DVD : Conan the Destroyer

In association with Amazon.com

Rating:

- Missed the mark, but still Conan
"Conan the Destroyer ", this disappointing sequel to the entertaining and well made "Conan the Barbarian" is an example of what happens when studios attempt to broaden the appeal of a movie for younger audiences. This movie tries to inject more slapstick humor and includes "big name" stars (Grace Jones and Wilt Chamberlain), while sacrificing much of the story line, effective characters, and raw action that made the first movie so watchable. The special effects were also weaker and often seemed out of place, making this a real step backwards.

If it wasn't for "Arni", it wouldn't be worth the price of the DVD. Recommended only for die hard Conan and "Arni" fans.

Rating:

- They destroyed the barbarian
Conan The Barbarian stands as one of the best epic movies of all time. Conan The Destroyer is what Batman and Robin is to the Batman series. The whole dark atmosphere and seriousness of the first movie is traded for a children-friendly approach that ruined the whole appeal of Conan.

The Plot: The wicked Queen Taramis(played by Sarah Douglas) dupes Conan to escort her princess niece (played by Olivia D'Aba) on a quest for some sacred horn in exchange to bring back Conan's lost love, Valeria, from the dead. Conan embarks on the trip with the princess accompanied by Bombaata(Wilt Chamberlain) who is secretly ordered to kill Conan. On the way they befriend a fierce captive Zula(played by Grace Jones) and trouble ensues.

Opinion: Conan The Destroyer is laughably bad. The actions scenes are hilarious and you know it's a problem when someone getting decapitated provokes laughter. Each head that gets lopped off and each sword in the gut seem so cartoonish plus you have to deal with the third rate acting. Sarah Douglas and Olivia D'Aba are both wooden and Wilt Chamberlain(RIP) and Grace Jones both seem out of place in this picture. Arnold is his usual self so dont expect much. Not only is the plot weak but the score is redundant also. Conan The Barbarian had a great score to accompany every scene. Here the score is monotonous and weak. I can only reccomend this to you if you want to complete you collection other than that skip it.

Rating:

- Mirror smashing satisfaction
Conan the Destroyer has aged quite well. At times many of us just want to see Arnie mash things up and here he does just that... getting to say a few more lines than usual and even manages to pull off a hilarious drunk sequence. However, seeing a monster swinging Arnie around and around by his ankles is really why we want to watch it.

While Conan the Barbarian tried to be a serious take on the Conan character, producing a brutal feel, its adult themes and nature meant that younger fans would have to miss out on a live action movie of their favourite book and comic character. Conan the Destroyer was produced to rectify that and is aimed at a younger teenage audience.

In Conan the Barbarian, Arnie was in his days of just looking big and saying very little, while Conan the Destroyer actually lets him act outside of flexing muscles. It has a somewhat interest plot involving Conan trying to retrieve a sacred horn along with picking up interesting members for his gang along the way. Cue lots of swordplay, bullying, wizards, ice castles, mirror magic and monster gods.

Conan the Destroyer is just plain old good fun and doesn't take itself too seriously, which is a good thing. The set designs are well above expectations and even the action sequences are entertaining although a bit slow in parts as the muscle mass seems to delay any kind of Matrix swiftness, however who can argue that seeing Arnie riding on the back of the creature from the black lagoon while trying to rip out bits of its head isn't just the best way to spend your Saturday afternoon?

It might not be university, but when it comes to enjoying a good monster mash, Conan is always worth revisiting. You can't complain that the film doesn't move at a quick pace, but maybe you can make a case that this is not the way Conan should be done. Fans of Conan the Barbarian may be disappointed and yes Conan does deserve better production values, but all the same there is masses of fun to be had here... and that is what its all about.

Rating:

- Conan the Disgrace
Pretty much everything that was good about the first movie was ignored. This movie killed the franchise.

Rating:

- CROM
Conan The Destroyer DVD

Based on a Robert E. Howard book, the movie is a reasonably well done representation. I think Howard would have enjoyed it.

This was a fun fantasy-action movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger as a powerful warrior. Arnold is so dang big with all that muscle showing, sword-fighting ....And yes, the movie is visually interesting, too, even though, the special effects are obsolete and a little goofy...but that's ok...its an old movie now... A movie I love seeing over and over again...a movie that is a must have for any Arnold -Fan!

Recommended for Arnold fans, fans of the Conan books, and fantasy, action adventure movies

Gunner January, 2007

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