Conan the Destroyer (1984)

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

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Robert E. Howard (based on the character created by), Roy Thomas (story by)

Stars:

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Grace Jones, Olivia d'Abo

1 win & 3 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 will help them procure the horn 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:

good versus evil | antihero | punching an animal | good man | good woman | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA Mexico

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 June 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Conan: King of Thieves

Filming Locations:

Yuma, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,958,872, 1 July 1984

Gross USA:

$31,042,035

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$31,042,035

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dino De Laurentiis Company, Edward R. Pressman Film, Estudios Churubusco Azteca S.A.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Olivia d'Abo was terrified of Pat Roach.

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Goofs

(at around 54 mins) After Princess Jehnna rubs the healing ointment on Conan's bicep, it runs down in several places. After Conan wakes up, we see his arm and the ointment goes across his bicep in a straight line.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Akiro 'The Wizard': [voiceover] Between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the rise of the Sons of Aryas, there was an Age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world. Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, sword in hand. It is I, his chronicler, who knows well his saga. Now, let me tell you of the days of high adventure.

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Alternate Versions

There are some deleted scenes that never made it to the dvd or vhs, these include:- 1. A love scene between Conan and Queen Taramis 2. Queen Taramis slaps Bombaata The German dvd release of Conan the destroyer is special edition and restores some of the scenes that aren't included either on the UK or US versions, these are:- 1. When the camel spits at Conan, Conan slams the camel down with a fist. 2. Some of the fight scenes are extended 3. Bombaata trips up Zula when she helps Conan defeat the Elite guards that surprise attack.

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Connections

Featured in Cinematic Excrement: Conan the Destroyer (2012)

User Reviews

Not bad - but blimey - the most annoying sidekick ever!!!!!

The plot moves on at a fair old pace from one big set piece to another and it is clear the film had a decent budget. In fact, I would say that this is excellent bubblegum sword and sorcery fodder except for a few minor, but annoying quirks. For one thing the comedy sidekick Malak is phenomenally irritating, badly acted, and takes any tension, interest etc out of any scene. Clearly they were going for a wider 'family' appeal with this film, but this was also clearly a decision made some time down the filming process. Most obviously this hits home during the fight scenes with some very choppy cutting as some of the more gruesome bits have been removed. And Conan's second encounter with the camel suffers from this too! That aside the cast carry off their roles with aplomb, Grace Jones in particular really getting across her character's zest for and love of combat. One of the better hack and slash films out there.