Conan the Barbarian

Rating:
Summary: Random comments
Review: 1) The special feature: Conan-Unchained, which runs nearly an hour, is quite interesting. It interviews just about all the cast members and gives a great insight on how the movie got made. How Arnold nearly got bitten by out of control dogs, or when Sandahl had to sleep with makeup paint on her because the hotel didn't have hot water. Definitely worth a look

2) The music is just outstanding. People say Conan: The Barbarian soundtrack is one of the best scores of the 80's. I disagree. I think it's one of the best score of the 20th century. There's not a lot of dialogue in Conan (which is a good thing) therefore the score helps tremendously in expressing the emotions of the characters and scenes.

3) The commentary by John Milius and Arnold should be the price of admission. It's hilarious. It goes something like this:

John: Yeah this is where you had a cut on your nose and you're bleeding and I said "Leave the blood there it looks good!" (Maniacal laugh)

Arnold: Yeah, exactly.

Or

John: This is what I call the Hand soup (referring to a soup made by cannibals with body part in them)
(Maniacal laugh)

Arnold: Yeah, exactly.

Arnold is either saying "Yeah, exactly" or saying something obvious that's on the screen like "Look a skull!" when Conan's in a crypt. It's not bad, just funny. Of course not all of it is this comical. John does a pretty good job when he's not giggling over blood and guts. Like how he uses certain lens for this scene and that. Sometimes he does a pretty good job at explaining the character Conan. It actually can get pretty deep.

4) There are a couple of new scenes added. The two I know are a) Right before the battle of the mounds, Conan, sharpening a wooden spear, chats with Subotai about philosopy, life and death. It was taken out because the studio didn't have enough confidence in Arnold's acting. b) In the original version during the last confrontation with Thulsa Doom, Conan simply appears behind him. In the restored version the daughter of Osric guides him pass the guards. I don't really know how to describe it, but the scene is very well done. It makes more sense because in the originl version he just pops up behind Thulsa without much explanation. Maybe he drank some invisible potion Mako made for him.

Yeah, exactly.

5) Picture looks good, but the sound is, well, not so good. It sounds very hollow. No surprise there since this movie is made 20 years ago.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Wonderful
Review: Though it doesn't have 5.1 Dolby Digital, it still sounds amazing on DVD. The video transfer is beautiful, no artifacts whatsoever on the transfer. Anamorphic widescreen is wonderful on this DVD. The best parts of this disc are the deleted scenes, the bonus footage, and "Conan Unchained; the making of Conan". Absolutely wonderful extras. For fans of this movie, your DVD collection is not complete without it.

Rating:
Summary: Suffer no guilt he who gets this edition in the name of Crom
Review: Conan The Barbarian is by far my favorite Arnold movie, and this is the edition that I've always been waiting for. It has everything I look for in a DVD: amazing picture-sound quality and great features.

If you have seen the movie, then you know that this is not only the one that put Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Hollywood spotlight, but also one of his most "serious" films. Unlike the sequel, which I personally don't like at all, "Conan the Barbarian" has both great cinematography and an amazingly intelligent script, co-written by Oliver Stone and John Millius (who also co-wrote "Apocalypse Now"). The whole process of the making of the film is detailed in a documentary called "Conan Unchained", included in this edition and featuring interviews with practically all the major cast and crew members. The whole story of Conan is told to us from the beginning (the literary works of Robert E. Howard) to the end (the movie premiere). If, after watching the documentary, you still crave for some movie trivia, you can check out the audio commentary with Arnold and Millius, or the very long raw material of the film, the deleted scenes, the picture gallery or even the original drawings for the project's presentation!

The only low point in this edition would be its lack of Spanish subtitles, specially when you know that the regular edition has them. Nevertheless, this is the edition that you have to get in order to own "Conan the Barbarian" as it must be owned.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Movie.....Fantastic DVD!!
Review: The Movie

Now I've already written a review on the actual "Conan the Barbarian" movie, but I just had to write another one; I can't even begin to give this movie as much praise as it deserves. Arnold Schwarzenegger gives the preformance that, in my opinion, saved his career and forevermore stamped his name (as well as his accent) into motion picture history. James Earl Jones is delightfully sinister as the evil sorceror and head of the snake cult of Set, Thulsa Doom. The rest of the cast is also first-rate. The set and art direction are among the best I've ever seen (up there with "The Lord of the Rings"), and same with the scenery and setting. Although its not supposed to follow the original stories very well, at least that's what I've heard, since I've never read any of the books (I hear that Thulsa Doom is actually from Robert E. Howard's "Krull" books, who is, actually, the son of Conan), its still one of my top five favorite movies of all time.

The DVD

The Collector's Edition DVD is by far worthy. Here's why:

1) The picture & sound quality- Now the glory of Robert E. Howard's grand vision can be seen (and heard) like it was meant to be. It looks like it just came out in theaters yesterday, instead of 1982.
2) The special features- ...are some of the best in my DVD collection. The "Making of" documentary is superb and fascinating to watch, over and over again. The extended scenes and bonus footage, although few and short (only one whole scene and bits and pieces added at the end), are worthwile, and I think are better than the original release. The commentary by director John Milius and Arnold Schwarzenegger is entertaining and very funny. All other stuff, including theatrical trailers and "The Conan Archives", are all great.

Overall, Ten out of Ten for both movie and DVD. I remember it was the first DVD I ever bought, and that was two months before I even got a DVD player! Its a shame that so many countless [stinky] (if you'll pardon the expression) copies that tried to immitate it turned out to be bombs, hence somehow lowering the original as well (go figure). If you're a fantasy-adventure fan, BUY IT NOW!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: The Palpability of Myth
Review: Much Like Peter Jackson's juggernaut The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Milius' epic takes itself very seriously. This is a necessity with such high-concept fare, but it only works with serious, philosophically-conscious filmmakers like Milius and his co-writer Oliver Stone. This is what hurts the Brendan Fraser Mummy films and the last two (first two?) Star Wars installments. It is grand, hard-nosed, and extravagant, but it is never campy, nor does it revel in its potential schlock value.

The film starts with the famous quote from Nietzsche, which entails that whatever does not kill you, makes you stronger. This movie is brutal; it is relentless. You will feel stronger after watching it. This can be a "movie for guys who like movies," but it is much more than that. It is a super-macho treatise on the nature of strength and will - perhaps more accurate than those watered-down human interest stories we see on the news every night.

Milius and Schwarzenegger never bat an eye, nor does the stellar supporting cast, making the transition to Conan's world even more convincing. Like a great film should (all films, even if based on real events, are fantasy), Conan the Barbarian takes you to another world where you can smell the burning flesh, taste the blood, feel nature's callous hand, and "hear the lamentation of the women."

Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: i wrote a review earlier for Clash of the Titans saying that only a few fantasy films make my cut as good films. This is another. a well done film describing the life of Conan, whose parents were killed by Thulsa Doom, played well by James Earl Jones.

this is a great film for those days when you just want to veg out and relax.

Rating:
Summary: Conan, the Immortal Genius
Review: A young boy who witnesses his parents' deaths is taken prisoner and grows up as a slave for the snaky Thulsa Doom. His kingdom is full of nudity and snakes. The boy grows up to be a fighter, thief and warrior. He goes through a lot of weird situations involving a witch, who he throws in a fire and devouring combatants in dungeon fighting! With the help of a wizard and Valeria, the woman he loves, Conan rules the kingdom. I was deeply touched by this legend and wished upon a star for the gods to make more of these movies. Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in his first barbaric role and proves that if you want to rule, you must have a big sword. Sharp! When Arnold perpetrates the king's lair, it's historical. Revenge has never been prettier. Talk about violence! Conan puts the sword to good use and when he gets his hands on the creature which killed his parents, it's astonishing! He must have thrown that head twenty feet! Grotesque! This movie is remarkable.

Rating:
Summary: Essential movie of the "New Hollywood"
Review: Like George Lucas's Star Wars this is the film that defines Milius as a director and goes a long way to explain his lack f success in Hollywood. After making this film Milius was submitted to the barrage of abuse not unlike the one directed at Don Siegel after Dirty Harry. Production values, archetypal approach to character and narrative (Shadow of Joseph Campbell's book Hero With a Thousand faces that was the basis for Star Wars as well as Schrader's Hardcore. Another source for this film was Mircea Eliade's The Forge and the Crucible : The Origins and Structures of Alchemy). This is a film that belongs to a different age of Hollywood. Also compare Schwarzenegger's inability to express anything but grunting and strain when he is not paired with a great director like Milius, Cameron or a Verhoeven.

The score by Basil Poledouris is one of the best ever written (Compare to same composer's score for Starship Troopers).
To end with a quote by Conan himself: Conan, what is the most important thing in life? Conan: Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, hear the lamentation of his women!

Rating:
Summary: CHEESE!
Review: The cheese movie of the 20th century. You'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll wonder why you are attracted to it and have to watch it when you are channel surfing...kind of like a car wreck or something. Perhaps it is the music...or is it the copious use of muscle oil?

c'est la vie

Rating:
Summary: Yes!
Review: Conan the Barbarian is unlike any other fantasy I have ever seen. Even if you are not usually a fan of Schwarzenegger's work this is still very much recommended. The movie has a very good narritive drive and storytelling method that I really like. Sensitive veiwers will be turned off by all the gore, but it all goes somewhere. The movie also is very hummorus in parts.

DVD collectors will not be let down by the extra's on this disk. Sound is great, and the commentary with Schwarzenegger and John Millus is one of the best I have ever sceen.