A sword and sorcery epic which is let down by wooden acting and a lethargic, plodding storyline. Following CONAN THE BARBARIAN and CONAN THE DESTROYER as a sort of semi-sequel, there is also a surprisingly lack of on screen violence, with only one or two beheadings, no blood spraying anywhere, people just being run through with swords. RED SONJA may not be the worst of the worst but it is pretty uninspiring.
Brigitte Nielsen stars in her first role. Surprisingly she turns out to be even more wooden than her co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger. Nielsen might look good in a tunic but she totally lacks any natural charisma which makes her character a difficult one to like. Sadly Schwarzenegger is relegated to a supporting role in this one and he is given little to do apart from hack up some bad guys and do some silly strongman acts. Sandahl Bergman makes a good, wicked villainess but she sprouts clichéd dialogue which makes her look idiotic. Ronald Lacey also appears but is wasted in a supporting role. Look hard and you may spot Italian exploitation babe Janet Agren filling out a minor role.
The film opens with some pillaging, burning, a massacre, and a young survivor swearing vengeance. Strange, exactly the same as in both CONAN and THE BEASTMASTER. To add insult to injury there is only ONE monster in the entire film, an underwater creature made of metal which Arnie gets to ride in the film's highlight. Negative points include an annoying kid who should have been wasted and some poor comic relief. At least the ending picks up and there's ample opportunity for shots of falling rubble and a hilarious moment where Arnie holds up a pillar using just his back - he's that strong. Sadly the rest of this is a clichéd mess, to be viewed only by fans of the sword and sorcery flicks which were so popular back in the early '80s.
Brigitte Nielsen stars in her first role. Surprisingly she turns out to be even more wooden than her co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger. Nielsen might look good in a tunic but she totally lacks any natural charisma which makes her character a difficult one to like. Sadly Schwarzenegger is relegated to a supporting role in this one and he is given little to do apart from hack up some bad guys and do some silly strongman acts. Sandahl Bergman makes a good, wicked villainess but she sprouts clichéd dialogue which makes her look idiotic. Ronald Lacey also appears but is wasted in a supporting role. Look hard and you may spot Italian exploitation babe Janet Agren filling out a minor role.
The film opens with some pillaging, burning, a massacre, and a young survivor swearing vengeance. Strange, exactly the same as in both CONAN and THE BEASTMASTER. To add insult to injury there is only ONE monster in the entire film, an underwater creature made of metal which Arnie gets to ride in the film's highlight. Negative points include an annoying kid who should have been wasted and some poor comic relief. At least the ending picks up and there's ample opportunity for shots of falling rubble and a hilarious moment where Arnie holds up a pillar using just his back - he's that strong. Sadly the rest of this is a clichéd mess, to be viewed only by fans of the sword and sorcery flicks which were so popular back in the early '80s.