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Jehnna: I go where I feel myself led.
Conan: So I've noticed.
Conan leads a ragtag group of adventurers on a quest for a princess.
Arnold Schwarzenegger: Conan
The first outing, Conan the Barbarian, really is a classic. It is unpretentious, raw, and mythical. It is an adult fantasy action film. However Conan the Destroyer was made for a younger crowd - children to teenagers to perhaps young adults. Despite the PG rating, it does have plenty of rolling heads and blood, though to satisfy the adult audience. The difference in this film is that there is an emphasis on humour and the characters are not as interesting. It IS the weaker film, but it still is a good film.
With a clear minded vantage point, as every film should be viewed, this is a nice little fantasy. The scenes with the evil wizard in the ice palace are wonderfully mythical and the sword-fighting is simply chivalrous and true to the Conan character. The musical score, by the returning Basil Poledouris is still on form too. It really adds to the credibility of the film project. Schwarzenegger is memorable here too also. He seems to be having fun and he definitely enjoys returning to the role. Just as good is the return of Mako as Akiro the Wizard. He is definitely Conan's best ally and he turns in a much better performance than the rest of his team. Chamberlain is good enough and it was smart that he doesn't have too much dialogue. He gets to look imposing. Sarah Douglas is terrific as the sexy evil queen and the only shame in her character is that we do not see more of her. She has a certain dignity and mystical quality that a beautiful evil temptress should have.
Jehnna: I suppose nothing hurts you.
Conan: Only pain.
What doesn't work as well in the film is the acting of the supporting cast, thus the people I mentioned. Most of all, it is weakly directed, and poorly constructed, restricting sexual scenes and extreme violence. There just doesn't seem to be a driving force in what the film is trying to be. It feels as if wanders along trying to please all audiences instead of focusing on the appreciators of the franchise, the fan-boys. It would also be a realistic train of thought, to see what makes the princess choose the course that they take. The film lacks a certain credibility for purpose and motive.
Overall, though, this film entertains and is still a worthy sequel to Barbarian. It rates slightly lower though, almost solely based on the lack of directing strength that John Milius gave to the first film. He is what is sorely missed in this one. On its' own, however, this is still a fun realized film.
Malak: Why are they trying to kill us?
Conan: Maybe they want to capture us, and torture us to death.
7/10
