A warrior gets revenge for her sister’s death and aims to stop the plans of an evil queen in Richard Fleischer’s 1985 sword-and-sorcery flick Red Sonja, now on 4k UHD from Arrow Video.
The Film
Don’t be confused, dear readers. A few months ago, I covered the 2025 Red Sonja flick, which I rather enjoyed. Now I dig back into the past of the Glorious 80s for the first film the She-Devil with a Sword of then-Marvel now- Dynamite comics (although credited to Robert E. Howard, this isn’t really true; see the other review or Wikipedia for more). I’m not going to compare and contrast, but I’ll be honest here, I like that one more. Red Sonja of 1985 isn’t a great flick, but it’s entertaining enough, especially with the power of nostalgia. I’ll be quicker than normal with my words since this is one where you’re likely in or out already. Those who follow Arrow and other Niche labels (like myself), likely have watched it many times already and know if it’s a film for them.
Directed by Richard Fleischer, Brigitte Nelson’s Red Sonja comes in the shadow of Conan the Barbarian, also starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sandhalh Bergman, who plays villain Queen Gedren. Conan set a high bar for the 80s revival of the sword-and-sorcery subgenre, leading to a slew of less grand, cheaper follow-ups such as Deathstalker, the Sword and the Sorcerer, and, yes, Red Sonja. I’m personally very fond of Beastmaster, which was actually in production at the same time as Conan. Anyway, let’s look more at today’s film.
Red Sonja, as played by Brigitte Nelson in her first role after a modeling career, is in training with warriors after Gedren slaughtered most of her family. Her sister is one of dozens of women charged with keeping a sacred orb. Queen Gedred bursts in, slaughters them to take the magical object. One to escape is Sonja’s sister, who meets Conan… er Lord Kalidor (pesky rights issues)… and he brings her to Sonja. Thus, Red Sonja goes on a quest for revenge and to return the orb, joining with a young king from a destroyed city, played by Ernie Reyes, Jr. in his second role after The Last Dragon, and his keeper.
It’s got a wishy-washy reputation, Arnold calls it his worst movie, but I like it for what it is. It’s a tidy little adventure, one with fewer characters, locations, bigness, and moments than its contemporaries, but Fleisher does what he can with an obviously limited budget. There’s fun to be had within the world as it is. Mechanical dragons, crazy sets and costumes, bone bridges, a sneaky fortress, a weird wizard, and a bloodthirsty king played by Indiana Jones’s recurring bad guy Pat Roach. The fights are solid, often choreographed by Ernie Reyes, Sr. Hell, it has an Ennio Morricone score! Awesome.
However, it does move at a weirdly sluggish pace within scenes, needs far more zip and zowie to impress, an issue with Fleisher’s Conan the Destroyer as well. Maybe he was just tired after Amityville 3-D, and Jazz Singer also flubbed. And Red Sonja herself is often hobbled to needing Arnold to save her. Give her the agency! It’s her movie! But it’s the 80s, and they got Arnold…
But most people seem to be having a good time. Especially the villains with Bergman and her henchman, played by Ronald Lacey, Toht from Raiders of the Lost Ark, fully lean into comic-book villainy. Ernie Reyes Jr plays it big, chewing what’s left of the scenery. Arnold is a little muted, and perhaps securing the film’s reputation, Neilson is wooden and awkward.
For my grumbles, I do enjoy sitting down to watch Red Sonja, as I know what to expect coming in. I don’t expect Conan the Barbarian or even Beastmaster. Watching again, I’m transported back to watching TNT in the 90s in pre-teens. Sometimes that’s just what you need.
The Package
Arrow sets up the 4k UHD of Red Sonja (no Blu-ray option) very well. The disc visuals are art of Red Sonja and her sword. The 4k case has a reversible sleeve with two art choices from original artist Ronato Casaro. In physical goodies, it comes with six postcards, a double-sided poster of the same art as the sleeve, and a booklet.
The Presentation
Arrow presents a new scan from the original 35mm negative. It looks pretty damned good. The film itself is a little muted, so that transfers to the visuals. But it’s clearly detailed, solid, and steady. Two audio options are available, 5.1 surround and 1.0 mono, both in English, and sound great. Subtitles are in English.
The Features
As often is the case, Arrow puts together a hell of a collection, loaded to the gills: the film, two commentaries, and additional features total just shy of 8 hours on the disc. Like Excalibur, so much is a wider look of filmmaking, now with an Italian anything-goes style.
Commentaries (both new)
- Film critics Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howard
- Comic Book Expert Dave Baxter
Both talks are solid commentaries, digging into the making, how tos, who’s who, the hows and afters of the character and film. There’s a little cross over, but mostly put their foci on different aspects. For example, as his title notes, Baxter focuses on character history.
Interviews (new unless otherwise noted)
The Prince and Me – Ernie Reyes, Jr. talks of his second film, working on a set with his dad in Italy. He’s easy to listen to, very excitable, but a little repetitious. (14m)
Sword, Stunts, and Sonja – Action supervisor Vic Armstrong remineses of his career and the specifics of the action on this set. Good stuff. (15m)
Last of the Invincibles – Arnold stunt double Pietro Torrisi gives so many awesome stories of working on Italian sets. What the hell is OSHA? Really, I LOVE the wild sets of Italian flicks to make it work, and Torrisi was right in the center of it. 26m
Danish Girl- Stuntman Ottaviano Dell’Acqua continues Torrisi’s insane Italian escapades in this film (as Red Sonja’s double) and others. GIVE ME MORE ITALIAN STORIES. In Italian (16m)
12 Labors of Red Sonja –They listened as assistant production manager Stepfano Sapdoni gave more stories! Of working on Red Sonja with a crew from all over, a small budget, and the constraints of how things worked at the time. In Italian (30 min)
Marvel of Primitive Technology –FX artist Domingo Lizcano discusses Emilio Ruiz del Rio (who died in 2007) and his methods for effects: plates, mattes, maquettes, etc. Fascinating getting into the details and working around the challenges. Switching it up, as this is in. Spanish. (28m)
Moulding Fantasies – Make-up FX assistant Adriano Carboni gets into the details of the applications on screen. Great stuff. In Italian (20 min)
Body Building the Imagery (Archival but unreleased)- Poster artist Renato Casaro gives a wonderful interview about his processes, the expectations of the studios and stars, and his methods. The hows and whys, so not just the art itself, though a few minutes of his talk on various posters over the years is fascinating. You might not know the name, but you do know his work. The posters that pop in your head of the 80s that aren’t Drew Struzan are Casarao: Running Man, Once Upon a Time in America, Rambo. Interesting both Struzan and Casara died in 2025. (23 minutes)
Red Sonja vs Kaidor – The Making of a Misunderstanding (archival) – Assistant director Michel Ferry talks about the production troubles with a sense of humor about it all. In Italian (12 m)
Featurette
The Man Who Raised Hollywood (archival) – Schwarzenegger’s early career and rise to household name are discussed with several filmmakers, not just Red Sonja. There’s a big appreciation for the man, his work ethic, and genial personality. 16m
Trailer
Standard Trailer. Fun stuff, brings me back (2m)
Image Gallery
56 images of set-photos, BTS, and publicity.
Booklet
Bound 40-page booklet with cast/crew, photos, and a few essays. “Red Sonja: The Crimson Warrior’s Legacy” by John Walsh discusses and analyzes the history of the character, especially around the course of this film. “Morricone Meets Red Sonja” by Barry Forshaw looks at the movie and the history of the composer. “Brigitte Nielson: The Warrior and the Icon” by Nanni Cobretti is an appreciative discussion of Neilson’s career.
Final Thoughts
Arrow once again puts together an impressive package for lovers of 80s films. The movie may or may not be fully good, your decision, even if it is highly entertaining. But Arrow’s great transfer and multitude of extras make it a great pick up.