Conan - The Complete Quest
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Movie Reviews of Conan - The Complete Quest
Movie Review: "Sit here... SIT HERE"
Summary: 5 Stars
When I first saw "Conan the Barbarian" I was a huge fan of the character and had repeatedly read all the original stories by Robert E. Howard and most of the new books and comics by various authors as well (which essentially stayed true to Howard's vision and spirit). Needless to say, I was psyched.
Anyone familiar with Howard's Conan must have been a little disappointed; I was HUGELY disappointed. Yeah, they got many things right, but the things they got wrong horribly ruined the film for me -- so much so that I didn't see it again for 15 YEARS!
Upon seeing it again, being older and more open-minded, I had to admit that I was well entertained. I've seen it a few more times since and now have to admit: This movie's a freakin' masterpiece! I say this with one condition: the viewer must know going in that this is an ALTERNATIVE Conan, similar to Howard's, but far from a strict interpretation.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK: These flaws mostly have to do with John Milius and Oliver Stone's deviation from Howard. First of all, the opening sequence of Conan as a little boy on his fathers knee getting advice about the trustworthiness of the sword: Sorry, but the lad looks like an average soft suburbanite boy, not a tough kid that grew up in the wilds of Cimmeria, land of darkness and deep night. Secondly, the "wheel of pain" sequence is just dumb. I have a bit more respect for this part now that I realize it's a metaphor for the cyclical drudgery of grade school, but -- c'mon -- the REAL Conan wouldn't spend that many years in captivity! He would have escaped long before, not to mention slay his captors. Thirdly, when they first meet Valeria while robbing the temple of Set the flick cops a decidedly campy tone. Although Sandahl Bergman is great throughout the rest of the picture that initial meeting is pretty cringe-inducing. It was at this point that I really TUNED OUT when I first viewed the film. Fourthly, one of the worst parts is when Conan grovels at Thulsa Doom's feet crying, "You killed my father, you killed my mother!" This in no way resembles Howard's Conan.
WHAT WORKS: First of all, the score by Basil Poledouris is magnificent and awe-inspiring. Surely this is one of the greatest compositions ever written! The movie's worth watching just to hear this score -- no lie. Secondly, despite acceptable discrepencies (e.g. Conan has black hair not brown, etc.), the casting is great. Thirdly, Milius and Stone show their brilliance by incorporating Genghis Khan's historical quote in Conan's response to "What is best in life?" Conan answers: "To crush enemies, see dem driven before you and to hear da lamentation of der women." What a stroke of genius! Fourthly, the locations, sets and costuming are superb; they certainly got the LOOK of Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age right. Fifth, As long as one is prepared to accept the deviation from Howard's Conan, the story keeps your interest throughout (which is my personal way of determining the worthiness of ANY flick). Sixth, Sandahl Bergman is super sharp and sexy; she possesses a certain barbaric beauty essential to the role and it's hard not to gaze at her shapely form in utter awe when she's on screen. Lastly, the overall tone of the film is quite serious and brooding; despite Valeria's initial campy sequence mentioned above and a couple of amusing scenes with Mako, the film eludes the rut of camp (unfortunately the sequel cannot boast of this quality).
SPECIAL MOMENTS AND INTERESTING ITEMS:
- The love scene between Conan & Valeria and, later, the death/funeral pyre scenes are truly moving, reverent and beautiful. The accompanying music is emotionally potent.
- Conan's spiritual evolution in regards to sexuality and love is interesting: His first exposure is as a slave when beautiful women are occasionally thrown to him for the amusement of those watching. After he acquires his freedom his first and only experience with casual sex goes horribly wrong. Later in Zamora he dismisses the solicitations of prostitutes with a wave and a derogatory word. Finally he meets Valeria and discovers true love and commitment, conveyed well in the love/death/funeral scenes noted above.
- Both the battles inside the mountain fortress and, later, the showdown at the mounds are truly thrilling. The score during these sequences really gets your blood pumping.
- Right before the battle at the mounds Conan and Subotai brace themselves as the 'riders of doom' trot forth. You can see the bold determination on their faces: They have no other recourse; they will stand and fight as men, come what may. (All men will eventually have to stand and fight in this manner one way or another, and we wuss out at our own peril).
- After their unlikely victory Conan raises his arms (and weapons) in salute to the altar where Valeria was cremated. It gives you goosebumps.
Both "The Complete Quest" and "Collector's Edition" contain an excellent 55-minute "Making Of" documentary wherein all of the principle actors and creators are interviewed, as well as an excellent commentary by Milius and Schwarzenegger.
CONAN THE DESTROYER is featured on Side Two. In a way it's more faithful to Robert E. Howard thanks to comic writers Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway, and it's highlighted by another great score by Basil Poledouris and various beauties; unfortunately it's horribly marred by a cartoonish and campy air. It's okay with some flashes of goodness; that's about it (Rating: 3/5 Stars or "C+").
FINAL ANALYSIS: Like I said, I've finally come to see the magnificence of "Conan the Barbarian," but I had to get over my hang ups concerning the deviations from Howard's Conan to see it. As an ALTERNATIVE Conan it's a masterpiece of cinematic art.
ONE LAST THING: Um, don't use that first line of dialogue ("Sit here... SIT HERE") on your wife or girlfriend; I tried it and she didn't take too kindly to it!
Movie Review: incredibly good. the world of conan is brought to life with all due respect
Summary: 5 Stars
The opening scene is incredible.
Thulsa Doom, the villain from Conan the Barbarian is insanely evil. In the opening scene, after the entire village is slaughtered, Doom has the young Conan and his super-hot, leather-clad, sword-wielding, mom cornered. Doom dismounts from his horse and is handed the sword of Conan's just-slain father. He examines it with obvious appreciation and then turns to face Conan and his mother. NOT A WORD IS SAID IN THIS ENTIRE SCENE! Any movie made today would be falling all over itself to put in some cheesy one-liner that they could reference later in the movie to help show how this event molded Conan's life. ok, sorry for the rant, Doom begins to stare with his hypnotic blue eyes and turns slowly away as Conan's mother stands paralyzed, sword hanging useless at her side.
Then, out of nowhere, Doom spins quickly and lops off the womans head! The sound effect for this decapitation is disgustingly effective. I have no idea how accurate it is, but it seems like they got the sound exactly right. You see her head fall and her body collapse to the side, pulling her hand out of Conan's. He simply looks at his now empty hand, then up at Doom. With still no words spoken you understand that Conan is going to spend the rest of his life in pursuit of Thulsa Doom.
This movie is fantastic! The production value is of the highest quality and every aspect of the story and characters is treated with total respect. There are no cheesy one-liners, no cheap laughs or gags. The costumes look as realistic as you could want, but with beautifully designed fantasy elements.
A lot of the stuff from the book have been left out (Conan fighting skeleton, monsters, etc.) but there are still lots of fantasy elements. The witch woman that Conan encounters and the giant snake raised by Thorgrimm are great additions.
This may be one of the greatest movies of all time. If you consider how closely and accurately the movie portrays the character of Conan and his savage world, I think you will agree that this movie succeeds more than most others.
If you like Fantasy, James Earl Jones, and Animation here is a great recommendation: The Flight of Dragons. It's primarily a movie for younger audiences, but Mr. Jones plays a character more evil than Thulsa Doom and Darth Vader! Seriously. The movie is about four wizards and how their realm of magic is being lost to the world of logic and science. Jones plays Omadon, the Red Wizard (long O sound). You will see just how evil he can be when he lays out his plans for the world to the other three wizards. Truly a scary scene when you take a look around and see the evil spreading in the world today.
Movie Review: Conan the Barbarian / Conan the Destroyer
Summary: 5 Stars
Arnold Schwarzenegger makes his break-through debut as one of the greatest fantasy heroes of all-time: CONAN THE BARBARIAN! A young boy is stripped from his homeland after a vicious warlord destroys his entire clan. Conan is forced into slavery and then trained to fight for his keep, but upon his release, he uses his new found strength and skill to track down the evil Thulsa Doom in his quest for revenge! The exotic locations and decorative set designs for CONAN exist far beyond the realm of our world, which allows director John Milius to transport us to a magical land that is filled with swords, giant serpents, and sorcery. Schwarzenegger is iconic as the legendary Cimmerian warrior, embodying strength, courage, and honor as he battles his way through the armies of his enemy. The rich storytelling and memorable characters help to transform the film into a modern epic. A large debt of this is owed specifically to the great James Earl Jones and his performance as the god-king Thulsa Doom, who commands the screen with his power and charisma. CONAN continues to rule as one of the defining films of its genre now nearly thirty-years after its release.
Conan the Barbarian returns to aid a young princess in a quest to fulfill her destiny, facing a number of perilous tasks and ruthless enemies along the way. In CONAN THE DESTROYER, our epic hero is reduced to a mere shell of his former self in a weak story that would have been better suited for the comic books. Schwarzenegger is fed a number of ridiculous lines that cross the line from comical to laughable. He is joined by a colorful band of warriors that fight alongside him, but the main thing that the sequel lacks is a strong central villain to serve as its focus. Without a Thulsa Doom for Conan to conquer, the plot wanders through various castles and dungeons with no real direction or purpose. Wilt Chamberlain, Grace Jones, and Olivia d'Abo deliver adequate performances, but the sense of camaraderie that existed in the previously film simply isn't there. Richard Fleischer does deliver a strong visual style and a number of impressive sets, two of the only characteristics that are carried over from the original. As sword-and-sorcery pictures go, CONAN THE DESTROYER has enough might and magic to please most genre fans, but the empty plotting leaves much to be desired.
-Carl Manes
I Like Horror Movies
Movie Review: Robert Howard's greatest creation by way of Friedrich Nietzsche
Summary: 5 Stars
In Conan the Barbarian, while Conan is not entirely presented the way Howard wrote him, the film is nonetheless well done and extremely entertaining. The points of straying from Howard are many--the appearance of other Cimmerians besides Conan in the story, the prefiguration of Conan's kingship (a plot device taken from L Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter's apocryphal entries into the series, and Conan praying, along with scenes taken from other Howard creations besides Conan--though for the most part, the movie actually tracks Howard's vision fairly closely. Of course the movie opens with Nietzsche's most famous quote and the plot turns Conan into a Nietzschean superman capable of overcoming appalling odds even though he is only a man and not a superhero. James Earl Jones gives great support as the Jim Jones-like cult leader Thulsa Doom (actually a villain out of Howard's Kull series), while Ben Davidson, Sven Ole Thorsen, Mako, Gerry Lopez, and Sandahl Bergman all serve effectively variously as friends and enemies. Late in the movie, Conan suffers in a way cleverly reminiscent of Howard's original creation then goes on to a swashbuckling finale and climax against Doom's followers. The end of the film--in keeping with the tone of the film a combination of Howard and Nietzsche--is very satisfying and beautifully done. While the sequel is much lesser and deserves no in-depth mention here, the first Conan movie is a fine entry into the sword-and-sorcery genre and should be more highly regarded both in its genre and among movies in general.Movie Review: Don't be fooled...this is an excellent deal
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm the type of guy that doesn't say very much...unless of course I feel I have something important to add to the discussion. That's probably why I don't write many reviews; however I must throw in my two cents regarding "Conan - The Complete Quest". There are several complaints here about it being double-sided and/or the fact that Conan The Destroyer is included. Before I go any further, let me just say that I've watched CtB, but have not watched CtD yet. From what I read, it's not very impressive. But that's OK because CtB is...it's easily a five star fantasy/action flick. By the way, this set includes the Collector's Edition of CtB, so it's got the best version currently available (with a few extras and a cleaned up picture). That being said, why complain when this set costs the same as CtB by itself? They're both at bargain-bin prices, and this is the better deal, yet it has a few moronic reviews which brings the rating down. If you must, just think of CtD as a really cool bonus feature. And the fact that it's a double sided disc is nothing to whine about. As long as it plays fine, that's all that matters. Touch the disc by the edges (like you should be doing with all DVDs) and you won't have to worry about smudges. If you already own both movies then obviously this set isn't worth your money, but if you have neither then this is the cheapest/smartest way to own the "Complete Quest".