Memories of claggy sequel Conan The Destroyer shouldn't cloud the fact that Conan The Barbarian is a solidly enjoyable, primeval romp-stomp. The fights are frenzied, Basil Poledouris' score is rousing and director John Milius delivers grand set-pieces. Worth revisiting.
DVD Extras:
Schwarzenegger/Milius commentary, Making Of, deleted scenes, special effects featurette, production notes, cast and crew biogs, stills and design pics, trailers. Arnie and Milius' over-movie patter is fitfully amusing (it's clear they used up their best anecdotes in the superior, hour-long Making Of). Here we discover how the star was mauled by wolves (see left), how actress Sandahl Bergman nearly lost a finger and how co-writer Oliver Stone originally wanted Conan to fight a horde of slavering mutants. But the deleted scenes and FX-'feature' are shamefully sloppy, making this a slightly tame package for such a wild movie.
