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Arnold Schwarzenegger, Grace Jones, Wilt Chamberlain, Mako, Tracey Walter ... see more see more... , Sarah Douglas , Olivia d'Abo , Pat Roach , Jeff Corey , Sven Ole Thorsen , Bruce Fleischer , Ferdinand "Ferdy" Mayne , Sarah Miles , Valérie Quennessen

Based on a character created by Robert E. Howard, this fast-paced, occasionally humorous sequel to Conan the Barbarian features the hero (Arnold Schwarzenegger) as he is commissioned by the evil queen... read more read more... Taramis (Sarah Douglas) to safely escort a teen princess (Olivia D'Abo) and her powerful bodyguard (Wilt Chamberlain) to a far away castle to retrieve the magic Horn of Dagon. Unknown to Conan, the queen plans to sacrifice the princess when she returns and inherit her kingdom after the bodyguard kills Conan. The queen's plans fail to take into consideration Conan's strength and cunning and the abilities of his sidekicks: the eccentric wizard Akiro (Mako), the wild woman Zula (Grace Jones), and the inept Malak (Tracey Walter). Together the hero and his allies must defeat both mortal and supernatural foes in this voyage to sword-and-sorcery land. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

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43% liked it

58,538 ratings

Critics

30% liked it

20 critics

PG, 1 hr. 41 min.

Directed by: Richard Fleischer

Release Date: June 29, 1984

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DVD Release Date: March 31, 1998

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Stats: 1,975 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,975)

  • JonathanHutchings
    September 10, 2011
    JonathanHutchings
    Toning down the violence of its predecessor, and injecting "comedy" is not a recipe for success. This film borderlines on "unwatchable" (and I've seen Good Luck Chuck). I know De Laurentiis and company wanted to make Destroyer a PG film in order to broaden its appeal, but this ce... read morertainly isn't the way to go about it.

    On the bright side, I was surprised to find out that legendary cinematographer Jack Cardiff shot this film (The African Queen, Black Narcissus, and The Red Shoes among his career highlights). Just when you thought a Powell-Pressburger/Conan connection couldn't be made, there you go.
  • cancercapricorn2002
    May 6, 2011
    cancercapricorn2002
    The first Conan film is a great one, I honestly felt like I was there, in the dark, bloody and barbaric ancient world of thieves, warriors and wizards. The sequel on the other hand is not the same experience, it's something less. The story goes a little like this, the mighty Cona... read moren is assigned by the Queen Taramis to do something for her. That something is not a massive bloody rampage but rather a quest that is more boring and still with a lot of instructions, take a virgin princess to get a magic diamond and then to temple to get an ancient horn to fulfill a destiny that she never makes clear to our hero. So he does just that. First thing to say is that Conan, played again by Arnold Schwarzenegger, isn't quite the amazing character here as he was before. In the first film, he was an anti-hero, a brutal warrior and a killer with ambiguous morals even if he did ultimately do the heroic thing. Here he's just something of a do-gooder hero who's a bit more dumbed down. He's been promised that his lover Valeria will be brought back from the dead if he completes his quest, this isn't particularly bad, but it doesn't further the character besides the fact that he misses his girlfriend. The fact that this is such a driving force doesn't seem completely characteristic of such a hardened character.

    Of course, the change in character comes with an overall change in tone. No longer a dark and brooding tale but rather a family friendly romp with the grand and bloody action sequences pushed aside for slapstick. Even the music has gotten a downgrade, no longer an omnipresent ambiance, it's very limited and more whimsical than moody. Everything just doesn't pack the same punch as in the first movie and that's what makes it suffer the most. The characters are well, a ragtag bunch for sure. The main sidekick is the not the archer Subotai, but instead an unfunny little weasel named Malak. He is supposed to be the comic relief, but he fails miserably like many characters of his kind and if anyone shows just how lousy the dialogue is, it's this guy. He doesn't do anything noteworthy through the entire movie. Sarah Douglas plays the treacherous queen who only wants the horn to resurrect an ancient demon. Wilt Chamberlain plays Bombaata, the also treacherous captain of of the guards who also double crosses Conan. The other characters are nothing special, Olivia D'Abo is out of place as the princess, Grace Jones is okay as the raider Zula, Mako is just along for the ride as the wizard from the first movie, he sounds like he's in it for a paycheck even in his opening narration, which of course sounded much cooler and theatrical in the first film.

    There's really not much of interest here, the action is clumsy, the cinematography is very standard and doesn't really pop, the music is slightly above average and isn't very powerful and the characters are odd and uninteresting. The plot of Conan going on a quest with a bunch of ragtag adventurers is kind of cool, if only he was the tougher and more brooding character he was written as in the original stories and portrayed in the original film. Ultimately, while very cheesy, the movie is actually kind of okay on its own if you want a sword-and-sorcery fantasy adventure flick. But compared to the first film, it's quite a disappointment. The first film was big, bold and exciting and full of compelling characters and memorable moments its unfolding story of one incredible man. The sequel tries to be silly and campy, something never intended by any previous works. What's worse is that while it seems to lampoon itself and be something for the kids who prefer lighter fare, it still tries to pass itself as a genuine sequel, even including the same ending shot of an aged Conan on his throne. Not that bad but not that good either, just a standard popcorn flick with just enough entertaining moments to keep you watching but not nearly as powerful or unforgettable as its predecessor. If this movie and the first film were to have a gladiatorial battle, the sequel would be decapitated, disemboweled and left for the buzzards to feed upon.
  • ythelastman89
    April 21, 2010
    ythelastman89
    They took away everything that made the first Conan amazing. There is not brutal violence or terribly interesting characters, just a lot of comical fantasy based sequences. I just feel bad that Arnold had to be a part of this because it really is below him. In no way does it repr... read moreesent the Conan everyone knows from the comics either, it's just a generic story tagged on to the brand. A flat out terrible movie.
  • timandterrybarker
    August 27, 2007
    timandterrybarker
    A bit silly, compared to the first, but a good time, none the less.
  • YosemiteSamFan
    June 27, 2007
    YosemiteSamFan
    Conan-Light?
    A fun visit back to Conan-land. It replaced some of the serious warrior grandeur with some hokey magical quest to please the D&D players abroad. It sacrificed some artistic filmmaking and became more kid-friendly, at the same time the Dungeons & Dragons Saturday mor... read morening cartoon was a hit. We didn't know what to think; even as teenagers, we knew that we were being led along. Grace Jones was a great treat, like a Panther. Conan's assembled group felt very much like a "Party", with a thief, a wizard, a barbarian, a black warrior and a princess. It just didn't inspire us like the first Conan movie did; it wasn't quite the same dangerous world. It was good to see Mako the Wizard make another appearance. The mirror demon looked like an ape! The horned statue was freaky indeed, and gore-tastic when Conan ripped it off and all the blood sprayed out. The adventure made a nice module, but we were only entertained for that one afternoon at the theatre, and didn't take much of it to heart like the first Conan movie did.
  • Deano78
    June 20, 2007
    Deano78
    A cool sequel to the first. More of the same type of action as the first and great fight scenes.
  • superclerk25
    February 16, 2007
    superclerk25
    I liked the movie. Lots of action and sword fights are always a good time.
  • sanjurosamurai
    January 25, 2007
    sanjurosamurai
    very good stuff
  • garyX
    December 24, 2006
    garyX
    Far more fitting with what you'd expect from a Hollywood treatment of Conan than the first film; a big, dumb hack'n'slasher full of nubile women in bikinis and rippling pecs. Stupid.
  • deano
    October 8, 2006
    deano
    The action is large-scale, the plot suitably fantastic and the climax slam-bang.

View All Conan the Destroyer Reviews

Critic Reviews

R. L. Shaffer
January 29, 2012
R. L. Shaffer, IGN DVD

Conan the Destroyer is a rather silly follow-up, with less raw emotion, less excitement and far too many dumb sidekicks. Full Review

Tim Brayton
August 24, 2011
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy

What happens when you take everything that makes Conan the Barbarian memorable, and strip it down to a light-hearted, PG-rated version of itself... stupid and boring and generally unintelligible. Full Review

Scott Nash
August 15, 2011
Scott Nash, Three Movie Buffs

There are still enjoyable elements in it, but it feels as different from its predecessor as a Roger Moore Bond does compared to a Sean Connery. Full Review

Alex Sandell
March 27, 2003
Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum

Pretty bad, but not as bad as people say it is.

Jeffrey M. Anderson
February 27, 2003
Jeffrey M. Anderson, San Francisco Examiner

More jokey and less intense than the original.

Scott Weinberg
August 8, 2002
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

Has some serious value as camp, but it's a lot less brawny than the original.

Carlo Cavagna
January 1, 2000
Carlo Cavagna, AboutFilm.com

Ugh. Full Review

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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