Review of Conan the Barbarian (1982) by Insomniac Z — 14 Jun 2010

As ridiculous as this film seems, I have to say that it swept me up in the wondrous spell of its fantasy-adventure, and I simply couldn't take my eyes off it. Arnold is perfectly cast as the fearless hero Conan in the role that helped make him a superstar; and James Earl Jones provides an incredibly haunting performance as Thulsa Doom, the sorcerer/king/tyrant who slaughtered Conan's entire family and village when he was a young boy and drove him to become the warrior we have come to know.

The film works so well because of this strong emotional drive for Arnold's character, which offers a sense of purpose to everything and magnifies the various small victories leading up to Conan's ultimate revenge on Doom.

It remains a perfect example of how to pull off fantasy cinema, touching on several of the major archetypes from the genre (sorcery, giant creatures, fellowships, love affairs, major battle scenes) and offering some surprisingly good special effects, costumes and set pieces.

There is a unique darkness to this film which is missing from the sequel, and which gives it that sharp edge it needed to overcome the problems of excessive campiness that so many other fantasy films fall victim to.

That's not to say Conan isn't cheesy; it has some great unintentional laughs and silly Arnold moments, but in the end you find yourself caring deeply about these characters and you want to cheer by the time the (heads) credits roll.