Conan the Barbarian (1982) [HD]

Collector's Edition a must for Conan fans
Believe it or not, I just spent over five hours with this disk even though I already own the original DVD release. It was worth it. First off, the video is a(much)cleaner and sharper transfer, a marked improvement over the old disk. And the extras are great too. After watching the film the first time I actually sat through whole thing again again while listening to the director's commentary, something I have not done with any other DVD. The extra footage, while only a few minutes, does add something to the ending. I liked it. And Milius' comments about it made me appreciate it even more later. My only complaint might be to wish that the commentary had been extended to the outtakes and deleted scenes. I would have liked to hear more about the deleted King Osric scene and how it was originally intended to fit in the movie. Finally, the documentary "Conan Unchained" was a pleasant surprise. I expected the usual 15 minute "making of" promo dating...

Now they will know why they are afraid of the dark...
Back in 1982, when this film first came out I remember being absolutely spellbound by the production. It was as if Conan had stepped right out of Robert E. Howard's books. I remember some grumbling, because the script was not perfectly true to the original books. But, frankly, I did not give a darn. Valeria (Sandahl Bergman) was the perfect warrior maiden, Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) was the snake worshipper from hell, and Arnold Schwarzenegger was totally out of sight as the nearly inarticulate Conan. What a glare he had!

I don't mean to slight the rest of the cast, all the actors are great. Garry Lopez as Conan's sidekick and Mako as the wizard provide comic relief. And who can forget Max Von Sydow as King Osric. In a world that expected science fiction and fantasy movies to be hokey, grade B schlock, 'Conan the Barbarian' proved that it didn't have to be that way. No small part of what makes the film work are the elaborate sets and cinematography. Director John...

Good Movie, Great DVD
Conan as a movie is one of the few films that performs the fantasy setting well. Right from the beginning, there is a huge sense of epic scope, with great men shaping and forging a young, wild world. Not a single character in Conan is timid or petty - they all stand like giants in their world. Special effects are rarely used and never seem out of place. While the plot doesn't stray too much from a simple quest for revenge, director John Milius presents everything with such sheer charisma that I couldn't help but smile and soak it all in. This is not Citizen Kane, and Arnold is not Olivier, but the movie is entertaining nonetheless.

As a collector's edition, key deleted scenes were added, including a wonderful scene were Arnold does more acting than anywhere else in the movie! Right before the final battle, Conan has a rare moment of reflection on his life of fighting, and wonders at the meaning of it all. The producers thought no one would be able to understand...

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