Conan the Destroyer (1984)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Robert E. Howard (stories)
Roy Thomas (story) ...

Release Date:

29 June 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Fantasy | Adventure

Tagline:

The most powerful legend of all is back in a new adventure.

Plot:

Conan leads a ragtag group of adventurers on a quest for a princess.

Plot Keywords:

Princess | Queen | Thief | Wizard | Horn

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Arnold Schwarzenegger	...	Conan
Grace Jones	...	Zula
Wilt Chamberlain	...	Bombaata
Mako	...	Akiro 'The Wizard'
Tracey Walter	...	Malak
Sarah Douglas	...	Queen Taramis
Olivia d'Abo	...	Princess Jehnna (as Olivia D'Abo)
Pat Roach	...	Man Ape / Toth-Amon
Jeff Corey	...	Grand Vizier
Sven-Ole Thorsen	...	Togra (as Sven Ole Thorsen)
Bruce Fleischer	...	Village Heckler
Ferdy Mayne	...	The Leader (as Ferdinand Mayne)

Also Known As:

Conan: King of Thieves (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Iceland:14 | Denmark:15 | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Italy:T | New Zealand:PG | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1984) | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (cut) | USA:PG (Certificate #27413) | West Germany:16 (f)

Filming Locations:

Juarez, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Company:

De Laurentiis

Trivia:

Cameo: [André the Giant]the resurrected horned giant.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene just prior to Conan rescuing Akiro from the cannibals, Akiro can be seen riding alongside Conan as one of his fellow adventurers even though he doesn't join them until the next scene.

Quotes:

Jehnna: How do you attract a man? What I mean is, suppose you set your heart on somebody. What would you do to get him?
Zula: Grab him! And take him!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Superior Firepower: The Making of 'Aliens' (2003) (V)

Conan the goofball!

Boy, did this one take a wrong turn at Albuquerque! Although it's still pretty entertaining, it's played far too much for laughs.

Ahnuld is back, and this time he gets more dialogue, a big mistake. He sounds more than a little ridiculous with a large part of his dialogue. Instead of Gerry Lopez, we have Tracy Walter, a fine actor, but too comedic for this (yeah, he's the comic relief, but Conan shouldn't have comic relief). Mako is good and Sarah Douglas sizzles as always. Grace Jones, well, is Grace Jones. If you are looking for subtlety, look elsewhere. And, speaking of subtlety, there's "Wilt, the Stilt." As an actor, Wilt makes a great basketball player. Olivia D'Abo is cute, but little else.

The movie has its moments and the finale is pretty good, but there's a lot of junk in the middle. The fight between Conan and Toth-Amon (Pat "Bomber" Roach) is fantastic, but the campfire scenes after are just plain stupid. Tracy Walter's character gets annoying with the constant Shaggy and Scooby jokes (you know, "I'll wait here. Wait for me!"). The basic story is good and in keeping with Conan traditions, but it descends into camp at the worst times.

Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway were quite familiar with Conan, having written the character for Marvel Comics. How much of their story is in the final film is a puzzler. The elements that work are straight out of Howard and Roy Thomas' comics. The goofier stuff, who knows?

The first film was epic adventure. This is more of a glorified B-movie. It's fun when you have a group of friends together and can "MST3K" it; but as cinema, it's not 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Director Richard Fleischer has done better. Still, it's a great "guilty pleasure" film.