The cover art, much like its predecessor, is not much of a looker but passable.
Universal Studios Home Entertainment provides a second offering to the Blu-ray gods with this Region Free, BD50 disc of 'Conan the Destroyer.' Housed in the normal blue keepcase, the standard menu selection appears after a series of internet-based trailers, which are skippable. 'Destroyer' puts a great deal more emphasis on the "sword" and "sorcery" than its predecessor, but it remains an easy, enjoyable watch for those who can forgive the little connection it has with Howard's original stories or the Conan mythos. But what does work rather well is the directing of Richard Fleischer, son of the renowned animator Max Fleischer and helmer of such classics as '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,' 'Soylent Green,' and 'Tora! Tora! Tora!' With another winning score by Basil Poledouris to build the excitement, the film moves at a brisk, satisfying pace and accomplishes its goal without a hitch. She followed this with portrayals of a superhuman Bond villain in 'A View to a Kill,' a seductive queen vampire in ' Vamp.' and a lustful fashion diva in 'Boomerang.' All funny, memorable stuff.ĭespite these relatively entertaining performances from Schwarzenegger, Douglas, and Jones, 'Conan the Destroyer' does come with some troubled spots, mainly in the story and undeveloped or wrongly-used characterizations.
As the fierce, courageous warrior - except against rodents - devoted to serving Conan, Jones brings that balance of seriousness and comedy which Walter and Mako fail to deliver. This role was to be her breakthrough performance - which it was - and catapulted her face as a prominent celebrity of the 1980s fashion world. Much like Schwarzenegger, the Jamaican-born actress already possessed a strong following in the music industry and was admired for her modeling career. The most memorable of this motley troupe is arguably the very unique and highly original Grace Jones as the wild, screaming marauder Zula. Every time his name is mentioned, I think of Afrika Bambaataa. Basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain joins the Conan ranks as the princess' bodyguard Bombaata, who rarely talks or does much else aside from seeming dishonest. Olivia d'Abo is the Queen's niece Jehnna, responsible for handling the horn as well as developing an unnecessary, if not unhealthy, love-interest for Schwarzenegger. Mako's Akiro is more subtle in his humor and works far better, but even his magic tricks tend to fall flat during the course of the narrative. The role offers plenty of amusement and comedy, but his slapstick shenanigans can be rather distracting at times and grow old fairly quickly.
Dressed in deliciously form-fitting outfits that expose lots of skin, the sorceress employs Conan's protection to retrieve a jeweled horn that will awaken the god, Dagoth.Īccompanying him on this perilous quest is fellow thief Malak, played by the funny character-actor Tracey Walter. The script doesn't seem to give her much to work with, but she practically steals every scene she's in. Although best remembered as Ursa in the first two ' Superman' movies, Douglas's performance matches quite nicely opposite Schwarzenegger. Instead, we have the more soprano-like stylings of Sarah Douglas as Queen Tamaris. This time around, the cult is not led by the deep bass voice of James Earl Jones.
In a strange, mystical way, though, the plot could very easily describe itself as being loosely inspired by the first movie and its success.įor this fantasy adventure, Conan travels far and wide once again to battle another dark, twisted religious sect bent on ruling the world. 'Conan the Destroyer' can't even claim to be based on any of Howard's stories aside from character names. Also missing is any connection to the mythological source created by Robert E. And the action sequel actually shows the lack of their input. Missing, however, is John Milius, a few of the original producers, and another screenplay from the talented Oliver Stone. Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as the Cimmerian warrior thief in this follow-up to the wildly popular ' Conan' movie and is joined by Mako as his wizard companion Akiro.