Conan the Barbarian - Collector's Edition

Starring:Luis Barboo, Sandahl Bergman, Franco Columbu, Ben Davidson, Leslie Foldvary, Cassandra Gava, Gary Herman, Erik Holmey, James Earl Jones, Gerry Lopez, Mako, Dr. Akio Mitamura, Nadiuska, ValÃ©rie Quennessen, Jorge Sanz, Arnold Schwarzenegger, William Smith, Jack Taylor (II), Max von Sydow
Studio: Universal Studios
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

Conan the Barbarian, the movie that turned Arnold Schwarzenegger into a global superstar, is a prime example of a match made in heaven. It's the movie that macho maverick writer-director John Milius was born to make, and Arnold was genetically engineered for his role as the muscle-bound, angst-ridden hero created in Robert E. Howard's pulp novels. Oliver Stone contributed to Milius's screenplay, and the production design by comic artist Ron Cobb represents a perfect cinematic realization of Howard's fantasy world. To avenge the murder of his parents, Conan tracks down the evil Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) with the help of Queen Valeria (played by buff B-movie vixen Sandahl Bergman) and Subotai the Mongol (Gerry Lopez). Aptly described by critic Roger Ebert as "the perfect fantasy for the alienated pre-adolescent," this blockbuster is just as enjoyable for adults who haven't lost their youthful imagination. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

The man of few words.......2007-06-05

I'm still not totally sure of what I was expecting from Conan, but I was quite disappointed in the end. I'm shocked that Arnie went on to become governor of California, cos with the standard of the film, I really wouldn't have expected Arnie to go onto bigger & better things.

My main problem with Conan, was it wasn't Arnie's best film, plus, it's just really a film to showcase his body isn't it? And he barely says more than a few lines during the entire film. I've been brought up on Arnie movies, and although this was a good film, I just prefer some of Arnie's later films. I just wish he would stop messing with being governor and get back to what he's good at! You can see throughout the film that Arnie has immense trouble holding a sword, and doing sword things with it, due the size of his arm & chest muscles.

The rest of the cast was quite good, although I did think the actress who played his mum at the beginning, was a rough-looking Bridgette Bardot! Hehe. I did think Sandahl Bergman, who played Valeria, was really pretty, and the relationship between her and Conan was outstanding, although he only speaks five words to her throughout the film! Their relationship does turn out to be quite bittersweet though, which is very sad, but I won't reveal too much about it, for those who haven't seen the film yet.

There's not much of a storyline to the entire movie, apart from getting revenge, and the beginning is a bit strange in my opinion. Pushing that wheel thing round and round, what happened to the rest of the children?

James Earl Jones is absolutely hilarious, but I don't think he was meant to be. He's very androgynous, and the wig is stupidly set too high, giving the impression he has a huge forehead.

Conan has a certain unique-ness to it, and it stands out from many other similar films out there. It's quite memorable as well, whereas I think if Arnie hadn't become a big star, then it might have been less so. Yes, I'll admit I don't particularly Conan, but I sat through it, and can still remember a lot of it. And it still survives against the special effects laden movies of today, with people with too much money, try to make up for the lack of storyline with too many special effects (hello Pirates Of The Caribbean Dead Man's Chest, I'm talking to you!). Conan manages with minimalist special effects and it works so much better.

I would recommend Conan to any Arnie fans out there, it's an excellent film, it just didn't do it for me. Now, where's Twins?! :)

Easily one of the funniest movies I've ever seen........2007-05-30

No, I don't think it was meant to be a comedy but it serves up lots of laughs (for example, the wizard who lives in a treehouse). Its sort of unintentionally Monty Python-esque I guess you could say. It has a lot of campy value but there are also some great visuals as well. I laughed so hard I cried.

Best fantasy movie ever.......2007-02-08

This film is the best sword and sorcery/fantasy film you will ever find. Unlike many others released at this time, this one was different. The film itself is wonderful to look at, the scenery is breathtaking and amazing and the fight sequences are well paced and exciting. The emotion of the scenes, be they angry or intimate, come across with all the power you would expect.

Arnold Schwartznegger does a nice job here. He has the great screen presence needed to bring Conan to life. Even the supporting cast (James Earl Jones, Max Von Sydow, Sandahl Bergman and Gerry Lopez) turn in memorable and powerful performances.

I remember seeing this film when i was 16 and the images always stuck with me. What stuck with me even more was the music. I had already been a fan of the music for Star Wars, but this was a thousand times better than that. I love the way the first four cues of this film are all merged together. For over 17 minutes the story is told through image and music only. And over half of this film besides that is told the very same way. Just watch the scenes of Conan finding his sword (Atlantean Sword) or the scenes where they are travelling (Theology/Civilization and The Leaving/The search) or even the long scene where they are invading the Tower of Set. Basil Poledouris did a great job here and this remains my favorite score of all time. I recommend this, along with this movie.

The documentary on this DVD, Conan Unchained, is filled with many interesting facts and really gives you an idea of what they had to go through to make this movie. Also on this DVD are deleted scenes, which for the most part are not very interesting and cut for good reason. However, there is one scene near the end of this film that does not belong here at all. Before the battle at the mound, Conan and Subotai talk about being young boys which cuts against the entire philosophy of this film, which was having a minimal amount of dialogue. This scene clearly breaks the rule and was a bad decision to put back into this film. It does make the film longer but also slows it down at a point where it really didn't need it. The added little sections at the end with the kings daughter are not as bad, but still unessential and should have stayed in the deleted scenes section. This only goes to prove that the longest version of a film is not always the best one. There are many examples of this if you've ever bought a directors or extended cut of any movie.

There is also a great commentary featuring the director (John Milius) and Arnold. This alone is worth getting this DVD. So buy this and enjoy it for exactly what it is. This film gets five stars, even with the scenes that were added. Enjoy!

Phenomenal Sword and Sorcery Film.......2007-01-14

A small handful of Sword and Sorcery films have decent quality. "Conan the Barbarian" is one of those few films. Arnold Schwarzenegger was perfect for playing Conan. I only wish that Schwarzenegger had made more than two Conan movies.

We meet Conan as a boy in a small village. Conan's life changes dramatically when Thulsa Doom (played by the ever-awesome James Earl Jones) and his band of merry men destroy Conan's village, kill his mother and father, and haul the children off into slavery. Slavery does not kill Conan, it makes him stronger. Conan becomes an incredibly powerful adult. Conan becomes so powerful that he ends up in fights for money. Eventually Conan's master sets him free.

Conan manages to make his way in the world. He eventually encounters a thief named Subotai. Conan and the thief decide to rob a temple, but a beautiful woman named Valeria is already trying to do the same thing. Conan almost instantly falls in love. Conan, Subotai and Valeria rob the temple, but only after killing a huge snake belonging to Thulsa Doom.

Somewhere during Conan's travels we learn that Conan wants to exact revenge on Thulsa Doom for destroying his village and killing his parents. Even though Thulsa Doom tries to kill Conan, and nearly succeeds, Thulsa Doom fails to realize that Conan is a powerful and terrible enemy. On the other hand, Conan is fortunate in finding a wizard (the late Mako, who is also the narrator) who is able to save him from the death that Thulsa Doom had planned for him.

The situation heats up for everyone as Conan attempts to take the daughter of King Osric (Max Von Sydow). Thulsa Doom is not pleased, but after his best attempt he is still unable to kill Conan and he is still unable to recapture the princess.

The end of the movie is almost anticlimactic, but it is chilling and artistic. If you have only seen this movie on television you need to get the DVD and see the uncut version.

Some scenes in this movie are incredible. The entire scene in Thulsa Doom's palace is gross, but realistic. The sword play throughout the movie is well done. The snake arrows were also nicely filmed. I also enjoyed the scene with the Witch. The scene where the wizard attempted to cure Conan used animation sparingly but effectively was also very well done.

There is some controversy among fans over the original ending and the expanded ending. The controversy exists because the original ending was taut, much like Conan himself. The expanded ending adds more film footage without added anything to the movie. The original ending is somewhat better. However, the original ending is not worth paying a lot of money for, so if the expanded version is the lowest cost version available, you should get it.

Sword and Sorcery is a relatively narrow genre. Very few movies are made in this genre and even fewer are very successful. "Conan the Barbarian" is one of the very best and a must-have for fans of Sword and Sorcery. If only film makers would give us more movies like this one.

Enjoy!

Great movie (in it's original cut)... Don't get the 'Collector's Edition'.......2006-12-26

For the record, I'm a HUGE fan of the original Robert E. Howard character, and a really big fan of the forst movie (not so much the second one though).

If you're going to get this on DVD, go out of your way to find the original 1982 version, NOT the collector's version. The collector's version basically extends a couple of scenes that (quite frankly) were better left the way they were, and do NOTHING to enhance the story or character in any way. In this case, brevity can be the essence of genius, not additional exposition.

Another gripe is, this version is released on mono NOT stereo. FREAKIN' MONO!? What the hell happened? Even 'Freddy Got Fingered' is in 5.1 these days. This movie truly had one of the mose dramatic original soundtracks of it's time, and on this version of the DVD it's barely just an afterthought. Very disrespectful to the filmmakers, and the fans.

Seroiusly, I know there's an original cut on DVD somewhere. If you can find it, it's worth going out of your way for.

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