Conan the Barbarian Blu-ray review

            In honor of the theatrical release of the remake of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s early 1980s adventure franchise, the original Conan the Barbarian films have been released on high definition Blu-ray. Both films look spectacular in high definition, even if it seems outdated compared to the 300 looking remake, which is glossy and in 3D. Still, there is no need for all of that fuss when you have a good film, and the fact that Conan the Barbarian is still entertaining nearly thirty years later is a testament to the film.

            Conan the Barbarian was the perfect vehicle for Austrian heavyweight action star. Not only was the dialogue limited, but so was the costuming. Schwarzenegger was given the entire film to show off his physique, while also showing a surprising ability with one-liners. The storyline is filled with adventure, magic, violence and sex; a screenplay co-written by Oliver Stone. It also features James Earl Jones in a fantastically villainous role, making this an unforgettable adventure from the 80s.

            The high definition presentation of this action classic is as clean as they come. There is no static and the soundtrack is also flawless. There are also a few special features available exclusively on this Blu-ray disc. These include a featurette about the artistry design of Conan’s sword, and a collection of unseen interviews from on-set. The additional special features include deleted scenes, a making-of featurette, more behind-the-scenes footage and a featurette on the special effects. The feature film also comes with an optional commentary track with director John Milius and Schwarzenegger.