The sequel to Conan The Barbarian arrived two years later in the
summer of 1984. Directed by Richard Fleischer, who also directed Disney’s 20,000
Leagues Under The Sea, Conan The Destroyer was a more lighter film in tone than
its predecessor. Yet in the more than capable hands of Fleischer, that’s not
such a bad thing. The sequel begins with Conan (Arnold Schwarzenegger) praying
at an altar to the spirit of Valeria, his beloved, when he and his thief sidekick
Malak (Tracey Walter) are interrupted by a group of warriors on horseback. A
fight is on, but Conan soon realizes that these warriors are only trying to
capture him and Malak alive. Conan soon finds out why when Queen Taramis (a
seriously vamping Sarah Douglas) reveals herself. She has a special mission for
Conan, and in exchange for his successfully completing it, Taramis will reward
Conan by magically reuniting him with his dearly departed Valeria.
The task Cona must perform is to lead Jehnna (Olivia D’Abo), Taramis’ nubile
young niece, on a magic-filled quest to find the fabled horn of Dagoth. Of
course, you don’t hire the sassy Sarah Douglas unless she’s going to play a
bitch, and Queen Taramis turns out to be a royal one! While it lacks the raw
vitality of the first Conan film--I also miss the intense battle scenes told
from the tactician’s view of director John Milius--Fleischer still brings a
fluffy sense of fun to the proceedings. Magic and fantasy plays a much larger
role in this adventure, which requires Conan to seek the help of his friend, the
wizard Akiro, engagingly played by the late Mako.
The rest of the cast is perhaps among the most interesting assortment of
sidekicks ever assembled, with character actor Walter (best known as Bob, the
Joker’s sidekick in 1989’s Batman) very good as Malak; singer Grace Jones is
especially jubilant as the feisty warrior woman Zula; NBA great Wilt Chamberlain
lends his imposing physical presence as Bombaata, and a young Olivia D’Abo is
well-cast as the doe-eyed innocent Jehnna. The DVD has bare-bones special
features, and while Destroyer was originally released as a separate DVD, these
days it can be found on the flipper side of a DVD shared with "Barbarian" on the
Conan The Complete Quest DVD set. So you get the sequel along with the original film, and
both Conan movies make for a fun Cimmerian night at the movies.
--SF
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