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Conan The Destroyer
Conan returns in this more Lovecraftian and yet also more Lucaspielbergian adventure where the Cimmerian is tasked with protecting a princess on her quest to acquire an ancient artifact that will awaken a sleeping god. Little does he, or the princess for that matter, know that she is to be sacrificed and he slain at the end of their quest. Could it be curtains for the precocious young maiden and the Barbarian warrior? Probably not but, hey, let's do it.
Revisiting this adventure for the first time in a good 30 years, after watching it at least a dozen times back in the day, I wondered why it was common knowledge that this was an inferior film compared to John Milius' cult favorite. And I was struck immediately, in the first moments of the film, by the undeniable and overwhelming influence that Lucas and Spielberg had on cinema by the mid 1980s. Milius' film is, not to put too fine a point on it, tough, muscular, and sinewy, with real grit and some genuine artistry.
This is so NOT John Milius’ film. Producer Dino DeLaurentis wanted the sequel to make a lot more money and so decided to soften the tone of the film, make it more popular with a younger audience, and of course that also meant securing a PG rating instead of the R of the original. And boy does he ever. The film definitely has more of that Indiana Jones feel, the way the action is filmed and edited with more camp, the addition of a lot more humor, and overwhelmingly in the rousing score. The early introduction of a new, comic-relief sidekick in the first scene really sets the tone and it is, frankly, silly, and a great deal of violence and sexual content was cut. I mean, there's still heads flying through the air, but don't show a boob, for god's sake!
Anything that seems adult or mature is cut from this film, there's the post-Raiders gloss all over this thing, and there's even stunt casting galore with both Wilt Chamberlain and Grace Jones thrown into the mix (neither can act a lick).
It’s funny to note, however, that, even though this is the Silly Conan Movie, it’s still so much more credible than either Krull or Legend, in respective ways. Despite all the distracting Spielbergery, there is some pretty credible fantasy, particularly when the Evil Wizard turns into a giant pterodactyl made of smoke and abducts d'Abo's Princess. And the sequence of the rest of the group entering the castle and Conan battling the wizard is the centerpiece of the film, really.
Though it just can't help but devolve into some lightheartedness to broaden the audience...
But it is still just deeper and better realized fantasy than most of the sword and sandal films of this time (though there were some lower-budget ones that did a pretty decent job with much less production). While I wouldn’t champion this movie I would say that 27% on RT is absurd and that this might actually be the quintessential representation of mid-80s fantasy film. It has the budget, it has most of the technicals (though I had some issues with the cinematography and the creature effects will require both understanding and a sense of humor), it has the post-Raiders big-movie feel (soundtrack and rating and comic relief), and, despite an adolescent sensibility, it actually ends up being pretty fun.
If you like the seriousness of Max von Sydow and James Earl Jones in your Conan, I suggest you stick with Milius' original. If you're up for some silly Spielberg-era fantasy fun, then this might just be the Conan for you.
Conan The Destroyer
Conan returns in this more Lovecraftian and yet also more Lucaspielbergian adventure where the Cimmerian is tasked with protecting a princess on her quest to acquire an ancient artifact that will awaken a sleeping god. Little does he, or the princess for that matter, know that she is to be sacrificed and he slain at the end of their quest. Could it be curtains for the precocious young maiden and the Barbarian warrior? Probably not but, hey, let's do it.
Revisiting this adventure for the first time in a good 30 years, after watching it at least a dozen times back in the day, I wondered why it was common knowledge that this was an inferior film compared to John Milius' cult favorite. And I was struck immediately, in the first moments of the film, by the undeniable and overwhelming influence that Lucas and Spielberg had on cinema by the mid 1980s. Milius' film is, not to put too fine a point on it, tough, muscular, and sinewy, with real grit and some genuine artistry.
This is so NOT John Milius’ film. Producer Dino DeLaurentis wanted the sequel to make a lot more money and so decided to soften the tone of the film, make it more popular with a younger audience, and of course that also meant securing a PG rating instead of the R of the original. And boy does he ever. The film definitely has more of that Indiana Jones feel, the way the action is filmed and edited with more camp, the addition of a lot more humor, and overwhelmingly in the rousing score. The early introduction of a new, comic-relief sidekick in the first scene really sets the tone and it is, frankly, silly, and a great deal of violence and sexual content was cut. I mean, there's still heads flying through the air, but don't show a boob, for god's sake!
Anything that seems adult or mature is cut from this film, there's the post-Raiders gloss all over this thing, and there's even stunt casting galore with both Wilt Chamberlain and Grace Jones thrown into the mix (neither can act a lick).
It’s funny to note, however, that, even though this is the Silly Conan Movie, it’s still so much more credible than either Krull or Legend, in respective ways. Despite all the distracting Spielbergery, there is some pretty credible fantasy, particularly when the Evil Wizard turns into a giant pterodactyl made of smoke and abducts d'Abo's Princess. And the sequence of the rest of the group entering the castle and Conan battling the wizard is the centerpiece of the film, really.
Though it just can't help but devolve into some lightheartedness to broaden the audience...
But it is still just deeper and better realized fantasy than most of the sword and sandal films of this time (though there were some lower-budget ones that did a pretty decent job with much less production). While I wouldn’t champion this movie I would say that 27% on RT is absurd and that this might actually be the quintessential representation of mid-80s fantasy film. It has the budget, it has most of the technicals (though I had some issues with the cinematography and the creature effects will require both understanding and a sense of humor), it has the post-Raiders big-movie feel (soundtrack and rating and comic relief), and, despite an adolescent sensibility, it actually ends up being pretty fun.
If you like the seriousness of Max von Sydow and James Earl Jones in your Conan, I suggest you stick with Milius' original. If you're up for some silly Spielberg-era fantasy fun, then this might just be the Conan for you.