Time to give some love for one of my alltime favorite movies, Conan the Destroyer. Some of you may know that this is the movie i watched most when i was a kid.
I finally got the Australian R4 dvd so of course i watched it right away. It was magical once again. Mind you, this was the first time i saw the movie completely uncut. The Finnish VHS tape back in the day was slightly cut and they used the same print for the scandi dvd (those fools).
I love everything in this movie.
The cast is fantastic:
Arnold Schwarzenegger will always be the one and only true Conan. He is also very funny in this movie and he sure can fight with that sword. Olivia d'Abo is so beautiful as Princess Jehnna, the damsel in distress. Grace Jones is also great as Zula, fighting with that toothpick Tracey Walter has the best lines in the movie, always a fun guy. Mako is cool as Akiro 'The Wizard'. Wilt Chamberlain and Sarah Douglas are the other stars.
Lots of ladies on offer but Conan is only dreaming of Valeria
Great villains, nice locations and settings, beautiful old school fx and that classic Basil Poledouris score.
Much lighter than Conan the Barbarian but almost just as great. Pure Magic!
Posted by kevdugp73 (Member # 5978) on :
I loved this movie as a kid too. A bit young to watch part one, but remember staying up late and watching it with the volume down low while my parents snoozed away.
As for Destroyer.....I love love love Olivia! I was scared scared scared of Grace! I bet whoever is in a relationship with her says a lot of...."Yes Mame's"!! Destroyer was lacking one thing....(perve alert)....nudity! Nudity was a staple in the magazines.....
I also collected the black and white Conan magazines....the covers were always amazing. Still to this day when I see them at flea markets or yard sales, I'm drawn to them....but fight with my emotions enough to leave them put....for now. Not sure about the new movie yet.....
* Sorry aTomiK to stray from solely "Destroyer" discussion....figured you wouldn't mind!
Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
Donīt mind at all kev!
I also have lots of Conan comics, those b/w Savage Sword of Conan books are fantastic!
Conan the Destroyer was written by Conan comic book writers Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway and they took many ideas from the comic books.
Aaaah, zombies
Posted by Crash (Member # 7484) on :
For me, "Conan the Destroyer" is to "Conan the Barbarian" as "Star Trek II" is to "Star Trek": Less pretentious and much, much more fun. Granted, I like all four movies, but the sequels are much better.
Posted by Pyro (Member # 7658) on :
Great Post AtomiK!
I too must emphasize my love for this movie growing up..actually, BOTH movies. Since I pretty much enjoy both Destroyer and Barbarian equally.
Though this wasn't the first fantasy film to get me into the genre..(the one that did the trick if I remember correctly was either Dragonslayer or Flash Gordon..can't exactly recall which I saw first.) But the Conan films certainly helped cement my passion for films of the fantasy/adventure type.
Posted by 80'sRocked (Member # 6979) on :
Great post Atomik! For me though, Conan the Barbarian is far more superior. I must admit that I had a crush on Olivia as well here and in other films. I just never thought the sequel was as good....
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