Overview: Ripped from the pages of Robert E. Howard’s beloved pulp stories, and brought to the screen by maverick director John Milius, Conan the Barbarian is one of the most beloved fantasy-action adventures in Hollywood history; which not only popularized a new subgenre - the sword-and-sorcery film - but also made a cinematic icon of its star, former bodybuilding sensation Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In an ancient land, young Conan witnesses his family being slaughtered by an evil snake cult ransacking his village. Raised as a slave, the adult Conan (Schwarzenegger) rises up through the fighting pits, becoming an unparalleled and fearsome warrior.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Arrow Films is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the highly-anticipated Conan the Barbarian in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this January 30th, 2024.

For my money, this Conan the Barbarian [4K UHD+BR] combo pack sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is Conan the Barbarian presented to us as a two-disc combo pack with other stand out points you should know being: Codec: HEVC / H.265 Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10, Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 and Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

As for the audio, well we get the choice of: English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit), and Music: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit).

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, as for the story to hand, well, released in 1982, with a script co-authored by Oliver Stone and directed by John Milius, Conan the Barbarian rocketed its star Arnold Schwarzenegger into the Hollywood spotlight -- which would be cemented two years later in 1984 by his role as the cyborg killer in The Terminator. Schwarzenegger gives what could very easily be considered one of his best and most overlooked performances as Robert E. Howard’s muscular sword-swinging cult hero.

In a story that strangely enough mirrors the life of the film’s star, a horde of bloodthirsty raiders led by Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) massacres his peaceful Cimmerian village, murders his parents, and in turn this becomes an event that leads a young Conan into 15 years of slavery grinding grain on the Wheel of Pain. By the time that we’re in the present, Conan (Schwarzenegger), now an adult, has forged a magnificent body and finds eventual use by his owner as a pit-fighter.

This earns him a degree of infamy, as one after one, many pit combatants meet their demises at the hands of savage Conan. Soon after, he is freed and left to roam the desert countryside all by himself. He soon finds a king’s sword, which will come in handy in the many battles that await him.

He finds comradeship with Subotai the Mongol (Gerry Lopez) and romances the very tough but very HOT Valeria, the Queen of Thieves (Sandahl Bergman). Eventually, along with some spiritual aid from The Wizard (Mako, also the story’s narrator), the four become a team of unlikely allies, as they all come from vastly different backgrounds, and organize their respective talents to battle Doom’s evil snake cult.

Many people may often tend to look at Conan the Barbarian and just think of it as an early wooden performance from stone-faced Schwarzenegger, which really couldn’t be any farther from the truth, in my view.

The immortal, so-called Riddle of Steel and other mystical Asian and Middle Eastern philosophies abound in the film’s script. The Riddle of Steel ultimately asks a fundamental question that could still hold true today (in some respects), the question of which is more powerful, the steel, or the mighty hand that wields it?

These sort of mystical questions and philosophies allow Conan the Barbarian to elevate itself above any average qualities and into cult icon status; this film’s apparent devoted fan base might confirm my assertions. The film’s costumes are certainly representative of the setting, and certainly do look like they were worn on and off the set.

The epic musical score by Basil Poledouris is also worth some special mention. In fact, this score has been used as a temp track a lot in subsequent films and television trailers, but has never been matched in terms of quality and audience arousal.

Schwarzenegger is good, his performance is a bit choppy in some places but then again, what are we to really expect? Even though this film is deep thematically, it’s serving two purpose in regards to its star: 1) to get Schwarzenegger into Hollywood stardom, and 2) show off his muscles and labor-forged torso!

The supporting roles are excellent and keep the film above water, especially from Gerry Lopez as the Mongol and Golden Globe-winning actress Sandahl Bergman as Conan’s love interest. The best role of course, is that of James Earl Jones as the very evil Thulsa Doom. Jones is vile and repulsive as this wicked sorcerer who’s bent on achieving immortality, willingly sacrifices his female followers without hesitation or remorse, and also has a seemingly unhealthy relationship with snakes.

Well, should Schwarzenegger fans see it? Yes. Did I like it? Yes. Will fans of Robert E. Howard like it? Yes. Job done all around.

In closing, Conan the Barbarian is an excellent fantasy adventure that’s held up well since its time in theaters some 41 years ago in 1982. It’s achieved an important cult icon status that hasn’t diminished at all. (That could be because of the adolescents who view this movie as a living representation of their innermost fantasies - the sword-swinging hero who goes on wild adventures, beds a beautiful female warrior, slays an evil madman, and becomes a king - all the stuff of incessant teenage daydreaming).

Beware though, as with any mature fantasy, Conan the Barbarian is by no means a children’s movie and its R rating is there for good reason. This film’s explicit sex scenes, excessive nudity, and graphic sword and sorcery combat violence should definitely win over those looking to quench their voracious blood lusts!

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
Brand new 4K restoration from the original negative by Arrow Films
Double-sided fold-out poster
Six double-sided collectors’ postcards
Illustrated collectors’ booklet featuring new writing by Walter Chaw and John Walsh, and an archive set report by Paul M. Sammon

DISC ONE - FEATURE (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY):
4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentations in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of three versions of the film via seamless branching: the Theatrical Cut (127 mins), the International Cut (129 mins) and the Extended Cut (130 mins)
Newly restored original mono audio and remixed Dolby Atmos surround audio on all three cuts
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing on all three cuts
Archive feature commentary by director John Milius and star Arnold Schwarzenegger (Extended Cut only)
Brand new feature commentary by genre historian Paul M. Sammon, author of Conan: The Phenomenon (Extended Cut only)
Newly assembled isolated score track in lossless stereo (Extended Cut only)

DISC TWO - EXTRAS (BLU-RAY):
Conan Unchained: The Making of Conan, an archive documentary from 2000 featuring interviews with Schwarzenegger, Milius, Stone, Jones, Lopez, Bergman, Poledouris and several others
Designing Conan, a newly filmed interview with production artist William Stout
Costuming Conan, a newly filmed interview with costume designer John Bloomfield
Barbaric Effects, a newly filmed interview with special effects crew members Colin Arthur and Ron Hone
Young Conan, a newly filmed interview with actor Jorge Sanz
Conan & The Priest, a newly filmed interview with actor Jack Taylor
Cutting the Barbarian, a newly filmed interview with assistant editor Peck Prior
Crafting Conan’s Magic, a newly filmed interview with visual effects crew members Peter Kuran and Katherine Kean
Barbarians and Northmen, a newly filmed interview with filmmaker Robert Eggers on the film’s influence on The Northman
Behind the Barbarian, a newly filmed interview with John Walsh, author of Conan the Barbarian: The Official History of the Film
A Line in the Sand, a newly filmed interview with Alfio Leotta, author of The Cinema of John Milius
Conan: The Rise of a Fantasy Legend, an archive featurette on the film’s literary and comic book roots
Art of Steel: Sword Makers & Masters, an archive interview with sword master Kiyoshi Yamasaki
Conan: From the Vault, an archive compilation of on-set cast and crew interviews
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 the film in 2006 (remixed in 5.1 surround) and interviews with collaborators such as Paul Verhoeven and Randal Kleiser
Rarely-seen electronic press kit from 1982, featuring over half an hour of on-set footage and cast and crew interviews (from a watermarked tape source)
Outtakes, including a deleted cameo by Milius
Split-screen Valeria Battles Spirits visual effects comparison
Conan: The Archives, a gallery of photos and production images from 2000
Conan the Barbarian: The Musical, an affectionate comic tribute to the film by Jon & Al Kaplan
US and International teaser and theatrical trailers
Image gallery