This movie did subversion of expectations the right way. Valeria saves Conan -twice. And without undermining Conan's strength and heroism.

“Valeria” the archetype of all Warrior girls in this genre and the only one to win a Golden Globe portraying one. Let’s call her Xena’s grandma.

7:56 If you're wondering why Conan's owner let him go, the context is there in the preceding scene. Conan's owner (the red-bearded man, maybe the same red-haired youth who whipped young Conan when he first arrived at the wheel) has just hired Conan out to the warlords. They're feasting because they've just won another battle, with Conan's help. The Chieftain says, "My fear is that my sons will never understand me," then he asked _that_ question. The Chieftain's son speaks up and gives a good answer, but it wasn't the answer the Chieftain wanted to hear, so he asks Conan instead, who provides the perfect answer. This proves three things: 1. The Chief's fears have just been validated: his sons really don't understand him. 2. The Chief just realized that Conan, the fighting slave, understands him better than his own sons do. 3. The Chief's son has just been embarrassed by his father in front of his siblings and the other warriors. This is going to breed resentment. The son doesn't just feel jealous of Conan, he maybe even feels threatened by him. Conan's owner picked up on this and realized he was suddenly in the middle of a dangerous situation. The Chief's son might make an attempt on him and Conan, or even against his own father. Red Beard knew he had to get Conan out of there before he was caught up in some patricide plot, and as long as he was traveling with Conan through the Chief's country, Conan would be a liability, so he had to set him free and get rid of him to save his own skin. At least, that's my interpretation of what happened, after viewing the film many times.

Soundtrack is still one of my most played Sountrack ever. Basil Poledouris really can make epic soundtracks. You give Arnold's glistening muscles, Poledouris soundtrack and James Earl "Darth Vader" Jones as bad guy. Classic with capital C.

Mako was such a treasure. Brought so much energy from this movie to Samurai Jack, to Avatar.

The score was written for this movie. An absolu masterpiece. Definitely a top 5 in cinema.

The difference between cgi and real objects in a film makes all the difference

The wheel Conan pushes is real. It's used for crushing grain.

Some things you appear to have missed. Valeria promised Conan that if she was dead and he was fighting for life, she'd come back to fight by his side, and she did. The broken sword was Conan's father's sword so that makes the revenge more pertinent. Thulsa hypnotizes people. His mother, everyone along the way, even Conan in the end until he snapped out of it. It's the ultimate revenge movie, very poignant

Not based on a comic, but there are many comics based on the same source material: stories written by Robert E. Howard in the late 1920s/early '30s in publications like Weird Tales Magazine, alongside his contemporary and associate, H.P. Lovecraft. Regarding Conan's mother, as you've now seen, Thulsa Doom is a member of a nearly extinct race of snake men. He hypnotized the woman with his eyes, so that she wouldn't struggle or fight.

"The steel is broken... How do we feel about this?" To me, that is the riddle of steel. Steel is only as strong as the wielder and even steel can break beneath Crom's Atlantean sword. But Conan's body and will, forged by pain and revenge, are more resilient than steel.

I spent my teenage years reading Conan comic books that I thought I would grow up to be a comic book illustrator. I’ve read all of Robert E Howard’s Conan novels. I didn’t know who Arnie was at the time when I saw pictures of him as Conan I couldn’t wait to see the film. When he finally said his first words: “to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women”. I said “PERFECT!” Basil Poledouris’ music for Conan the Barbarian is a classic and is still played on stage around the world by symphony orchestras. I grew up watching actor William Smith, Conan’s dad, always playing the heavy. He was originally offered the role of Conan. The naked tattooed Pict scout in the opening battle scene was played by Arnie’s body-builder buddy Franco Colombo, who appeared with Arnie in the first Terminator movie, playing another Terminator in a flashback dream scene. The guy with the hammer is Sven-Ole Thorsen, a good friend of Arnie and has appeared in every single one of his films. ‘Red hair’ Conan’s master who eventually released him was the boy who originally chained young Conan to the ‘Wheel of Pain’. The ‘sword master’ who slapped Conan was Arnie’s real sensei for the film. The guy he kicked for laughing was Arnie’s stand-in. Conan’s buddy Subotai was Gerry Lopez a champion surfer in real life. The drug-dealer in the marketplace trying to sell them Stygian Lotus was the director John Milius. At the time, one of the first films where the actors were actually and properly trained to use swords. Arnie learned Kendo. I just love watching him swing that blade! I never became a comic book illustrator, but I’ve done book covers, including a book for Sword and Sorcery Fantasy wargames.

Conan was a Fantasy Anti-Hero Character conceived by Robert E Howard back in the early 1930s. Howard died in the late 30s, but Conan did not. Conan lived on as other authors picked up the ball and continued to write tales of Conan. He did become a very successful Comic Book Character in the late 60s n 70s... which leads to a movie franchise, as this movie can attest to.

The broken sword he stares at and then uses to behead Thulsa Doom was the sword his father was making in the beginning of the film. That's why he stared at it.

"Went from the Temple of Doom right into Eyes Wide Shut." Nice, but I would've gone "Went from the Temple of Doom to the Temple of Poon."

There’s actually a deleted scene that puts into full perspective the bond between Conan and Subotai. Just before Thulsa Doom’s riders show up, Conan basically tells Subotai, “Hey bro, the odds are insanely stacked against us. Chances are, we’re both going to die. I can’t run because I have to face my destiny, but this really isn’t your fight, so you can take off.” Subotai replies with, “Even if I were to run, where would my travels take me? I’d only end up in another place, and facing another battle, only that time I may very well face it alone. If I’m going to die in battle, I’d rather die fighting alongside my brother.” That was some deep shit there. I really wish they had kept it in the movie.

To your question at the start, yes that was Mako. The tomb scene is the one I always wonder about. At the time this flick was made, Marvel Comics had the licenses to both Conan & Kull the conqueror. They implied very heavily (in the comics & magazine) that Kull was Conans ancestor. So was this or was this NOT the tomb of King Kull? On the DVD/Blu Ray of this scene, it's called the "Atlantean Kings Tomb" or some such. If it is Kulls tomb, that makes it poetic that Conan would use Kulls sword to take out Thulsa Doom; finishing what his ancestor was unable to. In the lore Thulsa Doom is Kulls enemy, not Conans (Thoth Amon is Conans). Regarding the riddle of steel, did Conan know the answer? His father didn't know the answer. Thulsa Doom was also wrong. We never knew of Conan take, I guess that was for the audience to decide. To what you said around 28:10, Conan was wise to pray INDIRECTLY to Crom. In the lore, Crom takes a dim view of those who directly pray to him. His view goes something like this, "I gave you what you needed to survive & thrive when you were born." Praying to him for "more" afterward is greedy, in his eyes. Annoy him enough, he might actually curse you rather then grant your request.

7:50 Conan had become so powerful that his owner had started to fear him and let him go. 8:30 The leather scabbard had petrified around the blade. 9:00 Conan went from being chased by dogs to wearing dog pelts!

"Do you know what horrors lie beyond that wall?" "No..." "Then you go first" That still cracks me up, great writing and she delivers it so deadpan. Valeria is a brilliantly written character, especially for 40+ years ago.

Your selection these days are so refreshing compared to other reaction channels. The glasses is no problem at all. Conan was very popular back in the 80's when I was in primary school. I think I first saw this somewhere between '85 to '87, not 100% sure, but I do remember being blown away by it. Love how most of our parents back in the 80's didn't care what we watched.

During the fight scene where the sword broke, that was the sword his father made at the beginning. Arnold broke it with the Atlantean king's sword he found when he was released.

Arnold just has that charisma about him. His character doesn't talk that much in this movie, but he still dominates the screen. Much like Stallone in the first Rambo movie those two guys were stars, and you knew it just by looking at them.

The success of this film is the reason why there are many fantasy films that are written like.

Thank you. To answer your question, and every other reactor I've seen watch this, The Warlord who owns Conan frees him because they share the same view of the world and what is best in life, while the Warlord's own sons do not.

I used to own 47 different Conan paperbacks. Later probably a couple hundred Conan and King Conan comic books. Young men? Great fantasy hero material.

"Feels like an epic dark fantasy" It is THE dark fantasy

I have the soundtrack on CD. Listened to it recently while driving. It is amazing how at every track, sometimes even every note, I have the movie before my eyes and the scenes where it was played.

This is the first proper movie Arnold was in, he could speak English but couldn't properly enunciate yet, so James Earl Jones gave him pointers throughout filming

So, really weird piece of trivia that people seem to either not know or never mention, but in the final fight between Conan and Rexor in the ruins, John Milius made the absolutely insane decision to do the fight using the "hero blades", that is the ones used for close-ups that had live (i.e. sharp) blades. That's why the choreography has them awkwardly clashing the blades high above their heads and watching very carefully where the blades are at all times. [Edit] I also just remembered some of the other absolutely buck wild things that happened regarding safety while this was being filmed. 1. They shot _actual_ arrows at the animatronic snake while Arnie was holding on to it, and IIRC nobody on set had any archery experience which could have very easily led to someone hitting Arnie. 2. During the fight at the orgy, Sandahl Bergman (Valeria) accidentally cut the finger off one of the extras. 3. The cultist that jumps off the ledge? Yeah, that was done for real, and was a record-breaking stunt (a record I believe it still holds) 4. The vulture Arnold bites? Actual vulture carcass.

1. Conan's mom was a serious hottie!😍😜 2. The first woman he encounters was a harpy. 3. Filmed primarily in Spain. 4. James Earl Jones is the MAN 5. One of the best endings ever. 6. "Conan the Destroyer" doesn't suck.

In the director’s cut, there’s scene where Conan tells Subotai of childhood. He tells him of the winters winds that would smell of spring. Subotai said that he knew those winds. “They blow where I live too. In the north of every man's heart.”

I'm glad you recognized the music off the bat. This soundtrack is one of the best ever composed, and yes, it carries the movie forward scene after scene after scene. If you've watched the movie many times you'll know exactly which sequences were scored as the music will bring that emotion and memory up.

Non-verbal character story telling is kind of a lost art, that it's coming back into fashion is kind of nice. Conan: The Barbarian, Mad Max, The Road Warrior, and quite a few other movies of the time were fantastic at conveying meanings through simple gestures and expressions.

Conan started as pulp fiction stories for "Weird Tales" magazines in the 1930's, by Robert E. Howard. It was considered adult action-adventure fantasy. Then it became a series of novels/books finished by L. Sprague De Camp (1950's) after Howard passed away. Eventually, it did become a popular comic book series in the 1960's. Of the two Arnold as Conan movies, this one is closest to the original adult fantasy stories. "Conan the Destroyer" feels more like the comics for younger audiences.

The king is the actor who played priest in " The Exocist ". Also in many great movies and a Stephen King movie " Needful Things ".

This is still my favorite Schwarzenegger movie ever. The score is amazing.🔥👍

This was one of the first movies I had on DvD. The director's commentary track was awesome. He referred to the cauldron in the "kitchens" scene as filled with split pea and hand.

Akiro has some pretty good lines, too. "Can you summon demons, wizard?" "Yes. Anger me, and I will summon a demon more ferocious than all in HELL!!!"

James Earl Jones' every line of dialogue in this movie is a massive quotable meme.

Arnie did do a few earlier films but only watch them if you're a masochist 🤣. This was his breakout movie.

Even though the movie is not really faithful to the source material , it's an absolute Sword & Sorcery classic. In the books Conan's tribe was never slaughtered & he never sold to slavery as a child. He just decides to wander out into the world after participating in a big battle as a 17 year old young warrior, inspired by the tales of great kingdoms & beautiful cities from his grandfather who was a legendary warrior/ metal smith. Also in the books/comics, Conan isn't just a dumb brute but extremely intelligent to the point where he often defeats his enemies by cunning, exploiting the fact that everybody thinks he's some dumbass muscle. He also has a very dry sense of humor and sometimes acts very selfish. Ironically, the Jason Momoa Conan movie, portrays him much more faithful to the source material, but people hated it and just wanted more dumb ''Ahhh-nold swinging my swoahd'' . Oh and just like in the movie, he often comes across some badass warrior chicks, like Valeria or Belit the pirate queen. Besides the original Conan stories by Robert E. Howard, I can also recommend the ''Savage Sword of Conan'' comic series, from the 70's/80's by Marvel and the ''Conan-The Nemedian Chronicles'' by Dark Horse from the 00's.

Why do you cry? He won't cry, so I cry for him.

They never say her name on camera, but Conan's girlfriend is named Valeria. The sword he snapped was the one they stole from his father.

Arnold only had 2 movies, so he was still learning. Gery Lopez (Subotai) was a professional surfer ( he was a really big deal in the late 70s early 80s) and not an actor. He turned them down 3 times before agreeing to do the film. That's why the other actors had more dialog.

As cheesy as it is, this movie did so much to advance the sword and sorcery genre. There are a lot of films out there that exist solely due to the success and enduring enjoyment of this one. I'm still waiting for a Conan movie that's actually faithful to Robert E. Howard's novels, though.

The way I've always thought about why he was let go was that I think his Master knew that he would either escape or die trying eventually, (all that reading and education and even the fighting had expanded his mind and his ideas of possibilities) and there was a good chance he would take his Master to the grave with him. Add to the fact he had probably made his Master rich, and I assume the Master decided it was safer to let him go - it would give the Master a better chance of living a long life to enjoy his wealth. In short, Conan was a VERY DANGEROUS slave, and by freeing him - and to be fair , educating him first, it's possible Conan would hold no grudge or at least no deadly grudge for his slavery.

Now that you've heard the music, you'll hear it pop up in movie trailers when they don't have the original score set. That music is also great for driving in remote areas on rainy nights, or fantasy RPGs with a lot of running. There was a lot of nice visual elements in this film. His crossed arm salute after winning a pit fight come back at the end when he salutes the crowd after killing Thusa Doom is one of the better ones. Valeria coming back from the dead to fight as his side, as she promised, is another.

I'll never forget seeing this on opening weekend. Me and a friend went to a real late showing like 11pm. I was living in a very military base rich area... so the audience was mostly young enlisted guys. When Conan visited the 'witch's' hut, when she turned into a 'fireball' and flew outside the audience was almost completely silent. I guess we were all wondering "Wait... was she a witch? Or some sort of vampire? What the hell?" When Conan appeared at the door of the hut wild eyed, a black dude in the audience screamed "Bet that's the beat piece of pussy he's ever had!" Theater blew up laughing to say the least. Dudes timing was impeccable.

The scarcity of dialogue is due to Arnold's very limited English (at the time), and very thick accent. Just like in The Terminator, they made a conscious decision to limit how much he actually had to speak. At least they didn't dub him, like they did in Hercules in New York. Another fun early Arnold movie, at least imo, is The Villain, co-starring Ann-Margret and Kirk Douglas. It's kind of a Looney Tune Western.

"Is he the only one left? He can push it easily now..." Conan, possessor of the strength of twenty children! 💪 Arnold truly is a fantastic embodiment of Conan. Look up some of the Frank Frazetta Conan artwork to see what I mean.

To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.

Some of the lack of dialog was due to this being one of Arnold's first films and he wasn't much of an actor at that time, so his lines were kept to a minimum. In the scenes with Sandahl Bergman (Valeria) it's Sandahl that does all the talking while he stays silent.

They say its a macho movie. But look at all the different women roles in this masterpiece. You have his beautiful mother who had a sword to defend herself, a sultry powerful witch, a princess seduced by the darl side and conans valkrie warrior girlfriend.

This was the best musical score ever written. I will fight anyone who disagrees. Loved your reaction, uour references were dpot on and funny, eyes wideshut, lemmy...perfect. you didn't really miss much. For this I will subscribe and and tell your tales. If you don't go into this film expecting anything it does surprise you. It's not a B movie by any stretch.

Still one of my fave films. Saw it at the cinema when released. Awesome soundtrack too. Great reaction, glad you enjoyed it!

1:08 Yes, that's the original voice both of Aku *and* General Iroh.😢 17:44, told you!

I saw this when I was 5 years old in the 80s and it blew my mind. One of my favorite movies and favorite movie score of all time.

I would like to recommend Conan The destroyer, from 1984. And I would like to recommend Willow from 1988. And I would also like to recommend the Beast master from 1982.

Can't wait for you to do the sequel Conan the Destroyer, its such a fun film, a bit different but really fun.

The broken sword was the one Conan's father made and stolen when they raided the village.

The music for this movie is extremely important and carries many of the scenes. This is another example why film music rules and should be more appreciated by people. This is the greatest Basil Poledouris film score, basically his opus. I tend to favor Basil's score to "Destroyer" a tad more. But both "Conans" are my favorite by Poledouris.

This is story telling At its finest. Don't need tonsnof dialog

This movie was a live action personification of all Dungeon and Dragons Pen and Paper RPG games come to life. It pretty much has every known character class in that game.

Great reaction! Thanks for watching one of my favorite Christmas movies!

Good movie, epic soundtrack!

It you think that there are some scenes that are overly long... Than you should watch the *extended* version! Film fact: Both Thulsa Doom and Conan's father are wrong. The strongest of steel will rust, the strongest of flesh will rot but the strongest of *wills* lasts forever. Also... Conan commits a huge blasphemy by praying to Crom for something. You don't ask crom for things, you thank him for the gift he's given you. Crom answers Conan prayer but makes him pay for it, for the rest of his life... And he's gonna live for a long time.

Personally, I always thought that immediately after getting his sword, he winds up wearing wolf-skins was hilarious....

Great reaction! I’m a huge collector and fan of Conan comics and memorabilia. The music in this was almost like another character!

The dead king's skeleton moved because the sword was removed, destabilizing the body. Or.... He was bowing to the new king: Conan. Open for interpretation i suppose but i prefer the latter, especially with the way the music peaks at the end.

I made it less than two minutes. Less than two.

Yes, that is the voice of Uncle Iro and he also provided the voice for Aku from Samurai Jack. His name is Mako a very well known Japanese actor. He's been in a lot of films.

I saw this movie in a theater with my dad in about 1982 or 83. It sparked an interest in history, literature, and REAL ancient weaponry and how it might've been used in REAL combat that persists to this day. The original Conan the Barbarian film is, in my opinion, the best of any of the sword and sandal films that came out in the late 70's or early 80's. And I would encourage anyone who likes the film? To find a copy of the book, it's based on and read it. It covers a lot of the tiny gaps and backstory on Conan and his Hyborean Age.

I love seeing people react to this movie. I saw this in about 85 when I was 7ish 😬 This movie is still epic 40 years on. Great job!

Mako did a GREAT job in any role he played. I really think my fave is as Po-han in "The Sand Pebbles". RIP Mako 2006.

great reaction, Rhetorical. Valeria is the most Bad Ass Warrior Woman ever. don't give me any shit about Ripley, Sarah Conner, Buffy or the Black Widow. she'd kick all of their asses!

The narrator for these Conan film is Mako also the voice AKU from Samurai Jack

Been waiting for this one. And I plan on sharing it with all my 80s, Facebook groups.❤

You have a charming personality: fun, funny, smart, and very likeable. Great reaction!

Conan the Barbarian is an absolute classic in adventure/sci-fi genre: - Creates the hero's journey by having him at his lowest and building him up through trial and combat - The loyal friends who each have their role Subotai and Akiro - Valeria subverts expectations by being a capable warrior but also inspiring Conan while not undermining him - Classic repeatable lines: "Do you want to live forever?", "What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven in front of you, and hear the lamentation of the women.", "Contemplate this on the tree of woe.", "...but that is another story."

While there was Conan Comics books, it started as a series of novella in the 1920’s

I have so many of the tracks from this score still in my general playlists. There's a track for every mood, and some absolute stone-cold classics that you can bop along to.

Arnold's biggest line in every movie .... "Arrrg". And that is how the 60s ended ;-)

This movie is a legit fantasy masterpiece. Deep, mythically rich and immaculately made. I've found that most people who talk s** t about it either saw it every young and only remember the giant mechanical snake scene. Or they saw the awful sequel and conflate one with the other.

First time watching a reaction from you. Excellent job!

"I'm a wizard, mind you" is the best quote ever!

I'm glad you have the ending with Conan just looking at the Doom temple burning at the end..the other is him carrying the princess off

Great reaction! Was genuinely lol-ing at some points 😂 Glad you enjoyed the movie too!

Love the way Arnie paraphrases Genghiz Khan with an Austrian accent: "Crushz der enemiez, grind dem into ze dust unt hear ze lammentationz of ze vimmin!"

The sword that was broken during the final fight and that he later uses to kill Thulsa Doom was Conan's father's sword that we saw him forging at the beginning of the movie.

Awesome episode. Great review thanks

One of the greatest movies ever made.

I first saw the movie in 1982. I lived in a small Iowa town and the guy who ran the TV repair shop had the only satellite dish in town. One Saturday night, he moved his giant projection TV out onto pickup tailgae out on the sidewalk so that everyone could watch the movie. I was great

This movie is a masterpiece, love it !

This was Arnold's big break out movie . Great movie , great biceps from Arnie !

Conan's author Robert E Howard was the father of the sword and sorcery genre. His pulp stories inspired much of the fantasy fiction of the last century. Conan appeared in Marvel comics and even exists in the same universe as the Marvel super heroes. There was comic recently called Savage Avengers where Conan time traveled to the present day and joined forces with the Punisher and Venom.

Did anyone mention that the Thief is Gerry Lopez, very famous in the surfing world as "Mr. Pipeline". 🤙😎

30:36 In regards to the movie rapidly jumping from one scene to to another at the top of the mountain...I've seen the deleted scenes where the princess (angered by Thulsa's betrayal) shows Conan a secret path that leads to the top of the mountain and even distracts several guards allowing Conan to kill them quietly from behind. This explains how Conan was able to just suddenly 'appear' unchallenged at the top of the mountain for his final showdown with Thulsa Doom in the theatrical release. After witnessing Conan decapitate Thulsa Doom she leaves with him to return to her father's kingdom in the final scene. It's too bad they cut all those scenes out. In the theatrical release the princess is just a spoiled brat with no redeeming qualities. In the deleted scenes she comes to realize the lie she is living and helps Conan put an end Thusla Doom and his snake cult before returning home.

"...and if you do not listen, then to hell with you!" Greatest prayer ever uttered on film, in my book.

Awesome reaction of my favorite Conan movie!!!!😊😊😊😊

19:20 Mentioned the men who looks like a 80s metal band. Theres a band inspired from this franchise a band called Manowar.