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User Reviews for: Conan the Barbarian

Jordyep
7/10  2 months ago
Fantasy films from the 80s tend to feel quite dated now, however with this one the craft is just so good that we can still take it as seriously as the director wants us to. Throughout there’s great costume design, outstanding visuals and a really fantastic score. Sure, the characters and story are thin and predictable (even by revenge movie standards), but the script constantly makes smart choices by focussing on its strengths. It understands we’re more interested in the violent set pieces, epic vistas and Arnold having sex, so that’s pushed to the foreground. Making the hero a silent, physical presence was another smart choice, especially given Arnold’s very limited range as a performer during this time period. Relying on the supporting cast (who besides James Earl Jones aren’t faring much better) and prominent use of a narrator instead still make the movie more cheesy than it needs to be, but it was definitely the lesser of two evils. I also wish it took some more time to make sure that the emotional beats hit harder than they do. For example, I love the shot where Conan’s mother is killed, but it doesn’t hit as hard as it could because I’ve not been given a reason to care about her. Overall, this is some good epic fantasy that’s aged surprisingly well.

6.5/10
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