Released two years after Conan the Barbarian, Conan the Destroyer was the first and only sequel starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as the titular warrior. John Milius, who wrote and directed the first Conan movie, wasn’t available to helm the sequel due to prior commitments. Milius recommended veteran film director Richard Fleischer for the job. Fleischer helmed The Vikings (which was a film that Milius enjoyed and mainly why he recommended Fleischer for Conan II), as well as the Walt Disney version of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, and Soylent Green, among many others. Fleischer would also direct Schwarzenegger once again in Red Sonja (released the following year), starring Brigitte Nielsen in the lead role.
Conan the Barbarian made a ton of money back in 1982 even with an R rating. Both Schwarzenegger and Fleischer had initially expected Conan the Destroyer to also be R rated--until Universal, the studio that released the Conan movies, informed them that Destroyer must have a milder PG rating. This cut back on the gore and blood-splattering action that the first Conan film had, and reduced Destroyer to being more childish overall (although the first film had its share of silly moments). While it also had its share of dopey scenes, Barbarian was still closer in tone to the original Conan stories that were written by Robert E. Howard.
When Destroyer begins, Conan is still pining for his lost love Valeria (played by Sandahl Bergman in the first film) when he and his sidekick Malak (the always good Tracey Walter) are waylaid by a group of soldiers led by Bombatta (basketball star Wilt Chamberlain, in his first film role), who winds up escorting Conan and Malak to see Queen Taramis (Sarah Douglas). Taramis is a sorceress who promises to revive the dead Valeria for Conan, provided he first helps her niece, young Princess Jehnna (Olivia d’Abo) to complete a dangerous quest.
As a standard fantasy film, Destroyer holds up pretty well, despite its lighter, kid-friendly tone and plenty of cheesy moments. Richard Fleischer was a master craftsman who knew how to make an entertaining film. And one thing that Destroyer has going for it is its lavish production values. Shot in Mexico, Destroyer has some pretty impressive and imaginative sets, which helps to plunk the viewer right in the middle of this fantastical world. However, its special effects--mostly the optical effects--look extremely dated, especially during a sequence where Conan battles a sorcerer who lives within a series of mirrors in a castle.
But the practical, on-set effects--like the make up--still hold up, with the most impressive being the demonic Dagoth creature that appears in the climax. Professional wrestler Andre the Giant played this hulking creature under a ton of make up, although he was not given screen credit. The climatic scene with the Dagoth is the closest that Destroyer gets to all-out horror, and it's very effective. The off-beat casting also works in the film’s favor, which features force-of-nature Grace Jones as warrior woman Zula, along with Mako, who reprises his role of Akiro the wizard (as well as the film's narrator) from the first Conan film.
Re-watching the film thirty five years after its release, I’m struck at how simplistic and straight-forward it comes off as being. Released in an era long before Game of Thrones or the cinematic Lord of the Rings, Destroyer lacks the sophistication of those two fantasy entities, and has its fair share of goofy moments, seemingly aiming its story for the lowest common denominator. But, as long as they know that it's just a light-hearted fantasy movie, Conan the Destroyer should be enjoyable for fans of the genre looking for a good laugh (whether it's intentional or not). --SF
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