Conan the Barbarian (1982) First Time Watching! Movie Reaction!! 

And so Conan learns that it is not steel that has the power, nor is the strength in the hand that wields it. True power is in the will, the dedication that makes the hand pick up the sword and fight back against all adversity. The will to overcome all odds to make your dream a reality. The steel may break, the hand may become weary, but the will to persevere can overturn both. That is the answer to the riddle of steel

I am so glad that I found this video. My dad was a huge Conan fan (novels, comic books, movies) and introduced this movie to me when I was ten. Many years later it's still one of my very favorites.

one of the best soundtracks of all time

Two things. In the scene in the tomb. You see the Past (Atlantean) King (the skeleton) "bowing" to the Future King (Conan)! Nice symbolism. And; the Actor who played King Osrik the Usurper had PERFECT delivery! He was amazing and absolutely devoured the scenery in that scene with his awesome lines.

Crom! The raiders in the beginning came for the steel, as Thulsa Doom explained later...

The main bad guy is James Earl Jones the voice of Darth Vader.

Now I feel the need to play Conan Exiles again.

I cant unhear Uncle Iroh lol

Saw this in 1982 at the drive in. It was doubled with "The Thing". What an incredible combo to see!

Crush your enemies, See them driven before you, And hear the lamentation of their women.

The moment when he gets a sword and faces off the dogs, then cut to him and he's wearing the dogs, I swear most people don't notice that masterfully brief bit of storytelling. Well played Devin.

The famous quote: "Crush your enemies, See them driven before you, And hear the lamentations of their women", is actually from Genghis Khan.

Youre gonna love this movie. Early Arnold at his finest.

Crom, I have never prayed to you before. I have no tongue for it. No one, not even you, will remember if we were good men or bad. Why we fought, or why we died. All that matters is that two stood against many. That's what's important! Valor pleases you, Crom... so grant me one request. Grant me revenge! And if you do not listen, then the HELL with you!

This movie is so fucking badass and the score is fantastic. I wish they still made movies like this.

I saw this film in 1982 with my Dad.. Valeria's vow to Conan and her death, her funeral had men crying..every man wants a real one like Valeria!

My favorite scene is when Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) is explaining the riddle of steel to Conan. Such a well done, and powerful scene. Best line in the movie was King Osric (Max Von Sydowe) There comes a time when the jewels cease to sparkle. When the gold loses it's luster. When the throne room becomes a prison, and all that is left is a father's love for their child.

The music in this movie deserved an Oscar

Then broken sword at the end is his father's sword, the one we see being forged at the beginning.

Conan's mother, in the one scene we see her in, is brave, beautiful, and does not back down. No wonder Conan fell for Valeria. Mom would approve.

In the beginning of the movie, Thulsa Doom did not have the huge cult that he did later. He was raiding villages that had steel swords because few knew how to make them.

The slave master who frees Conan is supposed to be the same red-headed boy who whipped at Conan when he was first attached to the wheel.

Valeria is one of my favorite characters, both in this movie and in the original RE Howard stories. I love how the movie kind of subverts the expectation of the hero saving his damsel by having her save him. A couple of times. And she kept her word, "If I were dead and you still fighting for life, I would come back from the darkest pit of hell to fight by your side"

So a couple of things. One, The Wheel Of Pain was not just some torture device for children. It was designed to crush wheat into flour. The prop guy who designed it for the movie made it so that the prop would actually be able to make flour. And (a bit of a funny story here) he actually built it so well that when Arnold went to push on the log for the first time, the log he pushed against swung away from him and the one behind him swung around and hit him in the back of the head. After that they always had a couple of people on the opposite side of the Wheel Of Pain pushing on the logs in the opposite direction against Arnold in order for it to appear like he was struggling. Second thing. Conan was not working The Wheel Of Pain during the day and fighting as a gladiator at night. The guy with the red beard bought him from The Wheel Of Pain in order to turn him into a gladiator. As to why he was set free. The movie does not specify, but my own head canon is that Conan was winning so much that no one was betting against him. You only make money at gambling when people bet AGAINST you. So he was set free. Other than that, I am glad you liked the movie. I love Arnolds earlier work, and this movie is one of my favourites. For decades it was The Gold Standard of Sword & Sorcery movies, the yard stick by which all other Sword & Sorcery movies were measured. It had never been beaten, and rarely been matched, until Peter Jacksons Lord Of The Rings Trilogy came out and shifted the goal posts. In my mind at least.

'82 was an incredible year for movies: "The Dark Crystal", "The Thing", "Conan", and (of course) "The Wrath of Khan".

The theme song is “ Anvil of Crom” , LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THE DAYS OF HIGH ADVENTURE!”

Just wanted to add two things to this. His love died and became a Valkyrie. Also the broken sword was his fathers sword. The bad guys took it in the beginning and then Conan broke it. Then he used it to kill the main bad guy.

Probably about to show my geek card, but this film may as well be called "D&D: The Movie", a barbarian, a wizard, and two thieves set out on a journey to rescue a princess from the clutches of an evil sorcerer and his cult.

That broken sword was the sword his dad made and was stolen from him when they raided the village. That's why he used the broken sword to cut off his head.

So many people lump this film in with the other sword and sorcery films of the time. This film is a true classic and leaps & bounds better than any of the films in the genre. The score is the best of any film ever.

my favorite movie of all time...best score in any movie

I saw this in the theater with my mother in 1982. We were so blown away, we stayed and watched it again. :D

Devin, you need to do the other one as well. "The Destroyer."

The last movies I got to watch with my dad, before he died (when I was 12), was this and American Werewolf in London. So, you know, this has a special place in my heart. They were at the drive-in also so it kind of all holds special memories. Life yo. 🐾

I'm an 80's kid. Conan is my favorite movie. I wish we could get more movies like this today!

James Earl Jones is a badass! He went through Ranger training when he served in the army! One of the things they needed to do was befriend and raise a snake, he said. He said they'd carry them in their uniforms, and he carried this comfort to snakes into this role!

Devin you have to watch the process of making knives/swords because you're right, it's dope af.

I love this movie. The oldschool cinematography, the soaring soundtrack. Arnold in his 80's heyday.

The village was raided for they're weapons, Conan's father was known for the swords he made. The sword that was broken was Conan's father's sword.

That intro where Conan is pushing that wheel always used to pump me up and make me want to work out as a lil kid, 🤣.

Ah, one of my all-time favorite movies! The musical score in this movie is superb, as well as the old-school practical effects they did. Great movie reaction as always.

"I have known many gods. He who denies them is as blind as he who trusts them too deeply. I seek not beyond death... Let me live deeply while I live; let me know the rich juices of red meat and the stinging wine on my plate, the hot embrace of white arms, and the mad exultation of battle... and I am content. Let philosophers brood over questions of reality and illusion. I know this: if life is an illusion, and being thus, the illusion is real to me. I live, I burn with life, I love, I slay, and I am content." Conan the Cimmerian

I can’t think of an Arnold movie that I don’t like... kindergarten cop, Total Recall, and twins are classic.

I watched a documentary about this movie, in the scene where the wild dogs were chasing Conan they said those dogs were no shit vicious and Arnie was no shit running for his life from em. If you like to read theres a ton of cool Conan books.

Just a quick FYI: That is absolutely NOT the way a sword is made. Liquifying steel then pouring it into a mold would make for a very weak sword, easily blunted or broken. A genuine sword starts with a brick of steel called a billet that is heated red hot then folded over and over and pounded into shape. The metal is heated to the point where it's soft enough to be worked but should never be liquified. This makes the sword both strong and flexible, with an edge that won't dull quickly.

I thought that James-earl Jones' character (and his acting) was some of the best ever done in Cinema.

First watched this in college many years ago, my buddy sat me down and proceeded to lecture all the BTS info he could on Arnie and Stone and their working relationship. Surprisingly, did not hurt the experience at all, the way he told it - but then again, the life of Arnold Schwarzenegger is a legend all in itself...

Crom was an angry god who disliked prayer and Conan was taking a serious chance by praying to him for help in his last stand. Crom could have easily sabotaged the outcome for most. Crom does however, respect courage, valor and strong will. Valeria appeared to Conan as a valkyrie sent by Crom to give Conan *just enough* help and nothing more.

Im still waiting for my King Conan Movie. This film is literally as old as I am and Im still waiting. Come on Before Arnold is dead!

As for why they raided the village, Thulsa Dooms talks about that when they first capture Conan. That he wanted the secret of steel, and Conan's father was a master swordsmith. But by the time Conan grew up Thulsa Doom no longer cared about that, so all those people died as part of *one* of his inquiries into power.

I have MUCH love for this movie. It's one of the movies I saw as a kid that stuck with me for life. I'm eager to see your reaction.

It was his father's sword that he broke in half.

Everything about this movie is great from the music to the characters and special effects of that time....classic

Devin is one of the few reactors that noticed Thulsa Doom hypnotized Conan's mother. Subtle but terrifying display of his growing power!

Zelda fans may recognize the soundtrack when Conan's village is attacked, as well as Thulsa Doom's helmet.

Darth Vader: "My Son". Thulsa Doom: "My Son". Mufasa: "My Son".

I love the discussion of the gods between Conan and Subotai, it has a very " My dad can beat up your dad" vibe haha

When he punches the camel is one of my favorite parts! I laugh my ass off every time

I have always understood it as the wheel was at the slave trader, then this guy came along and bought Conan to be a gladiator slave and brought him to the pits, and that's probably how he made his living off of keeping gladiator slaves. So he was pushing that wheel his entire life until he was sold, and after that happened, he had fights and training and breeding until the gladiator manager set him free.

How about a Clint Eastwood movie. Unforgiven. My all time favorite western and top5 movie all time.

The prayer to Crom though. Scared for the first time, he prays for courage and strength, and by the end of his prayer, he has it.

Great reaction to a great movie! The character of Conan is taken from the 1930's pulp stories written by his creator, Robert E. Howard, and the movie cherry-picks some moments from the original stories into its own narrative. The movie Conan is not the same as the book Conan, but the movie is an awesome interpretation and a great story in its own right. Glad you liked it!

In the beginning, in his youth, the Snake Master was in search of steel by raiding villages they could loot the swords that made them strong. As he grew older, he found that real power was in controlling people, as a snake hypnotizes its prey. He explains it to Conan when he has the girl jump from the cliff.

This is one of my all time favorite, top 5 for sure. When I watched this with my father in 1984, he was constantly pointing out other actors who were work out partners with Arnold.

The wizard guy was played by Mako, more recently known for his role as Aku in the 00's Samurai Jack.

This film is based on a series of short stories written in the 1930's. The world it takes place in is a fantasy world inspired by the real-life Bronze Age, when bronze was the dominant metal used and people hadn't figured out steel yet. Conan's people knew how to make steel weapons, and other people coveted the secret of how to forge them. Perhaps the best known track of the film's musical score is actually called "The Riddle of Steel".

The emperor snake king, whatever he was, created the man that would end him. Also the sword Arnold cuts in half, that the big guy is carrying, is the sword you see Arnold's father make at the beginning.

Tip for anyone wanting to include a bestiality scene of a guy and a Llama: make sure the main star punches a camel seconds after it so everybody forgets seeing it.

"What would your life be without me? My son." Conan: I don't know. Let's find out. (Beheads him)

That sword that he broke was his mother's sword. Doom was going to those camps to look for steel. He was searching for the answer to the riddle of steel. Snakes are said to have hypnotic powers. I have seen a snake stare at a squirrel untill the squirrel would come close enough to the snake for it to grab him.

After years of reading the SSoC comics I was elated at finally seeing Conan come to life.

1982 was a Great year for the movies, man 🙏

The obligatory ", the books were better" here but the film was awesome. The reason why Conan's village was attacked was the actual warriors attacking were from one of the Cimmarians (Conan's people) hereditary enemies(probably the Vanir due to the red hair. Robert E Howard who wrote the original Conan stories created an entire history for the world Conan inhabitants). So just the act of wiping out the village would have been reason enough.(and the Cimmarians were doing the same to their enemies as well) The children taken as slaves would just have been a bonus. As for Thulsa Doom well a sword like the one Conan's father forged in today's terms would easily be the same cost/value as a top of the range Italian sports car so that would be a good motive.

Thulsa Doom's armor is super bad ass! All of the snake imagery and iconography are amazing. And the soundtrack... Should've won an Oscar. It's so epic! I never get tired of watching this movie!

Orgy chamber scene, the blonde actress who played Valeria actually had a finger cut off during a fight scene. They stopped filming, she got it sewn back on, and then finished filming. Think about how this movie began and ended... Riders of Doom - Beheading of a parental figure, he dies and comes back because Valeria saved him...Valeria dies - Riders of Doom - Valeria comes back and saves Conan - Beheading of a Parental figure ( Thulsa Doom saying "my son," etc.) I can't think of the word but the word for the same thing whether you start at the beginning or end. Excellent soundtrack too. 10/10 movie for me.

Still, to this day, the greatest musical score to any film. True story, that after the recording sessions the orchestra went out and crushed der enemies and heard da lamendashuns of der vomen . . . RIP Basil Poledouris

People have been killing each other eternally. Especially in hard times. Others just for power and greed, doesn't matter what age your talking about. Even today's world, nothing's changed.

The mucle-bound bad guys were Schwarzeneggar's work out buddies. This was Arnold's first action movie.

That's not really how to forge a sword. Push a hot blade like that into snow and it's either going to break or be worthless. Watch "Forged in Fire" to get a better idea of how thst works, and doesn't, early seasons preferably. The narrator is Mako. He's a Japanese actor who has been in a lot of movies like the "Midway" movie from way back and probably his last role was the voice of Iroh in "The Last Airbender" cartoon. James Earl Jones compared Thulsa Doom to a Dark Ages Darth Vader because he was a villian, could do magic, etc. That was a Barrow Mound. This was an ancient style of burial, particularly for important people. Sometimes a stone chamber was built and the body and goods were placed inside and it was then covered in dirt making the mound. Often they were buried in the ground and a mound built over top of that. In the few Conan novels I read, Conan was more intelligent, and wore armor.

Can't help but say I read the Conan Novels from the 1950s and mad respect to Arnold but this movie is nothing like the books at all. The Conan With Jason Momoa got bad reviews by idiots who never read the novels, but was way more like the novels and therefore worth checking out. I liked it, Conan, Born in a massive battle called the War Child. Most children first taste mothers milk but Conan's first taste was mothers blood. By the way cant wait for the Troy reaction.

Such an classic epic film. The soundtrack/score was very memorable and i dare say top 20 all time. And the word you where looking for is underground crypt probably.

You know if this film came out today it would trigger so many of them soft fools over at PETA and the SJWs right? Just that camel and vulture scene alone lol.... Fire film and reaction keep on that grind.

You really should see the Conan from 2012. I will tell you that if anyone says it sucks that is a person that never read the 1950s Conan novels and probably is just an Arnold Fan Boy.

Hi Devin, I watched this movie years ago and I loved it. Arnie is the man. Will you do a reaction to The Green Mile, it's a great movie with Tom Hanks?

This movie made him the govenor of California. One of the most powerful states in the world. And in the USA.

The red haired man who freed Conan, was the same red haired teenager who chained him up to the wheel. I assume the wheel was used to weed out the week, and create fighters for the pit fights, so they could make money off them. And Thulsa Doom attacked Conan's village at the start just for their steal and children. In that time he was a conqueror, but decades later became a leader, or prophet for those who followed him.

Fist movie I saw from Arnold, by far the best role for him.

This is based on a Marvel comic, my father collected all these and I was taught to read on them. This is in my opinion, one of the very FIRST Marvel Movies! It's one of my all-time favorites! One of my friends is a blacksmith and I've watched him work! But for you, there's a show called "Forged in Fire" that is a weapon-making competition, it's bad-ass!

I would recommend the sequel Conan the destroyer from the year 1984

Good work Dev! You need to watch, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

...Crush your enemies, See them driven before you, And hear the lamentation of their women... Conan - ...can i push wheel now?!...

Why attack small villages? They raided villages for slaves and women.

Greetings from Sweden and thanks for a good video. You should do a reaction on Red Sonja and Conan The destroyer.

Red Sonja is a great movie too.

The tomb is called a kurgan. They used to be common in the steppes of Eastern Europe.

There were snakes that huge in dinosaur times. Though there are many differences I always recommend the Beastmaster to react to when I see this film.

Conan! What is best in life? *To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women*

No se si vistes una escena antes de la batalla final que de hecho es una escena eliminada que depende de qué versión veas te sale ...que Conan cuenta como fue su esclavitud y que llevaba toda la vida luchando sin descanso ..es una de mis escenas favoritas ....

Man Arnold really knew how to make a movie career work for himself. Originally taking up roles like Hercules and Conan, films that wouldn't have worked for a lot of actors but suited his bodybuilding background. Hell even keeping his real name instead of keeping the stage name worked in his favour. He never tried to hide his accent but for a lot of the early films he never needed to and he can act pretty well for a guy who wasn't trained for it.

I always liked that Conan's companions get to be badasses as well.