Review of Conan the Barbarian (1982) by Jason J — 18 Sep 2010

Classic swords and fantasy movie with Arnie as the ultimate killing machine Conan. The story is a simple but epic one. There is a boy named Conan, whose father teaches him of the power of steel, and how only in his sword he can trust more than any man, woman, or beast. Shotly after, his village is invaded and his family killed by an evil sorcerer Thulsa Doom and a small army of raiders. The children are taken away and forced to push a gigantic wheel. Years later, we see that only one has survived, a fully grown Conan. Conan is taken away to fight as a pit fighter, learn swordsmanship and language. Eventually, with the help of a couple of thieves, he embarks on a quest to defeat Thulsa Doom.

The performances really drive the film, Arnold Schwarzenegger's performance as Conan is perfect, he has little dialogue but you just see his emotion in his eyes and feel what he feels. The gorgeous Sandahl Bergman plays Conan's lover Valeria, a strong and likable heroine. Then there's Conan's thief sidekick Subotai played by Gerry Lopez, another great supporting character. James Earl Jones brings a great menacing presence to Thulsa Doom, a tyrannical sorcerer and cult leader with great hypnotic influence on the masses and the power to turn into a snake, a weird scene but unsurprising as this is his motif, he even had a pet snake which Conan fights in the movie. Overall, this is one of those movies that I totally enjoyed and I recommend it, though I will warn that there is lots of graphic violence, strong sexual content and some frightening scenes, this is a fantasy film aimed specifically at teenagers and adults. It's stylish, action packed, fun and memorable.