{"id":27880,"date":"2024-02-01T01:15:51","date_gmt":"2024-02-01T09:15:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=27880"},"modified":"2024-02-01T01:15:51","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T09:15:51","slug":"blasts-from-the-past-blu-ray-review-the-conan-chronicles-conan-the-barbarian-1982-and-conan-the-destroyer-1984-4k-ultra-hd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=27880","title":{"rendered":"Blasts from the Past! Blu-ray Review: THE CONAN CHRONICLES \u2013 CONAN THE BARBARIAN (1982) and CONAN THE DESTROYER (1984) 4K ULTRA HD"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This set is currently available from Arrow Video and can\nbe purchased either on 4K Ultra HD or on Blu-ray. Each title can also be\npurchased individually.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the early 1980s, sword and sorcery\/fantasy movies were\nmaking a big comeback. 1981 saw the release of titles like Excalibur,\nDragonslayer, Clash of the Titans and Heavy Metal<\/em>. Universal Pictures\ndecided to get in on the action, allowing writer\/director John Milius (who\npenned the Dirty Harry<\/em> sequel Magnum Force<\/em> and Apocalypse Now<\/em>)\nto adapt a famous character created by author Robert E. Howard that had also\nbeen famously translated into comics. The filmmaker cast a relatively unknown\nAustrian ex-bodybuilder turned actor to take on the lead role. The result was Conan\nthe Barbarian<\/em> (1982) one of the best fantasy films of its era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrow Video recently acquired the rights to this film and\nits sequel and have given the titles a remarkable 4K Ultra HD picture upgrade\ntaken from the original negative. The Conan Chronicles<\/em> set arrives with\nwhat appears to be all previously released bonuses from earlier editions and\nsome wonderful new extras that add even more insight into the productions.\nThese are films of the early 80s and multiple cuts are included, and so there\nis some grain present. Still, these movies have never looked this good before\nand are striking to witness in 4K. More details pop out and the results are\nremarkable. This set is a must-own for any fans of the franchise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Conan the Barbarian<\/em>, we are introduced to an\nancient world filled with violent rulers and invaders, attaining even more\npower in the process. After his father and mother are slain during a raid led\nby sorcerer Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones), the orphaned Conan finds himself\nworking as a slave. He grows up to be a fearsome gladiator (played by Arnold\nSchwarzenegger) and eventually escapes. Now free, he is asked by King Osric\n(Max von Sydow) to save his daughter from the very same individuals who killed\nhis parents. Seeing his opportunity to enact his own vengeance on Doom, Conan\nimmediately agrees and is eventually joined in his quest by Subotai (Gerry\nLopez), Valeria (Sandahl Bergman) and The Wizard (Mako). Along the way, he\ncrosses paths with a witch, giant snakes and more fantastic enemies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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While the movie is in many respects over-the-top, including\na famous comment by the lead that the meaning of a man\u2019s life is essentially,\n\u201cTo crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the\nlamentations of their women,\u201d along with numerous scenes involving brutal\nviolence. Yet somehow, it all works. Milius and co-writer Oliver Stone (Platoon,\nWall Street, JFK<\/em>) take the character seriously and play everything in an\nearnest manner. The film is very faithful to its source material and the action\nscenes are exceptionally well-handled and exciting to watch. The memorably\nbrazen score by Basil Poledouris (The Hunt for Red October, Robocop,\nStarship Troopers<\/em>) really helps sell the mood and atmosphere. The effects\nwork is also incredible, with some of the epic landscapes featuring castles and\nmassive structures still looking impressive (more so than today, where\nproductions sometimes employ obvious CGI effects).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And of course, Arnold Schwarzenegger makes a powerful\nimpression. This was his first major feature and, despite the thick accent, is\nfull of charisma and sells the exaggerated material. This is an epic, with many\nmemorable images, bizarre creatures, swordplay and elaborately staged battles.\nIt even has a bit of heart as its driven lead character is forced to deal with\nnumerous tragedies over the course of the story. As sword and sorcery movies\ngo, this is one of the best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This release includes three cuts of the movie available\nthrough seamless branching. They include the theatrical cut, the extended cut\nand an extended cut (which runs three minutes longer than the theatrical\nversion).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The movie has been released on other formats which have included a great commentary track featuring Milius and Schwarzenegger. This archived track is enjoyable as the pair reminisce about making the movie. It was Schwarzenegger\u2019s big break and he remembers the production well.\u00a0 One also gets the sense that Milius was a massive fan of the character and went to extremes to make a faithful and effective adaptation of the source materials. Some of his techniques were hard on the cast and crew, but it\u2019s clear that the filmmaker was, well, obsessed with doing Conan justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Just as remarkable is the new commentary track by genre\nhistorian Paul M. Sammon. The journalist covered the production of the movie in\nSpain for various outlets and was present for much of the shoot. His details of\nbeing on set are vivid and he tells wonderful stories about meeting\nSchwarzenegger and observing Milius at work. Some of the big details Sammon\nreveals about Milius was that the director could be a bit extreme in his\nconservative views, but that many cast members (particularly female ones) would\ndefinitely stand up to him and successfully fire back if his comments got too\nout of hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was very impressed by Milius\u2019 skills as a filmmaker and\npassion for the project. The other big note is how graphic the rushes were.\nGeysers of blood were used and there was so much blood that it shocked and\ninfuriated producer Dino De Laurentiis, who wanted the movie to reach as wide\nan audience as possible. While box office results were strong for the R-rated\nfinal version, the producer always lamented that it could have been even bigger\nwith a less-severe rating. The final versions presented here were significantly\ntrimmed and Sammon describes some of the nastiness that was also shot and\ndidn\u2019t make it into the picture. It\u2019s an excellent commentary track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Additionally, an additional Blu-ray of extras include\nlengthy making-of documentary from 2000, new interviews with the production\nartist, costume designer, special effects crew members, cast members, visual\neffects crew members, a film historian who wrote a book on the Conan series and\na John Milius expert.  There is also a discussion with filmmaker Robert\nEggers who talks about this film\u2019s influence on his recent feature The\nNorthman<\/em>. Additionally, you\u2019ll get archived featurettes on the movie\u2019s\nliterary and comic book roots, a talk with a sword master, a tribute to\ncomposer Basil Poledouris and a literal ton of press materials for the film.\nIt\u2019s all so detailed that viewers will feel like experts on the movie once they\nget through it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conan the Destroyer<\/em> followed a couple of years later\nand did not make the same kind of lasting impression. While Schwarzenegger\nreturned and was an even bigger star at the time, the movie had a different\ndirector (as well as new writers), an episodic structure and a much lighter\ntone. In fact, the PG-13 feature is downright campy at times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The film begins with Conan (Arnold Schwarzenegger) wandering\nthe lands, hoping to find his own kingdom. But in this film, he\u2019s now partnered\nwith thief (and comic relief) Malak (Tracey Walter). The pair encounter Queen\nTaramis of Shadzar (Sarah Douglas), who promises to use her magic to fulfill\nConan\u2019s deepest wish. That is, if he agrees to escort the Queen\u2019s niece,\nPrincess Jehnna (Olivia d\u2019Abo) on a perilous journey to find a magical jeweled\nhorn. Accompanying them on the adventure is guard Bombaata (Wilt Chamberlain).\nAlong the way, a bandit warrior named Zula (Grace Jones) joins the group, as\ndoes Conan\u2019s friend Akiro (Mako). The group squares off against an evil wizard\nin the process. Conan and Jehnna soon discover that Queen Taramis has sinister\nplans and that one of their own is helping her to accomplish her ultimate goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The sets and effects (in regards to miniatures and\nbackdrops) still look phenomenal and composer Basil Poledouris returns with an\nalmost equally epic score. However, the tone is different. As mentioned,\neverything is sillier about this production. Director Richard Fleischer (20,000\nLeagues Under the Sea, Fantastic Voyage, Doctor Dolittle, Soylent Green<\/em>)\ndoes everything he can to keep Conan in as little clothing as humanly possible.\nThe movie is full of corny jokes that don\u2019t always work. And the fight scenes,\nwhile reasonably well-staged, aren\u2019t as tense and don\u2019t have as much punch to\nthem as the film\u2019s predecessor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conan the Destroyer<\/em> is, in many respects, a fun\npicture that delivers some enjoyable cornball moments \u2013 Conan\u2019s battle with a\nmonster in a hall of mirrors and the finale featuring another creature are\nentertaining, but it certainly can\u2019t compare to the original. It delivers campy\nthrills as opposed to an epic fantasy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As with Conan the Barbarian<\/em>, the image quality is\nfantastic and vastly improved over previous editions.  Again, the bonus\nfeatures are excellent and enlightening about what was going on\nbehind-the-scenes. There are archived audio commentaries featuring late\ndirector Fleischer going through his work on the picture, as well as a track\nwith co-stars Olivia d\u2019Abo and Tracey Walter. Another fun commentary features\nSarah Douglas (who plays the villain) chatting with genre historians on the\nmovie. She seems amused by her appearance in the movie and shares plenty of fun\nmoments from the shoot, including an oily, difficult-to-shoot sex scene she\nfilmed with Schwarzenegger and was later cut from the picture. All note that\nFleisher was very courteous and easy to work with.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with the first movie, the film also contains a fascinating commentary with Paul M. Sammon, who was present on the set in Mexico. He notes how Schwarzenegger was genial on-set, but not as engaged. By this point in his career, he was unhappy with producer Dino De Laurentiis about the scripts being presented to him. He was under contract with De Laurentiis, clearly felt he could do better. Indeed, this title, as well as the remaining titles he worked on for the producer (Raw Deal<\/em> and Red Sonja<\/em>) weren\u2019t as sharply-written as his other movies from the mid-80s, that included The Terminator, Commando, Predator<\/em> and The Running Man<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Another issue was with the Malak character, who was a\nlast-minute recast after original actor David L. Lander was sick and diagnosed\nwith Multiple Sclerosis. He believes that Walters was slightly miscast and not\ngiven enough time to make the character his own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sammon notes some of the impressive shots in the movie and\nbeautiful sets, but sees many of the participants simply doing their jobs and\nnot going all out for this production (as Milius did on the original). He also\nnotes that De Laurentiis insisted on the PG-13 approach, hoping that a softer\nConan would result in bigger box-office returns and a potential action\nfranchise akin to James Bond. The sanitized approach ultimately worked against\nthe picture. He also talks about his experiences with the cast and the stress\nthat skilled producer Raffaella De Laurentiis was under, producing this title\nand David Lynch\u2019s Dune<\/em> back-to-back in Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The interesting cast are also the subject of a new\nfeaturette that includes a talk with the casting director Johanna Ray. She\ncalls her assignment \u201cstunt casting\u201d and notes that she was asked to assign\nsupporting roles based on the actual, real-life personalities of those being\ncast. This included 7-foot-tall basketball player Wilt Chamberlain, who was\nfriendly on-set but didn\u2019t enjoy the filmmaking process. In fact, he never\nappeared in another movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new interview with costume designer John Bloomfeld reveals\nhis initial meeting with Grace Jones and the fun he had with her. Essentially,\nher final costume wasn\u2019t all that different to what she happened to be wearing\nafter arriving to meet him. There is also an enjoyable talk with the art\ndirector, stunt coordinator, as well as an interview with the Conan film expert\nwho analyzes the pluses and minuses of this follow-up. Also present on the disc\nare archival interviews with the writers, composer Poledouris, and plenty of\npublicity materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This reviewer had a wonderful time revisiting both of these\nmovies and they look incredible in 4K Ultra HD. Conan the Barbarian<\/em> is a\nfantasy classic that introduced the world to a star in the making, while Conan\nthe Destroyer<\/em> is a pulpy effort that delivers some laughs and a couple of\nmemorable moments. The bonuses are excellent and will add a new level of\nappreciation for what was going on behind the scenes. This set is well worth\npicking up!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This set is currently available from Arrow Video and can be purchased either on 4K Ultra HD or on Blu-ray. Each title can also be purchased individually. In the early 1980s, sword and sorcery\/fantasy movies were making a big comeback. 1981 saw the release of titles like Excalibur, Dragonslayer, Clash of the Titans and Heavy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":27894,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[114,116,300,697,1821,1836,2293,2939,3365,4715,4716,4717,4718,4719,5883,17155,19465,19469,20311,23562],"class_list":["post-27880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dvdblu-ray-reviews","tag-114","tag-116","tag-4k-ultra-hd","tag-action","tag-arnold-schwarzenegger","tag-arrow-video","tag-barbarian","tag-blasts-from-the-past-blu-ray-review-2","tag-box-set","tag-conan","tag-conan-the-barbarian","tag-conan-the-barbarian-review","tag-conan-the-destroyer","tag-conan-the-destroyer-review","tag-dino-de-laurentiis","tag-robert-e-howard","tag-sword-and-sorcery","tag-swords","tag-the-conan-chronicles","tag-universal"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27880"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27880\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}