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| Conan the Destroyer | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Richard Fleischer |
| Screenplay by | Stanley Mann |
| Story by | |
| Based on | Conan the Barbarian byRobert E. Howard |
| Produced by | Raffaella De Laurentiis |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Jack Cardiff |
| Edited by | Frank J. Urioste |
| Music by | Basil Poledouris |
Production company | Dino De Laurentiis Company |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $18 million[1] |
| Box office | $26.4–31 million (US/Canada)[1][2] $30.1 million (worldwide rentals)[3] |
Conan the Destroyer is a 1984 Americanepicsword-and-sorcery film directed byRichard Fleischer from a screenplay byStanley Mann and a story byRoy Thomas andGerry Conway. Based on the characterConan the Barbarian created byRobert E. Howard, it is the sequel toConan the Barbarian (1982). The film starsArnold Schwarzenegger andMako reprising their roles as Conan and Akiro, the Wizard of the Mounds, respectively. The cast also includesGrace Jones,Wilt Chamberlain,Tracey Walter, andOlivia d'Abo.
Conan the Destroyer was theatrically released in the United States on June 29, 1984, byUniversal Pictures. Upon release, the film received generally mixed reviews from critics. It grossed between $26.4 million and $31 million in the United States and Canada and earned theatrical rentals of $30 million worldwide.
Conan and his companion, the thief Malak, are confronted by Queen Taramis of Shadizar, who tests their combat ability with several of her guards. Satisfied, she tells Conan that she has a quest for him. He refuses her, but when she promises to resurrect his lost love,Valeria, Conan agrees to the quest. He is to escort the Queen's niece, Princess Jehnna, a virgin, who is destined to restore the jeweled horn of the dreaming god Dagoth. The magic gem Heart ofAhriman must first be retrieved, in order to locate the horn. Conan and Malak are joined by Bombaata, the captain of Taramis's guard. Bombaata has secret orders to kill Conan once the gem is obtained.
The gem is secured in the fortress of a powerful wizard, so Conan seeks the help of his friend Akiro, the Wizard of the Mounds, who must first be rescued from a tribe ofcannibals who have captured him. The adventurers encounter Zula, a powerful bandit warrior being tortured by vengeful villagers. Freeing Zula at Jehnna's request, Conan accepts the indebted warrior's offer to join their quest.
The adventurers travel to the castle of Thoth-Amon, where the gem is located. As they sleep by the lake surrounding the castle, the wizard takes the form of a giant bird and kidnaps Jehnna. In the morning Akiro divines this and also divines a hidden entrance to the castle through awater gate. As they search for Jehnna, Conan is separated from the group, and the others are forced to watch him battle a fierce man-beast in a hall of mirrors. Conan's strikes uselessly pass through it without any harm, but he discovers that breaking the mirrors inflicts damage to the creature. By breaking all of them, Conan mortally wounds and reveals the creature as a polymorphed Thoth-Amon. With the wizard's death, the castle begins to collapse, forcing the group's hasty retreat. They are ambushed by Taramis's guards, but drive them off. Bombaata feigns ignorance about the attack. The gem reveals where the jeweled horn is. Later that night, Jehnna expresses romantic interest in Conan; but he rebuffs her and declares his devotion to Valeria.
They reach an ancient temple, where the horn is secured. Jehnna obtains it while Akiro deciphers engravings. He learns that Jehnna will be ritually sacrificed to awaken Dagoth. They are attacked by the priests guarding the horn. A secret exit is revealed, but Bombaata blocks the others' escape and seizes Jehnna. Despite this treachery, Conan and his allies escape from the priests and trek to Shadizar to rescue Jehnna.
Malak shows them a secret route to the throne room. Conan confronts Bombaata and kills him in combat. Zula impales the Grand Vizier before he can sacrifice Jehnna. Dagoth animates after the horn is set in his brow, but transforms into a vile behemoth. He kills Taramis, then attacks Conan. Zula and Malak join the fight, but Dagoth effortlessly sweeps them aside. Akiro tells Conan that the horn keeps the monster alive, so he rips it out, then finishes him off.
The newly crowned Queen Jehnna offers each of her companions a place in her new court: Zula will be the new captain of the guard, Akiro the queen's advisor, and Malak the court jester. Jehnna offers Conan marriage and the opportunity to rule the kingdom of Shadizar with her as king and queen, but he politely declines, saying "I will have my own kingdom, and my own queen", and departs after a simple kiss. A closing title card says that this quest "is another story."
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WhenJohn Milius, director ofConan the Barbarian, was unavailable,Dino De Laurentiis suggestedRichard Fleischer to his daughterRaffaella De Laurentiis, who was producingConan the Destroyer. Fleischer had already madeBarabbas (1961) andMandingo (1975) for Dino De Laurentiis.
Conan the Barbarian made about $40 million at the U.S. box office when it was released in 1982 with an R rating, and an additional $50 million in other markets. BecauseUniversal Pictures and producer Dino De Laurentiis thought it would have been even more successful if it had been less violent, they wanted to tone down the violence in the sequel.Conan the Destroyer originally received an R rating like its predecessor, but the film was recut to secure a PG rating. Fleischer delivered a movie that was less violent (and somewhat more humorous) than the first, although some scenes of violence have bloody results (thePG-13 rating did not exist until July 1 of that same year).Carlo Rambaldi created the Dagoth monster.
Arnold Schwarzenegger andMako Iwamatsu, who played the Wizard of the Mound and narrator in the first film, return for the second film, while Mako's character is now named Akiro.Sven-Ole Thorsen, who played Thorgrim in the first film, also returned. However, this time, he had to partially cover his face with a mask, as he was playing Togra, a different character. SingerGrace Jones played the warrior Zula, the last of her tribe. This was the basketball playerWilt Chamberlain's only film role and the debut ofOlivia d'Abo, who played the petulant teenaged princess Jehnna.[4]David Lander was originally cast to play the foolish thief Malak, but due to his deteriorating health from the onset ofmultiple sclerosis, he was forced to quit the project, and the part was recast withTracey Walter. Professional wrestlerPat Roach, who memorably played the German Mechanic inRaiders of the Lost Ark and the Thuggee Overseer inIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, was cast as crystal palace Man Ape/sorcerer Toth-Amon.[5]André the Giant had an uncredited role as the Dagoth monster.[6]
Conan the Destroyer was the fourth film on which British director of photographyJack Cardiff worked with Fleischer. Cardiff had already photographedThe Vikings (1958),Crossed Swords (1977), andAmityville 3-D (1983) for the director. They worked together twice more onMillion Dollar Mystery (1987), and Fleischer's last film, the shortCall from Space (1989), which was shot in the 65-mmShowscan process. Cardiff's other notable films includeJohn Huston'sThe African Queen (1951),King Vidor'sWar and Peace (1956), andRambo: First Blood Part II (1985).
Shooting took place inMexico City from November 1, 1983, to February 10, 1984.[4]
To secure a PG rating,Sarah Douglas said several scenes involving her character Queen Taramis were cut, including a sex scene with Conan (Schwarzenegger), her slapping Bombaata (Chamberlain), a virgin sacrifice, and the seduction of a statue.[7]
The musical score ofConan The Destroyer was composed, conducted, and produced byBasil Poledouris, and was performed by the orchestra Unione Musicisti Di Roma.[4] Poledouris, who scored director John Milius'sBig Wednesday, also scored Milius's firstConan, and the track "The Orgy" is used again, this time during the attempted virgin sacrifice at the end.
Conan the Destroyer grossed $31 million in the U.S.[2] It earnedtheatrical rentals of $30.1 million worldwide.[3] Schwarzenegger, Fleischer, and De Laurentiis subsequently teamed up again to makeRed Sonja a year later. The film, jointly withBolero, was nominated for twoRazzie Awards, includingWorst Supporting Actress and wonWorst New Star for D'Abo during the5th Golden Raspberry Awards.[8]
Roger Ebert rated the film 3 out of 4 stars and wrote thatConan the Destroyer is "sillier, funnier, and more entertaining" than the first film. In praising the film's use of character actors, Ebert singled out Jones, who he said brings rock star charisma to her role.[9]Variety called it "the ideal sword and sorcery picture" and also praised Jones.[10]Vincent Canby ofThe New York Times wrote that Schwarzenegger struggles with the film's more comedic tone.[11]
Colin Greenland reviewedConan the Destroyer forImagine magazine, and stated that "Apart from the fact that it is acted by real people,Conan the Destroyer is pure comicbook, which has the odd effect of making the actual animated comicbook largely superfluous."[12]
Rotten Tomatoes, which collects both contemporary and modern reviews, reports that 29% of 28 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 4.5/10. The site's consensus states: "Conan the Destroyer softens the edges that gave its predecessorgravitas, resulting in a campy sequel without the comparative thrills."[13] AtMetacritic the film received a score of 53 out of 100, based on 12 reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[14]
Marvel Comics published a comic-book adaptation of the film by writerMichael Fleisher and artistJohn Buscema inMarvel Super Special #35 (Dec. 1984).[15] The adaptation was also available as a two-issuelimited series.[16]
Roy Thomas andGerry Conway wrote the original story treatment but were dissastified with the final screenplay byStanley Mann and the finished film.[citation needed] They made their story into the graphic novelConan the Barbarian: The Horn of Azoth, published in 1990, with art by Mike Docherty.[17] The names of the characters were changed to distance the graphic novel from the movie: Dagoth became Azoth, Jehnna became Natari, Zula became Shumballa, Bombaata became Strabo, Thoth-Amon became Rammon, and the characters of Queen Taramis and The Leader were combined into sorcerer Karanthes, father of Natari.
Robert Jordan wrote anovelization of the film in 1984 forTor Books.
The third film in theConan trilogy had been planned for a 1987 release with the titleConan the Conqueror. The director was to have been eitherGuy Hamilton orJohn Guillermin. Arnold Schwarzenegger was committed to the filmPredator, and De Laurentiis's contract with the star had expired after his obligation toRed Sonja (his role of Kalidor in the film was originally intended to be Conan) andRaw Deal, and he was not keen to negotiate a new one. The thirdConan film fell intodevelopment hell, the script eventually being turned intoKull the Conqueror.[18][19]
In October 2012,Universal Pictures announced plans for Schwarzenegger to return to the role of Conan for the filmThe Legend of Conan. The planned story was a direct sequel to the original film, "bypassing"Conan the Destroyer and the2011 film starringJason Momoa.[20][21] In the years following the announcement,Will Beall,Andrea Berloff, and producerChris Morgan worked on the script, and Schwarzenegger expressed enthusiasm for the project, affirming plans to star in the film.[22][23][24][25][26] However, in April 2017, Morgan stated that Universal had dropped the project, but that there remains a possibility of a television series.[27]
Kim Wayans' spoof portrayals of Grace Jones on the showIn Living Color are based on Jones' performance of Zula inConan the Destroyer. In 1985, Australianheavy metal music group Prowler changed its name toTaramis after the character from the film.[28]
Doja Cat samples a quote from the movie between Princess Jehnna (played by Olivia d'Abo) and Zula (played by Grace Jones) at the start of her 2025 song 'All Mine' from her 2025 albumVie.[29]
According to Deadline, the 65-year-old actor/politician/author will be back as Conan the Barbarian, the role that he first portrayed in the 1982 film.
