this movie in the theatres and have the soundtrack. It's one of the best film scores ever! But then when released on video it's in MONO! What gives? Whoever decided to do that is ripping off the public, in my opinion. I know it was in stereo at the big screen, so mr DVD producer (and LD and VHS) why not now? Folks, this movie was designed as set pieces based partly upon the musical score (see the Varese Saraband soundtrack CD for details). To release it in Mono is a sin. Save your money. It's really not worth owning as it is now.
Rating:
Summary: Take that, Mom! I'm watching Conan tonight!
Review: When I was about 12 years old, Conan came out in the theaters and I would have mowed every yard in the neighborhood for free to have seen it, but it held the dreaded R rating.
Then, a year later, Conan showed up on this new fangled thing called HBO. My parents still wouldn't let me watch it.
One night, I tried to sneak downstairs and watch Conan when everyone was asleep, but my Mom busted me.
Well now, I OWN CONAN THE BARBARIAN! I will watch it over and over as much as I like and no one can stop me!!!!! HA HA haaaaa. I don't know if it's because forbidden fruit tastes sweeter, but I really do enjoy this movie. Being of comic book age in the 70's, I remember the dark and angry DC comics version of Conan the barbarian rather than the original books. In respect to the comics, the movie holds up very well. Of course there is Arnold, of course there is the maximum amount of violence, gore, cannabalism and bare breasted women allowed by law in an R rated movie. Which is as it should be in the Conan world. This is no Red Sonja, I'm happy to say. There are no little chop,chop asian kids running around. All the people involved in this production were very serious about doing a quality job on the film and it shows. On the DVD, there are some very nice interactive menus with good music and animations. The print of the film is perfect. It somehow retains the feel and color of 70's film stock while being very crisp and bright, not an easy task I'm sure.
The sound is real good, not great, but the music comes though very well. The documentary is lengthy and interesting, going deep into Conan's history and the origins of the film. It's wild that Oliver Stone was so involved in the production. BEST OF ALL is the audio commentary of the director and Arnold.
One gets the feeling that not only has Arnold not seen this movie in twenty years, but that he and the director have polished off a bottle of single malt scotch and are starting on a second. I almost fell off the sofa listening to Arnold giggle and snort and yell "I remember dat, dat was so funny, ah, ha ha ha ". Just as funny is his explanation of who the god KROM was and why he was important to Conan's character.
This DVD is a double thrill, the action movie on it's own is great and the commentary makes it a great comedy as well. Buy it- or you will hear the lamentations of the womens!!
Rating:
Summary: THE FACTS
Review: I see a lot of reviews that just aren't helpfull. I'm not going to explain what the story is, I'm going to tell you what the dvd version is like. First of all, if you own an old copy on vhs, you will think you are watching a new movie. This is the best you are going to see this movie. The music also comes through much clearer, which is good because i always thought this was a great part of the movie.
The outtakes are nothing special. most of them have no sound and don't do anything for the movie. The making of conan is pretty good, but it is also something you will probably only watch one time. The commentary is really funny though. you will be cracking up at Arnold most of the time.
The bottom line is that there just aren't movies like this anymore. they don't even come close. this is the best fantasy movie of all time. And you will not be let down by this dvd. The picture quality is amazing. To me it was like a whole new movie.
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