Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.0

Conan the Destroyer 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 27, 2024

The Barbarians are at the gate, and we have Arrow Video to blame. Once again Arrow is providing fans of a quasi-cult item with a number of different releases in various resolutions and formats, this time of the Arnold Schwarzenegger Conan films, with standalone releases of both Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer in either 1080 or 2160, and with collections of both films together branded as The Conan Chronicles in both resolutions as well. As usual, Arrow has packaged all the releases beautifully, and included a wealth of supplementary material to help sweeten the pot (whether or not it's made of steel).

For anyone still in need of a plot summary, Ken Brown's Conan the Destroyer Blu-ray review of Universal's release from over a decade should suffice quite handily.

Conan the Destroyer 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from Arrow's standalone 1080 release. Per Arrow's standard operating procedure, this release does not contain a 1080 disc.

Conan the Destroyer is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Arrow Video with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.35:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following information on the restoration:

Conan the Destroyer has been exclusively restored by Arrow Films. The film is presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio with restored original monaural audio and a new Dolby Atmos surround mix.

The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K 16 bit at NBC Universal. The film was restored and graded in 4K, SDR, HDR10 and Dolby Vision by Silver Salt Restoration, London.

The original mono track was remasterd by Þorsteinn Gislason. The Atmos mix was produced using the original Mono DME elements at Deluxe Audio London.

All materials sources for this restoration were made available by NBC Universal.

Ken gave nearly top marks to Universal's old 1080 presentation, but that said, a 4.5 from 2011 might not rate the same score today. Much as with what I mentioned with regard to Arrow's version(s) of Conan the Barbarian, the color timing of this release may well be the first thing that people notice when comparing it to the old Universal 1080 Blu-ray, though that said, and rather interestingly, to my eyes HDR and/or Dolby Vision may have "split the difference" between what I mentioned in the 1080 Conan the Destroyer Blu-ray review as the green look of the Universal 1080 disc and the magenta skew of Arrow's 1080 release. That may make the color timing of this 4K UHD version more palatable to some when compared to Arrow's 1080 version. Also as with Conan the Barbarian, I'd rate Arrow's Conan the Destroyer as overall darker than Universal's old release, though that doesn't necessarily mean there's any loss of detail or in fact a decrease in shadow detail, especially with the added highlights granted by HDR and/or Dolby Vision. Those highlights are especially noticeable in some of the heavily graded material, notably some of the evocative oranges. This is a hugely appealing looking transfer that offers really secure fine detail levels throughout, with the possible exception of a few passing opticals and other shots (typically some outdoor material) where things can look a bit on the hazy side. The palette, while quite a bit different looking than on the Universal disc, is robust and extremely well saturated. Grain resolves naturally throughout and is arguably more consistently tight than on the sometimes pretty splotchy looking 4K presentation of Conan the Barbarian.

Conan the Destroyer 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Once again as with Arrow's release of Conan the Barbarian, the label has provided the original theatrical mono presentation offered in LPCM Mono, while also offering a new Atmos track. This may not be the showiest Atmos track (it's perhaps salient to note that Arrow's verbiage for Conan the Barbarian mentions having based it on a pre-existing 5.1 iteration for home video, while this was evidently sourced from mono), but it does significantly open up the proceedings in both the action scenes, notably a lot of the outdoor material, as well as providing a more spacious accounting of Basil Poledouris' memorable score. Atmos engagement is probably not at the consistently hyperbolic levels of contemporary sound design, but again some of the outdoor material in particular has effects clearly emanating from the Atmos speakers. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Conan the Destroyer 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentaries

  Commentary by Richard Fleischer

  
  

  Commentary by Olivia d'Abo & Tracey Walter

  
  

  Commentary by Sarah Douglas, Kim Newman & Stephen Jones

  
  

  Commentary by Paul M. Sammon

• Isolated Score Track is presented in LPCM 2.0 and is advertised as "newly reconstructed in 2023 for Arrow Video using remasters of the original stereo session tapes.


• Casting the Destroyer (HD; 5:12) features casting director Johanna Ray, discussing her efforts to wrangle an "eclectic" cast.


• Cut from a Different Cloth (HD; 9:10) is an interview with costume designer John Bloomfield.


• Dune and the Destroyer (HD; 15:23) is an interview with art director Kevin Phipps, who went from Dune to this film.


• Swords, Sorcery & Stunts (HD; 13:17) features stunt coordinator Vic Armstrong.


• Behind the Destroyer (HD; 10:00) is a companion piece a supplement on Arrow's Conan the Barbarian release(s), offering author John Walsh, who wrote Conan the Barbarian: The Official History of the Film.


• Archival Featurettes

  Conan: The Making of a Comic Book Legend (HD*; 14:06) is from 2001 and features Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway, who wrote the original story for the film as well as several Marvel Comics issues featuring the character.

  
  

  Basil Poledouris: Composing the Conan Saga (HD*; 17:17) is also from 2001 and features the composer talking about his scores for both Conan films.

• Trailer Gallery

  Theatrical Trailer 1 (HD; 2:23)

  
  

  Theatrical Trailer 2 (HD; 1:32)

• Image Gallery (HD)

*720

Additionally, Arrow has once again packaged things very handsomely, with the keepcase and beautifully appointed insert booklet housed in a sturdy slipcase. Six double sided collectors' postcards and a double sided fold out poster are also included.

Conan the Destroyer 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

When even commentator Paul M. Sammon talks about a rather precipitous decline in quality from Conan the Barbarian to Conan the Destroyer, it might be best to set expectations accordingly. That said, Arrow has once again provided a release with solid technical merits and very appealing supplements. With caveats about the actual film noted, Recommended.