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From: moriarty@fluke.UUCP (Jeff Meyer)
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: CONAN THE DESTROYER (spoiler / non-spoiler sections)
Message-ID: <1104@vax2.fluke.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 14-Jul-84 02:05:20 EDT
Article-I.D.: vax2.1104
Posted: Sat Jul 14 02:05:20 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 10-Jul-84 01:14:03 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Everett, WA
Lines: 72

I find it interesting to note that however crappy the special effects, a
Dino De Laurentis film always have GREAT set design.  This movie, through
much of its length, looks better done and more elaborately made than INDIANA
JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM.  Oh, but you want to know whether to see it or
not.  Well, let me put it this way: if there is no way you would go to see a
Swords & Sorcery film, skip it.  But if you're on the borderline, go see it.
I would not object to a third in the series if it was done like this.  Two
reasons: the pace never plods, and the added humor is excellent.  Arnold S.
has a really funny hold on the role this time around.  He's still a
barbarian, and a reluctant hero, but he's also rather... simple.  This makes
some of the more incredible scenes enjoyable on two levels, fantasy and
tongue-in-cheek humor.  In fact, this is the first movie in a long time that
seems to have been able to balance the two without getting either primal or
campy.  Also, Grace Jones is in this movie, and she looked like she was
having almost as much fun as the Saturday Matinee audience I saw it with.
She is the other good reason to see it.  The other actors range from
standard (Wilt Chamberlain, Sarah Douglas, Mako) to suck (whoever plays the
virgin princess... should be virgin actress).  Anyway, I'm saying that if
you enjoy fantasy movies at all, I think you'll find something to like in
Conan the Destroyer (a good $3-$3.50 film)
SPOILER TIME: proceed at your own risk....





















1) Fantastic settings... as I said, put Spielberg to shame.  Dino always
goes first class on that side of things.  Some of the early Matte work was
beautiful too... only way I could tell that matte paintings were used is the
ideat that even Dino would have a problem affording to build a castle on a
hillock ("...No, No, the little hillock over there...").  Other Matte work
sucked, and the island looked like they rebuilt it from Superman.  The
monster/god at the end was a really original concept, but just not quite
convincing enough at the end (reminded me of something out of H.P.
Lovecraft).  Basil Pulderais (sp?) who did the music from the previous movie
(very good music) added some good stuff to this movie, but basically
rehashed his old score.

2) Really enjoyed Conan's drinking binge, and the time it takes him to
realize "... We'd better get out of here!".

3) I'm very surprised that the timid thief wasn't PLAYED by Roy Thomas...

4) I was hoping that Grace would show up in the next film, but it looks like
they're trying to write Mako out of the next sequel (I imagine there'll be
one).  If he is in the next one, it's plausible Grace could be, too.

				"Mongo feel like a pawn of fate...."

					Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
					John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc.
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