Welcome back to the days of high adventure! 

Ripped from the pages of Robert E. Howard’s beloved pulp stories, 1982’s Conan the Barbarian and its sequel, 1984’s Conan the Destroyer, not only popularized a new subgenre – the sword-and-sorcery film – but also made a cinematic icon of the star playing the titular hero, former bodybuilding sensation Arnold Schwarzenegger.  In fact, the whole era of bodybuilding in the early 1980s got its kickstart due to the arrival of Conan The Barbarian. 

And why not?  These are both films to get lost in, with its massive myth-building and world-creating, it’s easy to see how fantasy films took over when it came to the B-movie market and all of Roger Corman’s knock-offs. 

Starring Schwarzenegger, Conan The Barbarian and Conan The Destroyer chronicle the rise of a barbarian warrior who first takes down a snake cult and then, with the help of Princess Jehnna, he and his rag-band of thieves are on a mission to restore the jeweled horn of the dreaming god Dagoth.  If you were a kid during both the original release of both of these movies, you get their appeal.  We are truly talking about pulp cinema here, where sword and sandal ethos and environmentals dictate everything.  They are fun, violent, and highly imaginative, earning a special place in a lot of people’s hearts and minds.

And in the hands of producer Dino De Laurentiis, both of these films absolutely delivered on the ancient civilization vision they promised.  Little dialogue and lots of arm-rotating action scenes, where the bloody the field was, the better the film was received.  While Conan The Barbarian, directed by John Milius and written by Oliver Stone, is the better of the two films, the pair makes for a pleasant return to the days of high caliber B-movies. 

Thanks to Arrow Video, both of these fantasy films look brand-new and sleek.  It truly was a labor of love getting the films into High-Def shape and the results are stunning.  At long last, these glorious odes to the days of high adventure have been restored in stunning 4K with hours of bonus features and heart-racing Atmos remixes that immerse you in the action, accompanied throughout by electrifying music scores by the late Basil Poledouris (RoboCop).

Thief. Warrior. Gladiator. King.  Revisit these classics like never before!

Conan the Barbarian 4K / Conan the Destroyer 4K | Limited Edition / 4K Ultra HD

Home Video Distributor: Arrow Films
Available on Blu-ray - January 30, 2024
Screen Formats: 2.35:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Audio: Conan the Barbarian 4KEnglish: Dolby Atmos; English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono; Music: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0; Conan the Destroyer 4K; English: Dolby Atmos; English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1; English: LPCM Mono; Music: LPCM 2.0
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; Blu-ray Disc; three-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free

Conan the Barbarian, from maverick filmmaker John Milius, sees the Cimmerian thief and future king rise up from slavery to become an unparalleled and fearsome warrior, intent on vengeance against the evil snake cult that slaughtered his family long ago, led by the shape-shifting sorcerer Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones). In the sequel, helmed by action veteran Richard Fleischer, Conan finds himself escorting a young princess on a quest for a mythical horn that will awaken a slumbering god, battling an onslaught of evil beasts, wizards and cannibals along the way.

VIDEO

Outrageously bold and crisp!  Arrow Video has gone out of their way to deliver the goods with their handling of the 4K transfer.  Newly scanned & restored in 4k from its 35mm interpositive, these films look almost brand new again.  The 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer is a thing of rugged beauty. Newly restored from its original 35mm camera negative, there is a new depth to much of the film which reveals just how cheap the shoot was. Doesn’t matter, though, this restoration is a thing of beauty.  Black levels are strong, too. Grain has never looked this inviting. The details through this feature are simply scrumptious. From fabrics in the jackets of the actors to the facial imperfections of their outfits this AVC encoded image transfer gets the look right.

AUDIO

The Dolby Atmos remixes are done spectacularly right!  They thunder with crisp details and boom with the right amount of oomph to knock pictures off the wall in your home.  Be prepared.  Secure the fragiles and turn it up!

Supplements:

Commentary:

• There are a bunch of new and archival commentaries.  See Special Features for the full scoop!

Special Features:

As advertised, “At long last, these glorious odes to the days of high adventure have been restored in stunning 4K with hours of bonus features and heart-racing Atmos remixes that immerse you in the action, accompanied throughout by electrifying music scores by the late Basil Poledouris (RoboCop). If you do not listen… then to hell with you!”  Dive in and prepare for a truly immersive experience!

• Brand new 4K restorations of both films from the original negatives by Arrow Films

• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentations of both films in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)

• Three versions of Conan the Barbarian via seamless branching: Theatrical Cut (127 mins), International Cut (129 mins) and Extended Cut (130 mins)

• Newly restored original mono audio and remixed Dolby Atmos surround audio for both films

• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing on both films

• Archive commentary for Conan the Barbarian by John Milius and Arnold Schwarzenegger

• Archive commentaries for Conan the Destroyer by Richard Fleischer and actors Olivia d’Abo, Tracey Walter and Sarah Douglas

• Brand new commentaries for both films by genre historian Paul M. Sammon

• Newly assembled isolated score tracks in lossless stereo for both films

• Newly filmed interviews for Conan the Barbarian with production artist William Stout, costume designer John Bloomfield, special effects crew members Colin Arthur and Ron Hone, actors Jorge Sanz and Jack Taylor, assistant editor Peck Prior, visual effects animators Peter Kuran and Katherine Kean, filmmaker Robert Eggers (The Northman) and authors John Walsh and Alfio Leotto

• Newly filmed interviews for Conan the Destroyer with Bloomfield and Walsh, casting director Johanna Ray, art director Kevin Phipps and stunt coordinator Vic Armstrong

• Conan Unchained: The Making of Conan, an archive documentary from 2000 featuring interviews with Schwarzenegger, Milius, Stone, Jones, Lopez, Bergman, Poledouris and several others

• Archive bonus features for both films, including interviews with sword master Kiyoshi Yamasaki, writers Roy Thomas & Gerry Conway and Poledouris, outtakes and more

• A Tribute to Basil Poledouris, a series of videos produced by the Úbeda Film Music Festival, including video of Poledouris conducting a concert of music from Conan the Barbarian in 2006 (remixed in 5.1 surround)

• Theatrical trailers and image galleries for both films

• Double-sided fold-out posters for both films

• Twelve double-sided collectors’ postcards

• Illustrated collectors’ booklet featuring new writing by Walter Chaw and John Walsh, and archive set reports for both films by Paul M. Sammon

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