Conan the Destroyer

Conan the Destroyer

For quite a long time in my life, I had held a lot of reservations about Richards Fleischer’s Conan the Destroyer, which is an older movie, 1984 in the making. I recall its box office performance and even its undermined critical reception when compared to its direct predecessor. In today’s time, I still believe that. Still, I think that once I made the decision to keep stop trying to measure it with John Milius’ brilliant original and simply enjoy the film, there was plenty of fun to be had. On June 29th, the motion picture marks its forty-year anniversary, so let us look at its strengths and weaknesses.

Once more Arnold Schwarzenegger finds himself in the shoes of the Cimmerian and the plot holds true as he continues to be in the scenery of his former wife Valeria. Sorcerous Queen Taramis (a competent Sarah Douglas) promises that she would bring back Valeria to Conan if he helps her in an expedition that would help her in bringing back a magical horn for a statue of a dreaming god Dagoth.

Conan concedes to this and, together with his accomplice, the thief Malak (his trademark humor is a prime factor of this film becoming noteworthy), princess Jehnna (Olivia d’Abo, this is her first movie), Bombaata (NBA star Wilt Chamberlain), and Conan’s friend the wizard Akiro (Mako Iwamatsu, this is him again), proceeds to the castles of powerful warlock Thoth-Amon (Pat Roach, a robust German in Raiders of the Lost Ark).

As they travel, they also include the fierce bandit Zula (Grace Jones, always charming). The queen, for instance, seems to be betraying Conan and instructs Bombaata to assassinate him after the contract killing. The second character is a giant who does not need to be named; he is played by Andre the Giant.

Father/daughter producing team Dino and Raffaella DeLaurentiis thought that the action could be toned down somewhat and the unintentionally humorous scenes increased to make it more appealing. As a result, this story seems more comic book which is not unexpected because comic scribblers Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway provided the premise It was, however, claimed that they were not glad with what Stanley Mann wrote in the end.

The story is certainly more gentle, but it revels in the mythic of Robert E Howard. There are several sorcerers, two beasts, and two mystical artifacts. There is a huge cast of characters, all of whom are compelling, some of them, however, seem underdeveloped. Thoth-Amon in particular, the most prominent antagonist in Conan’s lore. He is probably on the screen for some fifteen minutes, at most. Also, Douglas disappointingly has little to do.

In regard to our actors, Arnold is as good on screen as ever, even if I do not believe Fleischer exploits his capabilities as much as he ought to. As it is, Arnold so far as physical presence manages to impress in the movie. Fortunately, Chamberlain only has a very limited amount of dialogs.

However, he does come across as quite intimidating during fight scenes. A great contrast to his muscular counterparts, Walter, fabulous styling. Nonetheless, I feel the film took it a step too far in its light-hearted approach. Scanning the photos, Jones is hard to notice and his natural ferocity completes the flick, making it more effective.

The sets and costumes are stunning. It’s great to see Taramis, Bombaata, and Zula. Both Taramis’s stunning palace and the two towers on Thoth-Amon’s island fortress catch attention. Oscar winner DP Jack Cardiff provides the polish this fantasy world needs. He understands heroic composition and makes sure Conan, his companions and his enemies look epic.

The bas-relief of the group heroically moving across the wasteland with a mammoth bone in the front was striking. The battle choreography was well executed with the final showdown of the powerful conclusion taking place in Tamaris’ palace. The idea behind Dagoth’s design is cool and unsettling, adding some sloppiness to the already hot mess. Basil Poledouris, the composer, is also back and continues his excellent first score.

Richard Fleischer’s Conan the Destroyer doesn’t live up to the greatness of the first spin-off Conan The Barbarian and has too many minor characters, but it offers some enjoyment and cool effects. Chopped 40 years ago, it can certainly be called a cracking popcorn film. Recommended for those who love stashing jewels in the throat, wizards deciding to arms, and ripped fellas smashing the life out of all in sight.

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