Conan the Barbarian (1982) Reaction & Review! FIRST TIME WATCHING!!
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- čas přidán 7. 07. 2024
- I unexpectedly really enjoyed this film. The pacing was wonderful, the writing and directing by John Milius & Oliver Stone were good, the sets, props and music were great. Arnold Schwarzenegger was iconic as Conan the Barbarian and finally I see why this film has such a dedicated following to it.
Full Length Reactions to ALL the films I've watched and Early Access at Patreon: / shanwatchesmovies
0:00 Intro
2:17 The Film
20:40 The Review
28:38 Outro
Hey guys, I'm Shaneel (Shan). Welcome to the channel!
My reaction and review to Conan the Barbarian (1982) for the first time. Hope you enjoy the video!
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The fact that you’re reacting to this film at all already elevates you to one of the top movie reaction channels on CZcams.
Agreed! All the other reactors are becoming very cookie cutter. They all react to the same set of movies at almost the exact same time periods. It's very boring. That's why I keep coming back here as my favorite.
Im confuzed.. how use to hold that title?
Thank you guys. I really try to be different and mix things up :)
Agreed! Such a great variety of movies on this channel
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that so many other movie reaction channels will all react to the exact same film within a week of each other.
Why? When there is literally a world and over a century of great cinema to explore and discover.
Poledouris: "Hey John; how epic do you want this soundtrack to be?"
Milius: "Yes."
One of my all time favourite OSTs
The theme song is so epic. Basil Poledouris was the man
Not just the theme, the entire OST is a masterpiece. One of the best ever.
Agreed. My fav of his was the Blue Lagoon soundtrack. Movie was meh but music was top notch.
My friend and I would always play the soundtrack whenever we played the board game "Risk".
My baby daughter LOVES the soundtrack...i put on an orchestral version for her sometimes when I need to distract her, she copies the conductor with her hands and knows the music well enough now she gets excited for the big drops. Watching a 17 month old rocking out to and trying to conduct basil's work is quite something!
When I was a teen we'd play music during our D&D sessions. This soundtrack was used a LOT.
Max Von Sydow was amazing as a one scene character "There comes a time thief, when the jewels cease to sparkle, when gold loses its luster, when the throne room becomes a prison ... and all that is left is a father's love for his child" top notch acting a dialogue
Max Von Sydow also does a one small scene in the very underrated now Awakenings directed by the late great Penny Marshal and starring the late great, and still missed Robin Williams. Another movie to put on your list and Bicentennial Man. Movies NOT TO BE MISSED (emphasizing not yelling)
Arnold Schwarzenegger did his own stunts because they couldn't find a stunt man with the same body as his
Imagine that lol
Actually, if I'm not mistaken, his good friend and fellow bodybuilder Franco Columbu(RIP)who plays the Vannir scout standing on the rock during the raid at the beginning of the film sometimes plays Arnold's stunt double in his movies.
All the muscular bad guys were Arnold's bodybuilding friends.
It was hard enough finding guys big enough to be a threat as villians. So they had to ask his friends.
The guy the sword master kicks in the groin was Arnold's stunt-double, although I don't think he was used much due to the reason you listed.
"Is the sequel worth seeing?" Oh boy. Worth it just for the madwoman performance by Grace Jones.
I watched the sequel only twice and I barely remember it. I do know that I didn't enjoy it but in for a penny, in for a pound. Watch the sequel and then just for fun, Red Sonja.
I like the sequel even more.
She broke a bunch of bones on that set. The stuntmen were _terrified_ of her! :D
Yeah it's not that bad tbh
The sequel is not as serious. They added a lot of comedy
This is THE one that made fantasy genre-films a viable market in Hollywood.
Seriously. Before Lord of the Rings, Conan the Barbarian was the only film that presented the fantasy genre respectably.
@@operative2136 DragonSlayer.
@@TheAes86 i grew up with both DS and CtB on VHS and watched them about a thousand times each.
@@operative2136 - Excalibur, Dragonslayer, Legend, The Company of Wolves, The Dark Crystal, Highlander, Willow... were all well made, respectable fantasy-based films prior to LoTR
@@lestatdelc Willow is why I've had a thing for red heads as I got older! 🤣😂🤣 💘Joanne Whalley as Sorsha! 😍❤❤
I watched it again a year or so ago, for the first time in 20 odd years. By the end I realised that Conan was a straight up good film.
It's a terrible shame there weren't any more 'proper' Conan movies.
Yes, the movie powers-that-be decided that Conan stories were for children, so they made the sequel rated PG, and dropped all the philosophical elements and the brooding tone that made this movie so excellent.
@@barreloffun10 Literally anyone who read the Robert E Howard pulps knows they aren't for kids. I also recommend that everyone read them.
Conan's father's sword broke when used against his son. It would not betray the father's own blood. Conan's also far stronger than his father ever was!
Damn, that never occurred to me before. Great insight!
Didn't occur to me as well, like Serai3 said, great insight!
Conan sword was Atlantean steel, made by a lost advanced generation, probably regarded with the level of awe that we treated crucible steel before the technique was more widespread
@@IPfreely333 afaik thulsa doom was also meant to be a surviving atlantean sorcerer (and more or less thoth amon from the pulp stories). The movie depiction was allegedly inspired by the peoples temple cult leader jim jones.
But the sword would cut off his wife's head?
One thing I like about this movie is that it is not what people expect. Many people think that Conan, swords, barbarians means that the film is somekind of action movie. When actually it is closer to art film than action movie. It is slow-paced and 90% of the movie there is no dialogue just the fantastic music. :)
I've always said that this is a far superior movie to LOTR, particularly in terms of cinematography and lighting. And yes, the soundtrack is phenomenal.
@@kevinedw2002 oof, I don't know about that lol I love both Conan the Barbarian & TLotR trilogy. I believe the cinematography for Conan is better than TLotR, and while both soundtracks are unarguably incredible I much prefer TLotR. I agree with OP that this is movie leans a lot into art film territory. As for lighting, this movie isn't a straightforward fantasy/action/adventure movie like TLotR, instead being a lot more like an "art film" as OP said. Because of all that, you'd end up comparing two _veerrry_ different genres and equally different movies. It just ain't a fair comparison.
Anyway, the pacing and cinematography, combined with an extraordinary music, are top-notch. I'd place Barbarian and Fellowship(specifically) side by side.
Well said - spot on.
Basil Poledouris basically wrote an opera for this movie. It's a character in the movie in it's own right.
"Let me tell ye of the days of high adventure." Mako, 1933-2006.
RIP Uncle Iroh
RIP Aku
Another Arnold movie I would recommend would be "The Running Man". It has a interesting concept, especially with today's media and justice system.
I have to second this! Amazing film.
Scripted after a Stephen King story he wrote under his pen name Bachman. Rage, The Long Walk, and The Running Man from memory had to look up and see Roadwork was a 4th story.
Like I mentioned in the video, I watched it, but so long ago I forgot almost everything except some sort of game show called the running man. Maybe worth a proper watch as an adult!
@@ShanWatchesMovies Oh, I didn't catch that fact. Understood, Thumbs up.
@@ShanWatchesMovies Not just "as an adult," but it's slightly surreal in a post-911, pandemic world. Maybe a back burner poroject.
Your Arnold impersonation is spot on perfect!!!
Subotai was actually Ghengis Khan's righthand man and general during his conquest. So there's a bit of infusing some real life history with the fantastical elements.
Actaully, the setting of Conan acording to the author Robert E. Howard is in the real world; but in a time very-very long ago... It's set during the Hyperborian age; a fictitious age Howard invented; supposedlly set somwhere between the paleolithic and our recorded history; so some thousand years before Egypt or Mesopotamia where founded... Howard said that thoose cultures dissapeared and all written history or archeoligical elements where lost, but from from the ruins of thoose ancient civilications, tha ones we know about arased; and some of the names and culturall elements actually got to our time...
For example, the tribe Conan belongs to; the cimmerians; would be the ancestors to the inhabitants of the British Isles (Conn is a name in gaelic) while two tribes that lived North to the cimmerians, the aesir and the vanir; where the ancestors of the gemanic tribes (in germanic/nordic folklore; Thor and Odin belong to the Aesir race of gods; while Freija and some others belong to the Vanir). The Aquilonian Empire migth be the ancestors of the later Babilonians; or maybe the mediterranean cultures; and ancestors to the nubians, the asians and much more real life cultures appear represented in the Conan universe.
Lots f real life myths are actually represented in the Hyperborean wolrd... for example, the cimmerians (Connan's tribe) are said to be descendants from the Atlanteans; a a powerfull empire that lived long ago in the lost continent Altantis. In fact, the sword Connan uses in this movie is called 'The Atlantean Sword', as the tomb he sacks is actually the tomb of Kull the Conqueror; an Altantean King who was the ancestor of Conan (thats why Connan kind of feels some 'recognision' and even calls him 'Crom')
Acording to the movie, Kull leaded the remaining atlanteans to the mailand after the sunking of his continent; and after quite some generations they became the Cimmerians we see at the start of the movie. As a fun fact, after a rather dissapointing sequel 'Connan the Destroyer' and Arnie becoming a quite expensive movie star; the producers did not manage to convince him for a third Connan movie; so they hired Kevin Sorvo instead (yes, the actor from the Hercules series) and made kind of a ligther hearted prequel named "Kull the Conqueror"; narrating how Connan's great-great-great-grampa (or wathever; the real ancesrty is not detailed even in the novels) became king of the Atlanteans.
This is probably my favorite orchestral soundtrack. Polodouris is a master and doesn't get the recognition he deserves. This was supposed to be a series of films based on the comics/books, but didn't materialize. The sequel Conan the Destroyer and Red Sonja played off the success of this one, but weren't of the same level.
It must have been a heavy blow to Poledouris to create something like this and not even get nominated. Crom laughs at their Oscars, he laughs from his mountain of power.
@@pvtj0cker Haha, perfect!
@@pvtj0cker to hell with them!😆
yes, very sad there weren't more in the series
Stone wrote a screenplay that had more fantasy elements than the budget allowed, and Milius had his own themes he wanted to explore, so he extensively rewrote it. As such, it's a mix of both writers' visions, rather than a collaboration. Thulsa Doom is a skull-faced wizard in the Conan stories, but Milius' version changed the character to another wizard of Set, Thoth Amon. They kept the Thulsa Doom name though.
A fun bit of trivia: Mattel was already developing a new fantasy line of action figures, and were approached to adapt it into a Conan toy line, hoping to cash in on this movie. They created a Thulsa Doom figure, who was a skull-faced villain. However, when Mattel executives read the final screenplay, they pulled out of the deal, since the movie was a super-violent R rated movie, which included orgies and a crucifixion.
The toy line then changed into He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and Thulsa Doom was changed into a new villain: Skeletor.
Basil did indeed wrote the music for Robocop, he also did the music for Conan The Destroyer and Starship Troopers. One of the best composers.
Starship Troopers soon :)
Also The Hunt for Red October and the Back to the Future series
He also did hunt for the red October
@@cteal2018 jhon Williams did back too the future movies
@@treerat7631 Alan Silvestri did Back to the Future. Sorry guys.
Surprisingly deep movie with an unexpectedly good cast and one of the best soundtracks/orchestral score of all time.
This soundtrack is one of my favorites!
It was one of the highlights the film for me!
@@ShanWatchesMovies Conan the Barbarian is as much opera as movie.
There's a CZcams channel with the entire soundtrack and I immerse myself track to track in my head going through the scenes in the movie.
@@AneudiD78 I have the lp from 1983
One of the best fantasy scores ever.
yesssss, absolute masterpiece. there's one piece not included in the released soundtrack, the ritual scene is (or was recently) available here on youtube
I'd go so far as to say one of the best scores ever, period. Certainly in the top 5 or 10.
THE best.
Agree with each of you.
Nevermind the fantasy part, it's one of the best scores of any genre
"Small sets and cheesy action"
You're looking for the second Conan movie.
Which is odd considering the way this movie was done.
Also, I'm confused -- isn't the camera work the cinematography?
Exactly right. Avoid Conan the Destroyer like the plague. Its not worth your time, even if you enjoy campiness.
@@LA_HA not that odd, if you take into account the director and how much passion that guy had. Attention to detail and realistic depictions of violence were some of Milius's tenets. As well as recognizing the strengths of those around him and letting them work to make the movie better, as in the case with Basil Poledourus and the incredible, epic, classic score of the film.
Shan, please review The 13th Warrior directed by the Die Hard director. It's good, clean fun (in the best sense of the term).
Thanks for the recommendation Carlo. Ive heard of the film but haven't watched it yet!
@@ShanWatchesMovies It has great cinematography and the costumes are top notch.
@@ShanWatchesMovies originally titled "Eaters of the Dead" based on a novel by Michael Crichton which, in turn, is based on a classic story which I will not spoil in case you watch the movie because not knowing may add some pleasant surprises.
I really love that movie. They weren't entirely sure how to end it, maybe (that can be said of a LOT of movies...even some spectacular ones).
@@ShanWatchesMovies "THE 13th WARRIOR" IS BASED ON THE BOOK "EATERS OF THE DEAD" BY MICHAEL CRICHTON!!!
The author of Conan (Not the movie) imagined this world to be our world long before ancient history began. All the cultures in it are precursors to the cultures of our our actual history. So the mongolian looking outfits are intended to be the outfits of the Hyrkanians, the Mongolians' prehistoric ancestors.
The creators of the movie had a lot of material to build the world from and i think they did a pretty good job for the time. :)
Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of. And unto this, Conan, destined to wear the jeweled crown of Aquilonia upon a troubled brow. It is I, his chronicler, who alone can tell thee of his saga. Let me tell you of the days of high adventure!
Still gives me chills, and gets your READY! Also, his final speech/prayer to Crom is amazing.
imagine trying to wear a crown of aquilonius on your troubled brow and it doesnt even fit right
It's amazing how Arnold can make you feel there's a love story there while barely talking to her, when people say Arnold can't act, remember that
Barely? I'm trying think of ANY lines Conan says to Valeria...
Oh wait, he does say "you are not a guard", so yes, you are correct about barely.
We still waiting for a King Conan film, with Arnie!!!
2:54 - yes, it was. Poledouris and Milius were friends and he's composed probably (I'm not sure about this) all Milius movies. Conan the Barbarian in my opinion is the best score of his career.
This Film moved me towards DND. The Characters. Barbarian, Thief, Sorcerer, lamentation.
Which makes perfect sense since the Conan books were one of the main influences of early D&D. It's so weird that modern D&D has gone full on high/epic fantasy and totally abandoned it's awesome pulp swords and sorcery roots.
We watched this while playing D&D
@@markissleepy check out Forbidden Lands, it's another tabletop rpg with muxh more gritty and exploration feel to it.
can't say I'm familiar with the 4th one...
Fun trivia: At around 25 mins, Arnold Schwarzenegger suffered a back injury (among other various assorted injuries) while filming when the dogs who were chasing him jumped him from behind and he fell down the rock he was climbing to escape them.
Fun trivia: At around 21 mins, The swordmaster was played by Kiyoshi Yamasaki, swordmaster for the actors in the film.
Fun trivia: James Earl Jones was a last minute addition to the cast because of his commitments on Broadway. He and Arnold Schwarzenegger became friends on-set; Schwarzenegger helped Jones stay in shape and Jones coached Schwarzenegger on acting; so did Max von Sydow.
Fun trivia: Arnold Schwarzenegger kept the snake dagger as a memento. He still has it.
Fun trivia: The Tree of Woe where Conan was crucified was not an actual tree. The film crew created the "tree" out of layers of plaster and Styrofoam applied onto a skeleton of wood and steel. It was mounted on a turntable, allowing it to be rotated to ensure the angle of the shadows remained consistent throughout three days of filming. Arnold Schwarzenegger sat on a bicycle seat mounted in the tree while fake nails were affixed to his wrists and feet.
Another bit of trivia attached to the Tree of Woe: it was this movie that named the move used in pro wrestling as the Tree of Woe, where a wrestler is draped upside down in the turnbuckle corner with their feet "threaded" into the turnbuckle to hold them in place.
"Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of. And unto this, Conan, destined to wear the jeweled crown of Aquilonia upon a troubled brow. It is I, his chronicler, who alone can tell thee of his saga. Let me tell you of the days of high adventure!"
I can recite that part from memory, being as this was one of my first loves that lead me into playing D&D.
When they built the wheel of pain they actually made to perfectly balanced and it was too easy to push. Arnold had to act like he was really straining to push.
They had a couple of guys on the other side, just out of frame, pushing against him.
Thulsa Doom was being genuine when he calls himself his father. He gave him the drive to become the warrior he is.
This would be at least twice where James Earl Jones got to voice the villain telling the protagonist that he was his father. Luke anyone?
Speaking of Max von Sydow - The Seventh Seal is an outstanding film with him in the main role as a still very young actor. Worth to check out without any doubt.
Any decent student of movie making should have The 7th Seal in its study schedule.
Conan's father: "Steel is strong."
Thulsa Doom: "Flesh is strong."
the correct answer Conan realizes: "Will is strong."
...and this was the *excellent* movie that inspired the B-movie action-fantasy as knock-offs.
We used to have an Irish Wolfhound named Conan, my Dad named him that because of this movie. He was such a big but very gentle dog. Sadly like most large dog breeds he didn't live very long. I still have a picture of him standing on his hind legs next to me and my father and younger brother. He was taller than all of us in that picture. Anyway, this was another great movie review and I'm glad you liked it and I hope you like the sequel as well.
Sounds like he was a good dog :)
Thank you for your kind words and for watching Jeremy!
You not only have the best choice in films to react to, you see far more deeply into the creation and inspiration of these films han anyone else reacting. Being a symphony musician and sometimes composer this might be my favorite movie soundtrack. I consider the soundtrack at least as important to the film as any of the supporting actors.
Thank you so much. I'm not a trained musician or even qualified like you but I've been writing music/lyrics my entire life. Music is one of the only things in the world that can bring tears to my eyes. I have to agree with your assessment of the music in the film. It was one of the, if not the best aspect of the film.
"Conan! What are the best things in life?"
"To crush your enemies, see them driven before you and this movie!"
*agreeing murmur*
Nicely parodied as Cohen The Barbarian in The Color of Magic. "Hot water, good dentistry and soft lavatory paper"
@@znotch87 The Silver Horde were legit awesome.
I saw this for my 10th birthday slumber party... 10... gotta love 80s parenting! :)
I recommend the director's commentary on this one. It is both hilarious and insightful.
100%
Film is in my top ten fantasy films list, I saw this as a kid and couldn’t get enough of it.
The guy who played Subotai was played by Gerry Lopez a champion and legend in the surfing world!
Wow! Wasn't aware of this! Thanks for the trivia Eric!
Side note. Conan the Barbarian was created by pulp writer Robert E Howard and came to popularity in the 1930s pulp anthology magazine Weird Tales.
This magazine also published the original works of horror legend, H.P. Lovecraft.
I’d recommend checking out the 1996 independent film
“Whole Wide World”.
It’s a film about the real life Robert E Howard, portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio.
Don’t look up or read anything about the real Robert E Howard.
Just watch this film.
And no spoilers anyone else, please.
Love Howard! Big fan of the original stories. I'll look that film up, thanks for the tip! He had an amazing gift for packing a huge amount of story into comparatively small amount of words/page space. His short stories had vast content.
@@jean-paulaudette9246 Robert E Howard wrote poetry as well.
His prose was beautiful and his sword and sorcery predates “The Hobbit”.
Big fan of Vincent D'Onofrio. I'll definitely at least Google it guys!
Robert Jordan also wrote several Conan books before he wrote his epic The Wheel of Time.
@@ShanWatchesMovies “Whole Wide World” is not necessarily a film that’s very well known, but us loved by those who have seen it.
It may not be a movie reaction that gets a lot of views. It is in my opinion a very good and fascinating film of a creative and complex man.
God I'm getting old I remember seeing this at the drive-in theater when it first came out.
I saw it when it was first on network tv around 1985 or 1986... was pribobly way to young to se it
I saw this movie as a child on VHS tape in the eighties :) secretly of course, because of the nudity and the violence ;)
I saw it as a kid Arnie is a legend I grew up watching his films was born in 1976
One of the many beautiful film making aspects to this movie is, according to an interview ages ago with Basil Poledouris he and the director made the soundtrack the same way one writes an opera, with Conan being the operatic character who 'sings' through on screen visuals instead words. After reading that I can now totally see that, and totally see how pretty much no other movie does that.
Oh Crom ! You finally listened to my prayers !
So much famous lines, so much strenght and finally the most epic soundtrack that ever existed !
When the wild dogs was going after Conan and he got up in that cave entrance and when he fell down he actually hurted his head when his head hit on that buddle of water. Arnold actually hurted his head filming that scene. A little fun fact. And thulsa doom is wrong about the riddle of steel. Flesh is wrong answer, right answer is Will.
In the bloopers, you hear Arnold cuss when he does hurt his head
"Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the women!"
One thing Arnold has that is undeniable, even in a film where he doesnt have much dialogue - he has PRESENCE. It's not jsut his physical size, but the way Milius shoots him, he IS Conan. Sometimes just the scenes with him jsut sitting there looking off into the distance you can tell what Conan is thinking, or contemplating - assuming a baraarian of Conan' intelliegnece does contemplate much (he actually is pretty smart in the original stories by Robert E. Howard), and Schwarzenegger's presence coupled with the music and the beauty of these shots lens this really great epic quality to the film. This was one of the first fantasy films I watched on tv when I was a kid. I fell in love with Basil Poledouris's score work ever since Conan's opening theme, it is SO effing powerful, and sometimes I still listen to the theme when I'm working out. This was a fantasy epic done right, not a lot about it was cheesy as a lot of fantasy films that came out of the 80's. It's still one of my favorites.
And yes, that was Max Von Sydow as King Osric. Thulsa Doom was a lot scarier than Darth Vader to me, msotly because he was this cult leader who could basically hypnotize weak-minded folks using his voice and command you to do whatever he wanted, and casting James Earl Jones - who also had a lot of presence in this film on par with Arnold's - was a masterstroke!
AND one of the most beautiful pieces of blending action and character is....the trap Conan builds that spikes the guy. Here's why: What did Conan do growing up, push wheel. Which is why he was able to invent this wheel based mechanical trap which is something that no one else in his world was prepared for. He actually used his brains and unique upbringing to outsmart his opponent whom he couldn't beat physically.
Conan. What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women."
This is a modification of an actual quote from Genghis Khan.
If you're looking to watch another John Milius film I would go with the classic epic "Red Dawn". Don't believe any other reactors have done the original Red Dawn either. It's an all star cast and I think you could do it justice with a solid review!
I'll add it to the list Ano Nymous!
And Basil Poulderice did the amazing score.
@@ShanWatchesMovies Awesome! You do great work! Looking forward to a reaction/review of it in the future!
@@actuallytheguy8395 Basil Poledouris does an amazing score in this! Anytime I would hear that opening music I would get amped up as a kid in the 80's when this came out. Wolverines!!
WOLVERINES!!!
Eraser is one of my favorites from Arnold. It makes for a good double feature w/ True Lies. From the same director as The Mask (1994) & The Scorpion King (2002). Speaking of Oliver Stone, please check out JFK (1991). I think you'll really love the editing.
Oh Shan, you’re watching a *lot* of great movies recently!
Thank you to both of you guys. You make me smile.
Indeed
At last!!!! Thank you, sir.
Cannot wait for Excalibur!
Excalibur is an excellent film and re-telling of the Arthurian story.
Excalibur is not on the list but adding it now :)
@@ShanWatchesMovies Fun fact to keep in mind when watching Excalibur: it was the film John Boorman made when JRR Tolkien refused him permission to film The Lord of the Rings. The treatment Boorman came up with for that book was... NO. Just NO. :D
@@ShanWatchesMovies yes yes 👍
@@ShanWatchesMovies Excalibur was not on The List!? By Crom, who made that list? :)
"Growing up in chains like that, kind of makes you mute, and silent."
*HLAUOOH-RA! RLA-LAH!*
Great movie. The Poleduris score is glorious.
Went to see this at aged about 15 with friends at our local cinema. Gore, violence, magic and nudity? 10/10 LMAO XD
15 sounds perfect 😂
Commando is another great Schwarzenegger action film
Apart from his first two films, I've watched everything Arnie has made!
@@ShanWatchesMovies You watched Hercules in New York. You have my deepest sympathies.
I'm sure the Mongol theme was intentional, Conan's first party member had the same name - Subedai (there are countless other spellings) - as Gengis Khan's primary general of his army.
This quote really validates one of your takes.
James Earl Jones:
"Arnold told our director, 'Listen, I'm not an actor like these guys..so just tell me exactly what you want me to do, & I'll do it.' ... I saw how well this was working, and I went up to John (Milius) and said, 'Can you direct me like that too?!"
Also, I like this take on one of the final scenes (of holding out the decapitated head in one hand & the broken sword in the other) - what can overcome both mind (control) & strength (steel) ? ... that which is between those two things in the shot - the will of the one
Love your channel, Shan! I watch a lot of reaction channels, but yours is my favorite. I love the way you point out the technical aspects as well as reacting emotionally. Hello from the USA!
When John Milius had a stroke, his son would play the Conan soundtrack for him when he was in the hospital for inspiration. A very interesting documentary about him was made called Milius. Milius also directed Dillinger in 1973. A really fun but violent movie about the infamous gangster bank robber. All star cast. Highly recommended. He also directed the controversial and violent Red Dawn in 1984.
Thanks for this reaction ! Your next Schwarzenegger-movie should be "Red Heat" (1988) !
James Earl Jones, his 'steel' speech is just fantastic. His presence and his voice is just bloody awesome. We all know him as the voice of Darth Vader which is iconic and superb but I prefer him in this film.
Yeah, Oliver Stone has said that he originally wrote it as a trilogy, but alas the follow-ups never got made.
He also wrote it as a post apocalyptical film
Took me now many days to realize that the Wizard is voiced by Aku from Samurai Jack
"Ah, the noises Schwarzenegger is making." As long as they don't resemble spoken language, I'm cool with it. Best. Leo.
I'd ask you not to judge my Arnold impression in the review 😂
@@ShanWatchesMovies Shan, if you are making a funny, then well played. I was simply considering the good fortune the Governator enjoyed early in his career before having to cope with the dramatic heavy lifting and dialogically intense Predator. Best. Leo.
He's just speaking in Cimmerian. Cimmerian for "augh-ach-uagh-ugah!"
This is my favourite film of all time. Thank you for uploading. This is a huge part of my life. Decades after watching it for the first time, it is still relevant.
This is one of my favorite films and favorite film soundtracks.
What is best in life?
To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and watching Conan the barbarian for the first time
The sequel "Conan the destroyer" doesn't have the same tone and timelessness but it's an enjoyable watch.
Good someone else who doesn't hate it.
I own this score on CD and I think is one of the greatest movie scores I've ever heard. And I agree the cinematography is fantastic. This is probably my favs of Arnold's movies, he looked like a barbarian and acted like one.
This was my childhood, Excalibur, Legend and The Dark Crystal also playing this soundtrack on cassette tape while reading Dragonlance Chronicles.
2:50, yes he wrote the score for RoboCop. Jerry Goldsmith wrote the opening theme to Total Recall as an homage to Conan. People say the theme is a ripoff but it's not.
Oh this movie is a gem. Well done. Great reaction as always.
Awww! Thank you as usual :)
I loved this mate- This has been my favourite movie for the best part of 30 years - (nostalgic for me and just has grown on me the more I watch it)
Your observations of the musical score, costume design, props and cinematography were second to none. Lots of people miss these details as they overlook the movie quickly.
All the location filming was in Spain. The Temple of Set was built about 12km west of Almeria and cost $350,000. It was 50m long, 22m high and had 120 steps. All the indoor scenes were shot at Shepperton studios in the UK.
This movie could best be described as the 80s answer to the adventure films of the 60s - 70s, such as the Harryhausen fantasies. It was meant to be a trilogy, however, only one more movie was made. A lot of people dislike Conan the Destroyer, but personally, I enjoy it. I'd say it's worth watching to form your own opinion on.
Yes, Basil Poledouris did the score for both Robocop as well as The Hunt For Red October, which was directed by John McTiernan, director of Predator and Die Hard, if you wanna check that one out.
The guy they ask about the two snakes symbol is played by the famous designer Ron Cobb. He's better known for sci-fi films like Alien and Bladerunner, but he actually did almost all of the work on this one too.
Yes, that was a nice cameo. I recognised him from the 'making of' videos of some of his movies. Great artist. Passed away last year on the day of his 83rd Birthday.
DUDE. I've been trying to get this one watched by like 5 reaction channels. They all watching tv shows like, WTF? I'm no patreon but show the regular folk some love man. we are spittin' truths.
THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS
EMPIRE OF THE SUN
A friend of mine was living in the Philappines at the time they were making "Apocalypse Now" and he got an extras part. When they filmed that day he was a bit sick so he was sitting on a rock wall the director told him to stay where he was for the next scene Robert Duvall was throwing death cards on the body's and said to my friend " Cheer of Son" !! I watched the movie the next day and i'll be damned it was him!!! LOL
Wow! Lucky him!
10:45 - yes, it was Max von Sydow. Small role but very memorable.
That guy's voice always seems so weighty -- Like Mr. Earl Jones himself, now I think about it.
@@jean-paulaudette9246 Milius said that since his three leads were a bodybuilder, a professional surfer, and a dancer, he wanted to cast really good actors to play against them.
Good choice. John Milius had the advantage of having friend and fellow USC film student Basil Poledouris compose and record many pieces of music before they actually shot the film, so Milius was able to craft some of the sequences based on the music. It also allowed him to cut out a lot of Oliver Stone's dialogue, and tell the story with images, like a silent movie.
This film launched an entire slew of ultra-low budget B to Z-grade "barbarian" films (most of which went "straight to video", where some made their money back, or saw life on late night cable channels). They ranged from pretty darned good, like Don Coscarelli's The Beast Master, to almost good, like Albert Pyun's The Sword and the Sorcerer, to sheer exploitation, like Roger Corman's Deathstalker and Warrior and the Sorceress series, etc.
Conan was hugely successful, launching Arnold's film career, and boosting both Milius' and composer Basil Poledouris' careers. Poledouris and Milius had previously made Big Wednesday together, and after Conan, Red Dawn, Farewell to the King, and Flight of the Intruder. Some of Poledouris' best work includes his collaborations with Paul Verhoeven, such as Flesh and Blood, Robocop, and Starship Troopers. Poledouris also went on to score Conan the Destroyer, Iron Eagle, Cherry 2000, Hot Shots Part Deux, Free Willy, Under Siege 2, Breakdown, the EXCELLENT Liam Neeson-led Les Miserables, and Sam Raimi's For the Love of the Game, among others.
Conan the Destroyer was fast-tracked after the original film's success, but Milius was unable to return, and apparently wasn't too keen to "tone down" the violence and nudity that made his R-rated film come to life like a living Frank Frazetta painting. Producer Dino De Laurentis, on the other hand, believed that their success could've been doubled without the "adult" elements, so he hired director Richard Fleischer (Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Vikings, Fantastic Voyage, Tora! Tora! Tora!) on the condition that he tone down the blood, guts, and T&A. This was before PG-13. To De Laurentis' lament, the Conan-lite approach failed to generate the same level of excitement as the original at the box office.
However, Conan the Destroyer - like Conan the Barbarian - is ALSO largely saved by Poledouris' almost equally-impressive score, which still manages to be magical, romantic, and pulse-pounding despite the whole film clearly angling for a more light-hearted, child-friendly approach. It is VERY MUCH worth seeing for Grace Jones' performance alone, alongside basketball star Wilt Chamberlain as fellow warriors/ barbarians who join Conan in a quest to save a princess. The jokes are solid, Arnold beefed himself up as much as Stallone did between First Blood and Rambo Part II, or Rocky II & III, and while sillier and more "magical" in tone, it still delivers an "entertaining-enough" action-adventure.
Regrettably, it wasn't popular enough to warrant a third entry in the series, but after 2011's failed Jason Momoa reboot, it was briefly thought that Milius and Schwarzenegger would return for a long-awaited end-cap to their trilogy. The blu-ray edition of the Milius "director's cut was released - the version you watched - which restored a few scenes, and changed the ending scrawl, hinting at a third adventure. Alternately titled Conan Unforgiven (referencing the Clint Eastwood western that they would try to emulate), Legend of Conan, and King Conan, it never materialized, and Schwarzenegger faulted the youth and inexperience of the new rights holders, who were sheepish about getting "old guys" like Milius and Arnold back together, instead being more interested in selling the property as a new Netflix series, which also has yet to happen.
Poledouris passed away in 2006, and since then, Milius had a stroke, and Arnold had to have an emergency heart surgery to replace the heart valve installed in a surgery from 1997. But while it's fun to dream of what might have been, the original Conan the Barbarian has gone down in history as the quintessential, pre-Lord of the Rings fantasy film, inspiring everything from The Beast Master to Hercules and Xena, and for decades, it kept the dream of big-budget fantasy films alive. In the new millennium, Tolkien and C.S. Lewis adaptations have been made, along with a slew of big-budget fantasy films, but back in the 80's, they were hard to find, which is why Conan rose quickly to the top.
Sorry for all the words, lol, but thanks for another great reaction/ review! As always, looking forward to whatever's next!
My favorite movie of all-time! Glad someone is reacting to it. It’s underrated and better than people give it credit. Glad you’re watching the uncut version, but I do hate that the dialogue between Subotai and Conan before the last battle was cut from the Blu-ray version.
This movie is a masterpiece, because of its flaws and its virtues.
I first saw Basil Polidouri's name in The Hunt for Red October. Best. Leo.
A great film indeed!
Subotai is Gerry Lopez professional surfer. John Milias was into big wave surfing. I highly recommend the documentary Riding Giants. I like how John cast Gerry as the Archer.
I like James Earl Jones haircut in this film because it reminds me of the ancient Hittite hairstyles. Gives his character an ancient look
Thulsa Doom believed flesh was stronger than steel I think, what a great movie I remember the theater was packed with multiple sold out shows when it came out thanks for sharing your reactions Shan! Also “Twins”is one of Arnold best movies please give it a watch sometime thanks
I miss "Twins." That was a good one!
Epic movie! I wish the second was as serious as this one.
Right. Higher budget, but less epic in scale, somehow. Still good fun, though, IMO.
So the sequel was more more of a popcorn movie?
@@ShanWatchesMovies Yeah! Good description. I still love it, for (among other things) the quotable lines. And Wilt Chamberlain's improbably long legs.
@@jean-paulaudette9246 and Grace Jones being an absolute badass
@@VeerleTakino And unexpected font of relationship advice! ;)
Finally! I've been waiting forever for someone to react to this movie!
Conan the Barbarian gets a bad rep of being "silly" or B-movie material because of the second film and the many 80s sword&board films that followed it. It's one of the best movies ever made IMO. I saw this movie several times before I even realized Conan never said more than one line to Valeria! So much of the sets, scenes, stunts and the amount of extras used are things we'll never see again due to CGI.
I saw bits and pieces of the movie when I was a kid when my older sister was watching, and that scene with Thulsa Doom turning into a snake and the body parts in the cauldron is one of the most iconic moments I can think of.
The character named "Rexor" is Ben Davidson who was a all pro defensive player in the NFL for a lot of years. He also played "sloth" in The Goonies!!!
"Let me tell you about the days of high adventure."
That Wheel of Strength that young Conan is chained to is actually a part of some Strongman contests today. :) I haven't really been into the scene for quite a while, but I've seen the wheel now and then.
You, my friend have embarked on a wonderful journey. The Music is killer as well... Basil Poledouris (RIP)
I love the reverence you give films. Respecting the time period and all aspects of film making. You gave this move more credit and respect then I ever had when it came out. Watching it with you, with your insight, made me appreciate it properly. Thanks for being Very good at what you do.
Wanna see one of the greatest films ever?... Three words....COOL HAND LUKE.
Sometimes 'nothin's' a real cool hand!
It's on the list but after so many recommendations, it's moving up the list lol
@@ShanWatchesMovies check it out when you can, Shan. Its a film so memorable, rewatchable and quotable, you will always take it with you. I enjoy your vids! Take care..
One of my favorite movies! So happy to see it get a react. I predict you will like it, as it does really well for that genre and stands up great.
It really really surprised me cadleo! I loved it! What about the sequel?
@@ShanWatchesMovies Conan Destroyer is definitely worth a watch, but its a high bar to meet after the first one. Good but sacrifices some of that raw authenticity that Barbarian brings for higher budget and more studio influence. tbh, saying that Destroyer is a b-movie genre is a bit more accurate but you gotta see it if you like 1
Maybe a couple of months down the line after I'm done with more classics!
The shot where the mother is beheaded is hauntingly beautiful. So simple yet very powerful. And the music is amazing. I love this movie.
So so good to hear someone actually appreciating this one. The score is unbelievable, and the dialogue gives the relatively thin plot a lot of soul and depth.
Also, note that he’s epically strong, but fails at everything he does alone. It’s all a tribute to the importance of friendship.