Conan The Barbarian is a slightly odd movie, as on the one hand its rather cheesy, sometimes morally dubious, and more than a little silly, but on the other hand its actually an extremely well made movie. Writer/director John Milius is a very steady hand, handling the action scenes well and creating some very memorable images.
Milius never really capitalised on the obvious directing talent he had, making Red Dawn in 1984 but only helming a few unmemorable projects after that. He is a rather unappreciated figure in modern cinema, as hes a man who was involved to a greater or lesser extent in movies as diverse as Dirty Harry (he did an uncredited rewrite), Jaws (he wrote Quints speech about the Indianapolis), Star Wars (he closely associated with George Lucas in the 1970s) and Used Cars (which helped break Robert Zemeckis in Hollywood), but hes probably still most famous for his contribution to the Apocalypse Now script.
Hes also interesting for being one of the few directors/writers of his generation to bring a rather right-wing, pro-gun sensibility to his work. Of course there arent gun in Conans ancient sword and sorcery world, but its nevertheless a place where the one who has power is the one who has control over life and death with the only question being whether swords or magic are better weapons. Despite some subtle touches, it is a male fantasy of a world where men are men, women are largely seen as objects (although it does occasionally do some interesting things in this regard) and scores are settled by swinging your sword about. Conan is ultimately the hero not because of his moral superiority (although he sort of has some), but purely because he is the most powerful.
The plot is pretty simple. Set 12,000 years ago in the fictional Hyborian age, as a young boy Conans village is attacked by the warriors of the sorcerer Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) and his snake cult, killing his parents in the process. Conan is then sold into slavery, but as a bemuscled (and suddenly Austrian) adult he is freed from his bonds and spends the rest of the movie trying to exact vengeance again Thulsa and his minions. Theres a little bit more to it than that, but not a huge amount really.
The does does do a few intriguing things, such as suggestions that Conan is a kind of Jesus-substitute, as well as some playing with some psychosexual imagery about father-son relationships, swords, snakes and various other symbols. However most of that is hidden underneath a lot action, blood-letting, sex and fighting. Its all a tad silly and too long, but its nevertheless entertaining and as mentioned, extremely well directed.
It still amazes me that Arnie managed to find roles with Conan and The Terminator that had so little dialogue that he managed to become a movie star without talking. But then Conan in particular is a movie where words mean little and action (and violence) is everything, and the Austrian Oak is the perfect physical embodiment of that.
Most of the special features have been seen before on previous DVD releases, but theyre pretty good and worth a look. There are two new features though. Conan: From The Vault features newly discover interviews shot in 1982 with the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Milius, James Earl Jones and Sandahl Bergman. Its kind of interesting, but a tad disjointed. The other new feature is Art of Steel: The Blacksmith & Swordsman, which examines the making of and significance of Conans Sword.
As for the Blu-ray itself, its okay but not spectacular. The transfer is probably as good as can be expected. The movie is nearly 30 years old, so it was never going to look as good as the latest, digitally shot movie. Nevertheless its largely pretty crisp and the colours are good. The only issue is the variability of the picture. Some shots are almost perfect, while other are very grainy. Its not as bad as some transfers and so not too distracting (and what should be expected for a decent HD version of a movie this age), but it is noticeable.
Sound-wise theres nothing to complain about. The audio is superb, with every sword clash sharp and the action loud and distinct. Best of all is Basil Poledouris famous score. Its wonderfully bombastic, and you can really tell why its become a favourite for directors for temp tracks (where they add a score to an early edit of a movie, to give a feel for a not-yet-written score), and for endless trailers.
Of course this release is coming out just ahead of a new version of Conan, starring Jason Momoa, and while the jurys still out on whether that will be any good, Arnies effort is just about worth a look on Blu-ray.
Overall Verdict: Conan may add up to little more than swords, action and blood, but its a surprisingly well made film, and brushes up decently on Blu-ray.
Special Features:
Commentary by Director John Milius & Arnold Schwarzenegger
Deleted Scenes Sequence
Conan Unchained: The Making of Conan Featurette
Conan – Rise of the Fantasy Legend Featurette
Special Effects Split Screen Video
The Conan Archives
Theatrical Trailers
Art of Steel: The Blacksmith & Swordsman Featurette
Conan From the Vault Featurette
Reviewer: Tim Isaac