Out on Blu Ray and 4K January 30th, 2024
By now, most film fans are at the very least aware of the Conan films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger from the 1980s. Here, Arrow Video gives both films, Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer, the luxury release treatment. So, how does it look and is it worth picking up?
First, we get a two-disc release of Conan the Barbarian. For those not familiar with the story, in this first film we get to follow Conan through his formative years until he is taken by the enemy, trained, and made to be a strongman and warrior. The film is a somewhat early Schwarzenegger film and his acting is not exactly on point, but these many years later, it’s almost endearing. He really wanted to do well here and it shows. The film has him joined by James Earl Jones, Max Von Sydow, Sandahl Bergman, and Mako. Some of these folks were established thespians and they do decent work here. It’s one of those films where the characters will connect just right or not all. This is an adaptation that has some issues, but it’s fun. The writing by John Milius and Oliver Stone (from an uncredited story by Edward Summer) and based on work by Robert E. Howard with directing by Milius. It’s very much a product of its time, but it’s a fun and entertaining one.
As for the release here, well, it’s packed! So much content, it takes forever to get through it all and fans will love it! When you get it and pop it in, you get to pick which version you feel like watching here out of the three different cuts available. I usually always suggest the director’s cut, but here we have the Theatrical Cut, the International Cut, and the Extended Cut, so I’d say go with the longest one (the Extended Cut) as the timing is barely different between each version and you might as well get as much as you can out of it. That being said, some of the features are only available on one of the versions.
When it comes to the other features, of which there are an almost literal ton, the best ones are the bloopers (yes, bloopers, love me some bloopers), Conan the Barbarian: The Musical because wtf, the archival interview with sword master Kiyoshi Yamasaki, Conan: From the Vault which consists of archival on-set interviews from back in the day, the Conan Unchained: The Making of Conan documentary from 2000 that has interviews with Milius, Stone, Schwarzenegger, Jones, and more. Other than these, there are so many extras, there will be something for everyone here.
The sequel, Conan the Destroyer, gets a one-disc release that is a little less packed with features, but still quite interesting. In this sequel, Conan escorts the Queen niece on quest for a magical horn, in return, his beloved will be brought back from the dead. This is one of those sequels that is fun, but definitely not on the level of the original. The acting seems to be mostly on par, but the writing by Stanley Mann from a story by Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway, based on the works of Robert E. Howard and the directing by Richard Fleischer are not quite as good as the first film. There are some solid scenes here and there and it’s fun to see Grace Jones in this one, but overall, this is not as strong as the first film and makes for a sequel that pales in comparison.
When it comes to this specific release, much like the first film, the transfer is great, and it sounds fantastic. The extras are not as numerous, but they are interesting in the least. The best ones here with Conan: The Making of a Comic Book Legend feature is good, the archival feature commentaries are a good listen, and the new interview with stunt coordinator Vic Armstrong is fun.
Overall, this is a solid re-release for these Conan classics and a great addition to any collection of Schwarzenegger fans and for those who love the sword and sorcery genre. The packaging is stunning, the art is great, the presentation is solid with great transfers and good sound. This is one of those that will not appeal much to those who aren’t already fans of Conan, but those who are, it’s a great set to get.