Conan the Barbarian revisted.

Until the release of the Lord of the Rings, this was the best example of a classic fantasy done right. When Schwarzenegger stepped into the role with his fabulous physique, cro-magnon jaw and foreign accent, a legend was born.

Conan the Barbarian has cult status among fantasy fans. It is not a faithful representation of REH’s tales, but it does possess its own charm and merits that stand alone from the novels. It is a dark tale of revenge, adventure and fantasy that have all the excitement of the Saturday matinees of old.

This movie has polish. From the booming and rousing soundtrack of Basil Poledouris to the magnificent sets and props that actually transport us to a similar but foreign world, it never looks cheap. Not only does it benefit from the wise direction of writer/director, John Milius, and the charisma of Schwarzenegger, it also has a great antagonist in the legendary James Earl Jones, whose hypnotic voice and exotic look lend credence to the snake priest, Thulsa Doom. I always enjoy surfing champ Gerry Lopez’s Subotai more with each viewing; his quiet steadfastness and loyalty really conveyed well on the screen.

The opening scene as the bass starts pumping with the sword being forged in a stream of molten steel is classic. Another one of my favourites is the orgy scene as Conan spots two of Thulsa Doom’s priests and reacts accordingly, as seen in the picture above. Also the adaptation of L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter’s “The Thing in the Crypt” was a marvel to this fan of the old Ace paperback editions of Conan. So many great scenes done with flavor and respect for the source material.

The Riddle of Steel speech at the start is what really gave this movie a separate identity from the books. The phrase is never used in the Robert E. Howard tales, but fit into the theme of the Conan film well. Likewise, Conan’s iconic speech about “What is best in life?” is similarly adapted from Conan’s inner musings aboard a pirate ship with Belit, and suited the movie appropriately.

In this fan’s eyes, Jason Momoa and director Marcus Nispel have some big shoes to fill.