Review of Red Sonja (1985) by Kai82 — 26 Jan 2021

If you have a soft spot for B-movies like me then this is an enjoyable ride. If not you will be disappointed except it hits your “So bad it is good” spot then it is also worth to try;-). Lets start with a small summary.

Red Sonja is a spin-off character from the Conan the Barbarian comic series and became a fan favorite which got her multiple solo series. She is a female warrior and really capable. Her tragic backstory involved the death of her family and something I think I cant mention here.

In earlier versions her powers are granted or amplified by a goddess and she has to stay a virgin except when a man defeats her in a fair battle. Also the chain mail bikini / armor was made popular and this trope is still used today;-).

The movie itself is in the sword and sorcery or low fantasy genre (Low fantasy = Our world but with some supernatural or magic stuff and the grim and dark things from human nature exists). The story starts when Red Sonja finished her training and sets out to the world.

Meanwhile at a near temple a powerful artifact is chosen to be destroyed by the priestesses as its increasing power is becoming a threat to the world. This is the set up and yes it is a bit foreseeable, uses a lot of tropes and staples of the genre.

However we are in the B-movie territory and for this it is O.K. There are a few good ideas, memorable scenes and lines (Example: I fought over 100 man and only 1 survived and he has no legs). The characters work well (Again I apply B-movie standards).

Brigitte Nielsen delivers. She has the looks and acting-skills to perform this role. I think she was an optimal choice and she made an impressive B-movie career with some notable A-movie roles. Then we have Arnold Schwarzenegger as Kalidor.

For those who wondered it should have been Conan but legal troubles prevented this and a different name was chose for his character. He also is fitting for the role. I enjoy Paul L. Smith as Falkon in combination wit Ernie Reyes jr as Prince Tarn.

The prince is such a spoiled and unworldly child and Falco is his servant who is divided between his duty and the wish to interfere to better the prince. Nice comic relive and the humor works well. Sandahl Bergman who was Valeria in Conan the Barbarian is the antagonist Queen Gedren.

She plays such a beautiful over the top evil villainness. She is cruel, slightly insane, power hungry and full of ambition. I want also praise the court wizard Tutte Lemkow. He has really enjoyable scenes.

I think the cast saved this movie for me. The battles work well and I still remember at least 3 of them after all the years. Then we have the soundtrack which was awesome. I had forgotten that it was composed by the legend himself Ennio Morricone.

He is one of the greatest film music composers in business. I have a collection of his works on multiple CDs. Many say he could tell a story just with his score (no dialogue needed). Overall this is not a good movie but is entertaining enough for me.

It has its moments and like I said if you have a spot for B-movies or the “So bad its good” category it is worth a try.