I think it's fair to say that a lot of movie sequels just don't live up to their predecessors. The same can be said of CONAN THE DESTROYER, in which a definite case of "dumbing down" has been performed to make the film appeal to a younger audience. Gone is the excess violence and downbeat story of CONAN THE BARBARIAN, and in its place a family-orientated and lighthearted adventure full of wisecracks and unnecessary comedy. I have to say that this kind of comedy is the bane of '80s (and later) sword and sorcery movies for me. The peplum films of the '60s which covered similar themes did well enough without them, and if I want to watch a comedy then I'll do just that. I'm not a fan of genre crossbreeds.
However, if you accept that this film has a lighter spirit and is made in a totally different style to the first then there is much to enjoy, if you ignore the mid-'80s cheesiness. The film has lots of action and swordplay to recommend it, and while the blood doesn't flow as thickly as in the first, there is still a fair share of gruesomeness and decapitated heads. There's also an assortment of monsters for Conan and his friends to fight, and I'm a sucker for monsters. One cheesy highlight has Arnie battling a beast-man (called "Man-Ape") in a hall of mirrors which ends with the villain being bloodily dispatched. Also popping up are a tribe of bloodthirsty cannibals, and at the end of the film, the Lovecraftian God "Dagoth" comes to life from a statue as a huge horned slimy monster (played by wrestler Andre the Giant). It's all fun stuff to watch, if not particularly profound.
The film once again has some impressive location filming in the desert, and some of the sweeping visuals that made the first so memorable. Also present is another score from Basil Poledouris, which reuses some of the first film's music to good effect. The costumes look good and Richard Fleischer's direction is pacing and keeps things moving along nicely. The special effects do look very dated in today's light but are still impressive to an undemanding fan, with the dream team of Italian effects aces Giannetto de Rossi and Carlo Rombaldi supplying the makeup and the Dagoth creature respectively. Probably the worst effect was the animated bird that Pat Roach turns into.
Arnold Schwarzenegger here returns as a more vocal Conan, but he's still up to his old tricks like punching out horses and performing incredible feats of strength. In one scene he bends bars like in a Steve Reeves epic - I liked the reference. Schwarzenegger has a more mainstream supporting cast this time, including the gigantic basketball player Wilt Chamberlain as a traitor, probably the only man capable of making Arnie look small in comparison! Grace Jones puts in a memorable turn as a fierce warrior woman although I've never cared for the actress. Mako returns from the first film as well, although in a very small nearly pointless supporting role (although he does have one funny wizard battle). Tracey Walter is actually quite likable as the irritating whiny sidekick, and deserves commendation for being such. Olivia d'Abo's character of a spoilt Princess is extremely aggravating but her good looks make up for that. Other familiar faces like those of Sarah Douglas, Pat Roach and Ferdy Mayne flesh out the rest of the roles.
The plot is a very simplistic one and not ideal, taking the usual form of a quest for a stolen crystal, or some such nonsense. The fact that Arnie's ally is in fact a traitor gives the film an edge in that we (the audience) know that he's preparing to kill Arnie but Arnie himself doesn't realise. Things culminate in an over-the-top finale in which the pair have an impressively powerful battle, ending in Arnie getting his ear bitten off (maybe Tyson watched this to get tips)! Then, of course, there's the lightning, storm, collapsing palace and howling weird monster-thing for our hero to battle. It's all very silly and cheesy, really, but I couldn't help enjoying it while watching. Not ideal but still a fun movie if you're in the right mood.
However, if you accept that this film has a lighter spirit and is made in a totally different style to the first then there is much to enjoy, if you ignore the mid-'80s cheesiness. The film has lots of action and swordplay to recommend it, and while the blood doesn't flow as thickly as in the first, there is still a fair share of gruesomeness and decapitated heads. There's also an assortment of monsters for Conan and his friends to fight, and I'm a sucker for monsters. One cheesy highlight has Arnie battling a beast-man (called "Man-Ape") in a hall of mirrors which ends with the villain being bloodily dispatched. Also popping up are a tribe of bloodthirsty cannibals, and at the end of the film, the Lovecraftian God "Dagoth" comes to life from a statue as a huge horned slimy monster (played by wrestler Andre the Giant). It's all fun stuff to watch, if not particularly profound.
The film once again has some impressive location filming in the desert, and some of the sweeping visuals that made the first so memorable. Also present is another score from Basil Poledouris, which reuses some of the first film's music to good effect. The costumes look good and Richard Fleischer's direction is pacing and keeps things moving along nicely. The special effects do look very dated in today's light but are still impressive to an undemanding fan, with the dream team of Italian effects aces Giannetto de Rossi and Carlo Rombaldi supplying the makeup and the Dagoth creature respectively. Probably the worst effect was the animated bird that Pat Roach turns into.
Arnold Schwarzenegger here returns as a more vocal Conan, but he's still up to his old tricks like punching out horses and performing incredible feats of strength. In one scene he bends bars like in a Steve Reeves epic - I liked the reference. Schwarzenegger has a more mainstream supporting cast this time, including the gigantic basketball player Wilt Chamberlain as a traitor, probably the only man capable of making Arnie look small in comparison! Grace Jones puts in a memorable turn as a fierce warrior woman although I've never cared for the actress. Mako returns from the first film as well, although in a very small nearly pointless supporting role (although he does have one funny wizard battle). Tracey Walter is actually quite likable as the irritating whiny sidekick, and deserves commendation for being such. Olivia d'Abo's character of a spoilt Princess is extremely aggravating but her good looks make up for that. Other familiar faces like those of Sarah Douglas, Pat Roach and Ferdy Mayne flesh out the rest of the roles.
The plot is a very simplistic one and not ideal, taking the usual form of a quest for a stolen crystal, or some such nonsense. The fact that Arnie's ally is in fact a traitor gives the film an edge in that we (the audience) know that he's preparing to kill Arnie but Arnie himself doesn't realise. Things culminate in an over-the-top finale in which the pair have an impressively powerful battle, ending in Arnie getting his ear bitten off (maybe Tyson watched this to get tips)! Then, of course, there's the lightning, storm, collapsing palace and howling weird monster-thing for our hero to battle. It's all very silly and cheesy, really, but I couldn't help enjoying it while watching. Not ideal but still a fun movie if you're in the right mood.