Two years after Conan the Barbarian was released on the world, there was a change in guard on the creative side and director Richard Fleischer (Soylent Green) took over the director’s chair, returning with lead actor Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Terminator; Twins) on another adventure as the titular Conan. While there is certainly an argument that can be made that this movie is not as positively thought of as Barbarian, Conan the Destroyer is just as campy, over-the-top, and more mythical than ever. The transfer, this time from Arrow, again, is more magnificent than its predecessor featuring more prominent coloring, less darkness, and, overall, a more pristine picture. There is one short audio issue that cannot be determined to be a copy issue or a player issue, but we will make note of that further in our analysis as well.

While Conan the Destroyer features, again, Conan (Schwarzenegger), who has not learned from his previous mistakes it seems. He has fallen victim, in a way, to the new villainous threat of Queen Taramis (Sarah Douglas) and must protect Princess Jehnna (Olivia d’Abo). Of course, like before, Conan is not tasked with this job on his own as he is partnered with another fierce woman, Zula (Grace Jones), and a sorcerer, Akiro (Mako). Though there are more mythic arts and shenanigans going on in Conan the Destroyer, the nearly pure force of humanity and camera work for design is back on display to show off the impressiveness and power of Conan and Schwarzenegger, who plays him.

As previously mentioned, while the restoration and 4K UHD and Dolby Vision look simply sublime, there does appear to be a slight audio issue in this sequel. In the opening minutes of Conan the Destroyer, moments before he fights off the merchants he just robbed, the score drops for about 10 seconds and comes back. Whether this is something wrong with the specific disk or my player has yet to be seen as there was not a secondary source to check it against, however, Arrow will address it and offer a solution IF this is a wider issue than just my individual copy.

CONAN THE DESTROYER Limited Edition 4K UHD release. Photo courtesy of Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment Group.

Similarly to Conan the Barbarian, Conan the Destroyer was restored from the original negative with Dolby Vision and an atmos track assigned. The largest difference is that this restoration is cleaner and certainly boasts a stronger picture and restoration than Conan the Barbarian. However, if Conan the Barbarian could be considered an eight out of 10, then Conan the Destroyer is a nine; a difference, but we’re not talking messy DNR waxy restorations to something clean and natural either, the dark scenes just are presented better in Destroyer than they are Barbarian. Also, because of the singular cut of the film and the shorter run time, the 4K does boast all of the special features so we were able to dive into more of the features this time around and look at some of the disk extras which make this edition a must-have for fans and collectors of the early Schwarzenegger work. While the legacy features are presented, there is another commentary from genre historian Paul M. Sammon, who wrote Conan: The Phenomenon, which is sure to bring some interesting foresight to the picture as well. Most interestingly, though, is the “Casting the Destroyer” feature which is a newly filmed interview with casting director Johanna Ray, providing insight as to how everyone was brough aboard the project and so forth. There are plenty of new interviews and commentaries throughout the features, making Conan the Destroyer a must-have for all fans and collectors.

If the restoration, minus a possible audio issue, wasn’t enough to entice you to sink your teeth into the sequel, nor the plethora of extras to accompany the film, do not fret as Arrow again has included a double-sided fold-out poster, six double-sided collectors post cards, and an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Walter Chaw and John Walsh, with another archival set report by Paul M. Sammon. So, grab your sword, get ready to battle the wizardry, and enjoy the magnificently campy Conan the Destroyer in gloriously restored 4K UHD.

Conan the Destroyer Special Features:

• Archive feature commentary by director Richard Fleischer
• Archive feature commentary by actors Olivia d’Abo and Tracey Walter
• Archive feature commentary by actor Sarah Douglas with genre historians Kim Newman & Stephen Jones
• Brand new feature commentary by genre historian Paul M. Sammon, author of Conan: The Phenomenon
• Newly assembled isolated score track in lossless stereo
• Casting the Destroyer, a newly filmed interview with casting director Johanna Ray
• Cut from a Different Cloth, a newly filmed interview with costume designer John Bloomfield
• Dune and the Destroyer, a newly filmed interview with art director Kevin Phipps
• Swords, Sorcery & Stunts, a newly filmed interview with stunt coordinator Vic Armstrong
• Behind the Destroyer, a newly filmed interview with John Walsh, author of Conan the Barbarian: The Official History of the Film
• Conan: The Making of a Comic Book Legend, an archive interview with writers Roy Thomas & Gerry Conway
• Basil Poledouris: Composing the Conan Saga, an archive interview with the composer
• Theatrical trailers
• Image gallery

Available on 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray Limited Edition from Arrow Video U.S. January 30th, 2024.

For more information, head to the official Arrow Video Conan the Destroyer webpage.
To purchase, head to the MVD Entertainment Group Conan the Destroyer webpage.

Categories: Home Release, Recommendation

Tags: 4K UHD, action, adventure, André Roussimoff, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Arrow Video, Conan the Destroyer, fantasy, Ferdy Mayne, Gerry Conway, Grace Jones, home release, home video, Jeff Corey, Mako, MVD Entertainment Group, Olivia d'Abo, Pat Roach, remaster, Richard Fleischer, Robert E. Howard, Roy Thomas, Sarah Douglas, Stanley Mann, Sven-Ole Thorsen, Tracey Walter, Universal Picturesm Dino De Laurentiis Company, Wilt Chamberlain