Conan the Barbarian (1982) Reaction & Review! FIRST TIME WATCHING!!

hey guys welcome to the channel and another video today i'm going to be watching conan the barbarian by john melius starring arnold schwarzenegger written by milius and oliver stone i have to admit i haven't watched any of uh milius's films which he directed but i did watch apocalypse now which he wrote i had no idea oliver stone co-wrote the film uh till i read it in a recommendation comment stone is undoubtedly an excellent writer and director so i expect a little depth to the story knowing that it was written by the director of platoon and the writer of apocalypse now about conan i've known about this film all my life and this is one of the very few schwarzenegger films i have left to watch along with pumping iron and the comeback a few other films like eraser end of days and the sixth day i've watched more than 15 years ago and i don't remember anything of significance from them uh if they are worth the proper watch on the channel do let me know conor is a film i skipped growing up uh because i wasn't the biggest fan of epic fantasy when i was younger furthermore i used to mix up the he-man cartoons and conan both of which were around released around the same time in fact i was a big fan of the he-man cartoons and i remember them fondly anyways that obviously changed and nowadays i look forward to new experiences conan has been described to me as an epic b almost a movie fantasy and it was intentionally made that way i don't know what to expect except seeing arnie as conan the barbarian having some sort of an epic adventure but before we get into it to help support the channel i have a patreon page for full-length reactions to over 50 movies early access and weekly polls for what to watch next you'll need your own copy to watch along of course please consider being a patreon please subscribe to the channel do check out my other videos like if you liked this video dislike it if you didn't with all that being said let's get started conan the barbarian milius schwarzenegger let's go that which does not kill us makes us stronger frederick nietzsche they're quoting nietzsche in the first five seconds arnold schwarzenegger oh man i feel a little sad knowing that i only have a few arnold schwarzenegger films left let me tell you of the days of high adventure nice a sword is being forged music by basil foley duras i think i recognized that name because i think he might have written the score for robocop which was excellent i might be wrong though john millius i think these might be actual images okay but chrome is your god kwang many lives in the earth the gods forgot the secret of steel and left it on the battlefield the secret of steel has always carried with it a mystery no one in this world can you trust this you can trust nice lesson by his father i'm assuming that might have been green screen but this definitely is not that's actually a decent looking set and props oh man i'm really enjoying the music their village is getting attacked [Music] just off topic for a second i really like the costume design stabbed in the back mauled by dogs what a horrible way to die i know who that is it's darth vader himself [Music] what am beautiful way to show that without showing it the camera was on little conan the entire time and the blood became as snow his parents were killed by jones character and now he's been taken as a slave another beautifully made prop that's something they actually made damn yeah can you imagine doing this for years and years either your heart gives out or you just become big and strong that's arnie for sure he's ripped and unlike a lot of other films milius is choosing to use the score a lot going up in chains like that kind of makes you mute and silent i'm sorry the noises schwarzenegger is making holy crap literally breaking the elbow okay this movie's a little more violent than i expected i like it he did not care anymore literally becoming a warrior a killing machine he was taken to the east and he also came to know the pleasures of women nudity to crush your enemies see them driven before you and they hear the lamentation of their women he's quite literally embodiment of a barbarian oh slave free it has been surmised that perhaps my lord was like a wild animal that had been kept too long he's master freed him but he's still being chased by wild dogs i'm sorry the noises he makes are hilarious but i can see that he actually is doing his own stunt work which is very respectable this set might look simple but i can assure you this was not easy to make oh man the music the music is driving the plot forward it's excellent like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon fully transformed and sweet what a beautiful location i wonder where this is do you not wish to arm yourself by my fire is this film moving into sexploitation territory or is it just some mystic or a witch [Music] i wonder what the change in lighting is supposed to mean she transformed into a beam of something and just flew away i have not eaten for days who are you i am sumatai thief and archer what cards do you pray to i pray to the four winds and you you're from crom is god i thought it was a human character if i die i have to go before him yeah my god is greater in this world of magic and sorcery i'm sure the gods they're somewhat real beautiful cinematography here seriously i i was i was expecting small sets and cheesy action but it's it's much more than that clearly wow civilization that's a real elephant subutai and konan are bonding and having many adventures together how about two snakes coming together over black sun the only snakes i know over those of sets and those cursed towers you are not a guard neither are you another bandit like them so bad do you want to live forever it's definitely some sort of ritual i have to assume tulsa doom is james earl's jones character because he seemed to be the one in charge and he's the biggest name actor now we switch to almost what i would call celtic music [Music] the eye of the snake and i think one of them is an actual snake oh oh no wow what a beautifully made prop not very convincing by today's standards but i can see the hard work that went into into making that even more impressive actually she's crazy and brave there's some attraction there definitely milius does take his time with these sex scenes so i have to assume a little time has passed these are the thieves you have requested sire dude i think that's max fonstad dough it's too much makeup i can't tell everywhere these evil towers you alone have stood up to their guard my own daughter has fallen under this ulcer ah she follows him as a slave steal my daughter back take all you can carry all that is left is a father's love for his child wow that is real good dialogue right there let's take what we have while we live he's going to go for revenge i have never had so much as now let's take the world by the throat and make it give us what we desire she does sound convincing but conan does not seem convinced again the music is carrying the film he's set off alone without even super tie the location choices in this film are surprising the crap out of me from ice cold mountains to deserts to hills and valleys and caves and the number of animals we've seen so far is nothing short of impressive so yeah the production values might be a little off here and there but the overall effect of the film is still there doom's children they told my lord the way to the mountain of power it was here that i met my master i'm a wizard mind [Laughter] do you grow around here flowers again schwarzenegger is doing his own stunts and this is the doom cult literally could we talk over there i have a good feeling about this one that's not unexpected at all i'm sorry but he looks so much out of place it's insane [Music] that's a beautiful shot actually and i'm wondering whether they actually made these sets or not because if they did that's impressive i have watched you interesting choice of costume that was way too sudden discover being blown like that okay he's being slowly tortured where is the eye of the serpent he killed my father you killed my people there was a time boy when i searched for steel steel isn't strong boy flesh is stronger [Applause] oh they are under some spell that is power contemplate this on the tree of world damn is this some sort of jesus metaphor he's got the hair and everything [Music] and it's near death and i think that's subutai they're both here bringing somebody back from the brink of death [Music] oh the spirits are trying to take his body i can see that they were hand drawn yeah it's animation work for sure all right okay they succeeded and somehow he's healed i wonder whether the healing was because of a lot of time has passed or because of the magic and sorcery but this is a classic shot with the wind flowing and him wielding the sword by the way i did watch the original uh terminator film on my channel so do check that out if you have the time well thief could get in there steal the princess be off before she's missed in the darkness good thieves could do that but not vengeful ones he doesn't answer the music has been relentless and appropriate i'm a big fan of this soundtrack or [Music] score it's some sort of massive orgy so many animals it's like that jabba the hutt and layer scene that's definitely a mask of some sort he can transform into a snake that was unexpected they're eating the people that have sacrificed themselves or were compelled to sacrifice themselves [Music] now they will know why they are afraid of the dark it's a snake arrow they need to take her to the wizard i'm so cold although they got the princess back he's going back [Music] the actual camera work might be a little weak but the cinematography itself is excellent he has seen your fires he will come for me and when he does he will kill you they're preparing for the eventual assault on them [Music] the outfits they're wearing seem to be inspired by the mongols or it might be a mixture of both grant me revenge and if you do not listen then i hell with you nice he hasn't been given too much dialogue and that might have been on purpose because he was limited with his english but it weirdly works for this movie [Music] although the action sequences are good and i'm enjoying them the actual story and narrative are way better [Music] nice stunt work [Music] oh it didn't get doomed though do you want to live forever just like she said when she was dying a nice touch and the triumphant music means he's dead leave me if he can't have her he's gonna kill her [Music] [Applause] oh no it's the sword of his father i didn't recognize it and it's broken oh man what a twist i expected him to um get the sword back and kill doom with it but i guess it does send a big message it's the princess but this time she's on conan's side [Music] i'm actually enjoying james earl jones's performance my child for who now is your father if it is not me he's trying to hypnotize him when i am gone you will have never been my son no [Music] in front of oh man in front of his entire following oh it's actually it is his father's sword he uses at the end [Music] what a beautiful shot it's the princess what a way to end the film with the sun rays on the background and him taking the princess back to the king with an excellent score as well so did conan return the wayward daughter of king osrick to her home he and his companions sought adventure in the west he became a king by his own hand this story shall also be told there is a sequel is that worth watching guys he looks like a badass king i really enjoyed that film okay i took some time to collect my thoughts first off that was an unexpectedly good film i had my reservations and thought it might be a brainless slasher film but it was way more than that milius and stone added a layer of depth to the story which was surprising arness conan was perfectly cast too i would say the strengths of the film included its score writing sets and props and the beautiful cinematography while i'd considered the editing and the overall camera work to be weaknesses let's get right into it with the directing by john milius and the writing by him and stone instead of recapping the entire story i wanted to focus more on the themes and actual filmmaking process here the duo introduced us to conan as a young boy who learns the importance of steel from his father before the entire village gets killed by a massacre by tulsa doom's men including his mother growing up as a slave and a gladiator almost conan becomes strong before winning his freedom he soon goes on adventures eventually making friends with thieves called subatai and valeria the latter becoming his love interest as the king's daughter is also captured by doom his and conan's interests align and he's sent to rescue the princess while also given a chance at revenge million stone quoted nietzsche at the beginning of the film which i found very interesting he's a favorite writer and philosopher of mine and so seeing his name it made me think more of his work one of the themes tackled here i believe is the pen is mightier than the sword which was not his idea originally but he was a greater great believer in that i think the central theme here might have been the fact that even without his father's mighty sword he becomes victorious yes he does kill doom with his father's sword at the end but it was a broken sword showing the man makes the sword and not the sword makes the man weirdly it is an idea appropriated by the primary antagonist doom himself who was also under the belief that the sword was more powerful than flesh his power was controlling the mind and flesh of his followers which was demonstrated repeatedly during the run time there was also the theme of sacrifice and the price to pay for it valeria's willingness to pay any price for conan's return was a testament to that furthermore i felt there was a there was more subtext i couldn't get from my initial viewing it was far more than what just met the eye the details in directing were very surprising honestly and after finishing the film i wouldn't call it a b movie at all i was very much wrong in that assessment overall it was very good uh writing and directing here although i didn't believe it would win multiple rewards or anything uh moving on to the cinematography editing and the camera work the cinematography was excellent with the beautiful locations and the wide shots of the landscape i i have to applaud melius for choosing an ultra wide 2.31 to 1 aspect ratio of the film as it made the landscape shots appear even wider than they actually were the close-up cinematography was was also very good with excellent framing of the characters especially of the scenes near or around the temple the editing and the general camera work were a little subpar in my opinion the fight sequences which were choreographed beautifully was somewhat dishonored by the editing where there were sharp cuts made at the moment of impact which i don't enjoy at all it really lessened the weight of the actual blows we know uh that arnie did most of his own stunts we saw that with our own eyes so he's clearly capable of fighting so they might have handled that a little better furthermore the general camera work was also a little mediocre and wonky for because the cinematography itself was excellent maybe excuse me maybe it was because of the budget or maybe it was a creative choice either way i feel like there was room for improvement there the music and the score of the film were excellent probably one of the highlights of the film for me the score was relentless and epic and very appropriately used there were elements of asian celtic and middle middle age inspired music with a certain epicness that can only be achieved by a choir i believe it was written by the same composer as robocop so he clearly knows what he was doing i really loved the score of the film and i will look it up on my own time the sets props and stunt work in the film were fantastic for the time and budget again i didn't expect the costumes and the actual set design to be so detailed and the stunt work was actually done by arnie yes i could spot the green screen here and there and some errors but the overall package with an overall package this good uh things like this can easily be overlooked um speaking of arnie he played conan the barbarian he was excellent in his role his uh it was a great choice to give him very little dialogue as he might have ruined the film otherwise uh his grunting noises were very very funny though and i would go as far as to say that it was a little immersion breaking ah yeah you must get i i you know what i mean but looking past that he had a solid performance for early in his career his acting skills do get better later in the career but as we all know arnie isn't the best of actors he was he was good here though jerry lopez and sandal bergman played subutai and valeria the two allies of conan the latter being the love interest too both were very good in their roles and i would go as far as to say their acting performances were better than arnie at least in terms of pure acting skill arnie's physical performance trumps them though both the characters were crucial to the film as they provided a sense of humanity to conan they helped conan at various points of the film going to show that no single person um can go at it alone you always need friends james earl jones played tulsa doom the primary antagonist of the film i'm going to be honest here i wasn't convinced of his performance and especially that odd haircut at the beginning but his character's cold stare and intimidating presence really brought it to life and he grew on me he was actually pretty good as the antagonist as he was shown to have almost no redeeming qualities except for an important lesson he and he inadvertently teaches conan that flesh is mightier than the sword that i found very interesting his death scene was also pretty satisfying with his 1 000 year old stare failing him and him getting decapitated in front of the whole cult as for criticisms i don't have any apart from the ones i already mentioned like the editing and the general camera work but apart from that overall i unexpectedly enjoyed this film the pacing was wonderful the writing and directing by john milius and oliver stone were good the sets props and the music they were great arnold schwarzenegger was iconic as conan the barbarian and i finally see why this film has such a dedicated following to it this is a film i highly recommend for adults who love fantasy anyways thank you for watching i have a patreon page consider being a patreon subscribe to the channel like if you liked this video dislike it if you didn't i will see you in the next one bye [Music] you

Channel: Shan Watches Movies

Views: 33,459

Rating: 4.9712353 out of 5

Keywords: Reaction, First Time Watching, Commentary, Review, Movie, For The First Time, React, Film, Watch Through, watching for the first time, Critic, Entertainment, First time reaction, Movie reaction, shan watches movies, conan the barbarian, conan the barbarian reaction, conan the barbarian review, conan the barbarian full movie, arnold schwarzenegger, james earl jones, oliver stone, conan the barbarian 1982, sandahl bergman, conan, the barbarian, 1982, movie reaction, action, john milius

Id: KcBIJmwXNII

Length: 29min 30sec (1770 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 19 2021