Plot
Conan leads a ragtag group of adventurers on a quest for a princess.

Release Year: 1984

Rating: 5.5/10 (30,097 voted)

Director: Richard Fleischer

Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Grace Jones, Olivia d'Abo

Storyline
Conan, the swashbuckler, is promised that his dead love will be revived if he procures a magic crystal from a magic fortress. He gathers Grace Jones, Mako, and Jeff Corey (fighter, wizard, and thief) to help him as he overcomes the perils on the way.

Writers: Robert E. Howard, Roy Thomas

Cast:
Arnold Schwarzenegger - Conan
Grace Jones - Zula
Wilt Chamberlain - Bombaata
Mako - Akiro 'The Wizard'
Tracey Walter - Malak
Sarah Douglas - Queen Taramis
Olivia d'Abo - Princess Jehnna (as Olivia D'Abo)
Pat Roach - Man Ape / Toth-Amon
Jeff Corey - Grand Vizier
Sven-Ole Thorsen - Togra (as Sven Ole Thorsen)
Bruce Fleischer - Village Heckler
Ferdy Mayne - The Leader (as Ferdinand Mayne)

Taglines: The most powerful legend of all is back in a new adventure.

Release Date: 29 June 1984

Filming Locations: Churubusco Studios, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Box Office Details

Budget: $18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend: $6,876,678 (USA) (1 July 1984)

Gross: $31,042,035 (USA)

Runtime: 103 min

Trivia:
Some scenes were filmed in the same location and at the same time as scenes from Dune.

Goofs:
Continuity: Just after Akiro reads the legend on the wall of the crypt regarding the woman-child with a certain mark, we are treated to a view of the mark that makes Jehnna so special on the swell of her left breast (a pink star shaped mark). However, earlier in the movie, when Jehnna first awakens in the castle of Toth-Amon as well as the scene a few minutes after this when she lifts the jewel/key from its place, this same area of her chest is perfectly visible but the mark is not there.

Quotes:
Conan: Enough talk!

Be Afraid... Be Very Afraid...

Rating:

Oh, I can understand why "Conan the Destroyer" is the way it is. The original, classic "Conan the Barbarian" was a hit, but the Hollywood bigwigs decided they could get x-amount more money if they made a more family-friendly sequel, thereby opening the franchise to the lucrative kid's market (never mind that, for as long as there have been "restrictive" movie ratings, kids have known how to get to see the movies they want). Take out the sex, tone down the violence, crank up the humor, and... out comes this movie.

It's like "Destroyer" is stuck in a state of half-development. The basic storyline would be okay, but the script gives Conan a coterie of unneccessary sidekicks (as if Conan were not a strong enough character to carry a movie by himself). Grace Jones is interesting to look at but gets tiresome VERY fast; the cowardly sidekick gets more irritating by the second; Mako wears this expression like he's only in this one for the money. Olivia d'Abo is just plain miscast: it's like she's a marker that should read "Insert More Interesting Character in Second Draft." Arnold Schwarzenegger does a competent job as Conan, but we don't see the raw power and brute force of the first movie. There is a thin line between competence and complacency, between an actor and a star; it took Roger Moore six years to get to that point in the James Bond series, while Schwarzenegger reaches the same point with Conan in two.

I think part of the problem is whether or not the Conan concept is flexible enough to become family fare, and my answer is "no." Fans of Robert E. Howard's Conan work know his Cimmerian is a very rough-edged hero, a cunning, hard-drinking, hard-fighting man, and the first Conan movie captured that essence. To change him into the simple-minded do-gooder of "Conan the Destroyer" is to destroy what Conan is all about, and the movie suffers for it.

Is "Conan the Destroyer" worth watching? Yes. For someone who knows absolutely nothing about Conan, I suppose it can be a harmless sword-and-sorcery popcorn flick. For Conan fans, it's kind of like "Legend of the Lone Ranger" for Lone Ranger fans: an irresistible example of just how badly Hollywood can treat your favorite character.

I just hope that if there is ever another Conan movie (not likely, thanks to "Destroyer"), the producers will concentrate on following the style of "Conan the Barbarian" and just ignore this one.

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