Conan the Destroyer (1984)

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

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Robert E. Howard (character), Roy Thomas (story),

Stars:

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Grace Jones, Wilt Chamberlain

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited 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)

Storyline

The wandering barbarian, Conan, alongside his goofy rogue pal, Malak, are tasked with escorting Queen Taramis' virgin niece, Princess Jehnna and her bodyguard, Bombaata, to a mystical island fortress. They must retrieve a magical crystal that legends say can awaken the god of dreams, Dagoth. Along the way, Conan reunites with the wise wizard, Akiro and befriends the fierce female fighter, Zula. Together the heroes face ancient traps, powerful Wizards, plots of betrayal, and even the dream god, Dagoth, himself!

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Plot Keywords:

wizard | princess | queen | gods | thief | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Fantasy | Adventure

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 June 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Conan: King of Thieves

Filming Locations:

Churubusco Studios, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$26,400,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

De Laurentiis

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During his lifetime, Wilt Chamberlain claimed sexual encounters with over 20,000 women. Ironically, in this movie Queen Taramis charges Chamberlain's character Bombaata with protecting Princess Jehnna's virginity.

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Goofs

During his battle with Man Ape, the blue make-up used on the monster can be seen rubbing off on Conan's body in various scenes for short periods.

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Quotes

Malak: A fine magician you are! Go back to juggling apples.

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Connections

Referenced in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Never Leave Me (2002)

User Reviews

Stupid But Fun

If you're looking for a deep, interesting and layered fantasy flick which makes sense and has an original story, go rent out the first Conan movie. Conan the Destroyer is pure Hollywood cheese, made because the Conan the Barbarian was such a hit. The studio execs made the story more light-hearted, with sidekicks and magic and the kind of story a thirteen-year-old could watch without getting in trouble.

Oddly enough, it works. While it's light years away from Robert E Howard's original Conan stories, Conan the Destroyer is still great fun, even twenty years after it was made. Arnold Schwarzenegger makes the most of the very silly lines he's given, Tracey Walter proves a capable if somewhat pointless comic foil, and the irony of casting Wilt Chamberlain as a protector of a young princess' virginity is hilarious.

Mako hams it up, Grace Jones takes it all too seriously and Olivia D'Abo makes for a good childlike princess because she was 16 when the film got made. The music's over-dramatic, the lines are laughable ("Some wizard you are! Go back to juggling apples!") and the story's cliché, but for Saturday night viewing, nothing beats Conan the Destroyer.

Possibly Interesting Trivia: This movie was produced by Raffaela De Laurentis, daughter of the famous Dino De Laurentis. She also produced the confusing big-budget epic "Dune". Both Dune and this movie flopped at the box office, and both were filmed in Mexico.