Conan the
Barbarian is a violent, death-filled movie. I lost count of the number of
deaths and the brutal ways this sword-and-sorcery film depicted them.
Conan stays true to what many of us would expect from a barbarian—both in
behavior and actions. The screenwriters went out of their way to solidify a
backstory for the Conan character, and casting Arnold Schwarzenegger (as Conan)
fresh off his Pumping Iron documentary was a great choice.
You’ll have to
endure the two hours it takes to tell this story, but you won’t be bored by the
events that make Conan a threat to anyone in his way. The movie’s script is
adapted from Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian.
The movie starts with “The Riddle of Steel,” which Conan’s father tells him as
we watch the forging of a sword. From there, we see the destruction of Conan’s
people by the Cimmerians, led by Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones). Doom uses his
hypnotic powers to paralyze Conan’s mother before chopping her head off in
front of young Conan, who is then taken as a slave.
His path to revenge is filled with death, the formation of his own crew, and the establishment of his name as a warrior to be feared.
Upon its
release, Conan the Barbarian was a love-it-or-hate-it movie. People
either enjoyed the drama and the deaths or hated it.
Over the years, the movie has become a financial blockbuster and was a
box-office hit upon its release, launching Arnold into the spotlight as an
action hero. This role paved the way for a string of action films in the ‘80s.
Conan the
Barbarian is a good film and worth watching to appreciate Arnold’s efforts
to cement his acting skills, as well as the fantastic supporting cast.
The visual effects and scenery are also worth seeing, as the movie sets were
built beautifully, and some scenes were shot in various remote locations.
It is one of
those 80s movies, that only people born who grew up between the 80s and the 90s
will truly enjoy.
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