Conan the Barbarian (1982)

Rating: ****/*****, or 7/10

Classic 'Sword & Sorcery' type of film, a landmark fantasy movie of the Eighties and the definitive cinematic breakthrough of the iconic Arnold Schwarzenegger. Based on the works of Robert E. Howard and set in an unspecified chapter of mankind's prehistory, Conan witnesses his tribe being massacred as a child by the forces of the evil sorcerer Thulsa Doom (fabulous role for James Earl Jones), after which the boy is doomed to slavery. Surviving his ordeal of slave labor, the adult Conan rises all the stronger as a gladiator and fights for his freedom, after which he sets out on a bloody quest for vengeance. Trying his hand at theft at first, Conan meets the beautiful female thief Valeria (Sandahl Bergman) with whom he soon falls in love after which the pair is asked by a king to reclaim his stolen daughter from the vile clutches of a Snake Cult ruled by Doom. With a minimum of dialogue (no more than is absolutely necessary for the character), Milius has the rogue warrior mercilessly fight his way through hordes of monsters and minions under the command of the villainous practitioner of the dark arts, often with a very amusing cynical lack of subtlety, a form of acting Schwarzenegger is shown to excel at (and would often do so again in similar roles in his action packed repertoire). Though the effects have aged quite a bit, they still add a wonderful otherworldly quality to the piece, often emulated but rarely surpassed. A fabulous epic score by Basil Poledouris completes the fun. Followed by the inferior Conan the Destroyer two years later. The intriguing opening narration of this film mentions Conan's ascent to the level of king: though this was intended to be featured in a third film, often claimed to be titled Conan the Conqueror, it sadly never materialized.

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sandahl Bergman, James Earl Jones

Directed by John Milius

USA: Dino De Laurentiis Company, 1982