‘Conan the Barbarian: Limited Edition’ 4K Ultra-HD movie review

Director John Milius brought author Robert E. Howard’s famed Cimmerian warrior to the big screen in 1982 via a swords-and-sorcery epic that now debuts in the ultra-high definition disc format in a package loaded with fan extras — Conan the Barbarian: Limited Edition (Arrow Video, rated R, 127 minutes, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, $59.95).

The film, co-written by Oliver Stone, turned Arnold Schwarzenegger into an international action star and offered a methodical origin of the pulp hero growing up in the mythical Hyborian Age. After watching his parents slaughtered by cult sorcerer Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) and his minions, the young Conan is taken by the evil leader and made a slave.

Conan frees himself after becoming a successful gladiator and roams the lands seeking quests. He joins archer Subtotai (Gerry Lopez) and pirate Valeria (Sandahl Bergman) to rob jewels from the Tower of Serpents but then realizes it’s owned by the Doom.

Conan goes to confront his parents’ killer but gets crucified for his efforts. His team eventually rescues him and then, joined by a wizard (Mako Iwamatsu), they plot their revenge.

Mr. Schwarzenegger embodies the muscle-bound barbarian as a ferocious killer with an insatiable lust for the ladies.

Production designers Robb Cobb and William Stout deliver by crafting a world one would have found in painter Frank Frazetta’s adaptation of the Conan lore in his many masterpieces.

Viewers can choose from three versions of the film, the theatrical release (127 minutes), the international release (129 minutes) and an extended cut (130 minutes), the latter offering minimal changes and an alternate ending.

4K in action: Arrow delivers a sometimes mixed-quality restoration, created from the original 35mm camera negatives, that boasts sharp details and vivid colors but occasional excessive grain and softness.

The period, Viking-esque costuming often dominates the screen, allowing an inspection of the intricate and ornate mix of fur, steel, chain mail, iron and leather worn by the characters.

Moments to savor include Conan eating outdoors while lit by a campfire with a purple-and-pink sunset behind him; the warrior’s gooey encounter with a giant black-, red- and yellow-scaled python; and his impeccable musculature while crucified on the Tree of Woe.

Also worth noting visually are animated specters bathed in red light trying to steal Conan’s soul (best visual effect of the entire film by far), Doom turning into a python with help from clever practical effects and a funeral pyre with even red lens flares around the flaming stone slab.

Best extras: This limited edition from Arrow is an exceptional gift set that offers a mix of hard-copy goodies and an unprecedented collection of digital content that thoroughly deconstruct the film.

Let’s start with the digital and a pair of optional commentary tracks on the 4K disc. A vintage track from 2000 offers the director and star having too much fun talking about the film, complimenting each other about specific scenes and offering plenty of anecdotes.

And a new solo commentary with Paul M. Sammon, author of “Conan: The Phenomenon,” offers a detailed and scholarly first-person account (Mr. Sammon was on the set) of the film’s production and is loaded with insight and background.

The package includes a Blu-ray disc with a nearly hourlong documentary from the 2000 DVD called “Conan Unchained: The Making of Conan” that further covers the production with plenty of interviews.

While on the topic of interviews, Arrow adds more than 90 minutes of new segments (10 in total) featuring costume designer John Bloomfield, practical effects designers Colin Arthur and Ron Hone, production designer William Stout, actor Jorge Sanz (young Conan), author John Walsh (“Conan the Barbarian: The Official History of the Film”) and the director of the Viking epic “Northman,” Robert Eggers, offers his appreciation of the film.

Also worth a look are extras covering Conan’s origins in pulp fiction and comics, with words from sequential art legends Roy Thomas and Kurt Busiek (18 minutes); a massive, four-part homage to composer Basil Poledouris (including more than 90 minutes with footage of Poledouris directing the score); an electronic press kit from 1982 (35 minutes); and a look at the creation of the swords (15 minutes).

Now, let’s get to the cardboard case with its front adorned by the original movie poster and housing a plastic disc container. The container slides out and opens to access six, double-sided, full-color postcards reproducing some of the theater lobby cards.

The case includes a fold-out, double-sided, full-color movie poster of the original art (16 inches by 20 inches); a whopping 80-page booklet featuring new essays by critics Walter Chaw and John Walsh; and a vintage, nine-day report from the set from Mr. Sammon.

For those die-hard fans, they will be equally pleased with Arrow’s release of the sequel Conan the Destroyer: Limited Edition ($59.95) in the 4K format, which is almost equally packed with extras.

Highlights include a quartet of optional commentary tracks; almost an hour’s worth of new interviews with key crew members; and a package containing a mini-poster, postcards and a thick illustrated booklet.