The 1980s might well have been a golden age for fantasy in cinema. The decade sat at a crucial time of marvelously imaginative practical effects before digital creations began to take over - and any such special effects that we saw were still fairly modest, and sparing, and were therefore still actually special. True, in other ways the genre has benefited from unswerving consistency - fabulous, rich production design, art direction, costume design, hair and makeup work, props, weapons, stunts, and actions sequences, not to mention gorgeous filming locations. Such properties are as true of, say, Peter Jackson's 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy in the early 2000s as they were for 'Conan the Barbarian' and 'Conan the Destroyer' in the 80s. Yet the ever so slightly more modest production values of the 80s, that lack of utmost sheen and refinement, somewhat lends to the verisimilitude of tales of swords and sorcery, allowing for a tremendous, epic look and feel even in the most modest examples. And so we have 'Red Sonja': more or less hearkening to the same source material as the Conan films, claiming the same sensibilities of film-making and storytelling, and seeing the return of director Richard Fleischer, who helmed 'Destroyer.' For anyone who appreciates the genre, this is really fun!
Legendary composer that Ennio Morricone is, I'm not sure that his themes here carry the same vibrancy as those Basil Poledouris wrote for the Conan movies, but at worst they're only a hair short. The music still bears the same hallmarks of grandiosity, including employment of a choir and full orchestra; the chief difference, I think, is a seeming general aim for broad airs of adventure rather than specific accompaniment scene by scene (even though both are true to varying degrees). Though not directly correlated, the same feeling tends to apply to the picture at large. 'Red Sonja' is unmistakably cut from the same cloth of glory and majesty, with great fight scenes, colorful characters and light humor, diabolical villains, a journey of both equal import and peril, and resplendent visuals. It also, however, falls just shy of achieving the same heights of luminosity in any regard compared to its brethren. Moments that in theory should carry significant emotional weight, be loaded with thrills, or inspire chills or cheers, simply don't get quite that far in actuality. This isn't to say that the feature isn't a joyful ride all the way through, because it is, but as if to accentuate the point, it's worth observing that the title character plays second fiddle in her own movie; Brigitte Nielsen is billed second to Arnold Schwarzenegger, who by all rights has what should be the supporting role.
Still, one shouldn't get too caught up in the details - if it's fantasy adventure you want, it's definitely fantasy adventure you'll get. The cast do a fine job of bringing their characters to life, with quite the list of names rounding out secondary parts. The film looks incredible in every way, exactly the lofty magnificence we would hope for from any such fare. Would only that this strong female character were meaningfully allowed to be more so, and that the title overall had beats that could resonate as terrifically as what we get in its kin. For otherwise, I think 'Red Sonja' is a really good time, well worth watching; only, it's perhaps just not altogether essential. A solid recommendation for general audiences, it's fans of fantasy, of the works of Robert E. Howard and his ilk, or of the cast who will get the most out of this, but one way or another it's entertaining and a swell way to spend 90 minutes.
Legendary composer that Ennio Morricone is, I'm not sure that his themes here carry the same vibrancy as those Basil Poledouris wrote for the Conan movies, but at worst they're only a hair short. The music still bears the same hallmarks of grandiosity, including employment of a choir and full orchestra; the chief difference, I think, is a seeming general aim for broad airs of adventure rather than specific accompaniment scene by scene (even though both are true to varying degrees). Though not directly correlated, the same feeling tends to apply to the picture at large. 'Red Sonja' is unmistakably cut from the same cloth of glory and majesty, with great fight scenes, colorful characters and light humor, diabolical villains, a journey of both equal import and peril, and resplendent visuals. It also, however, falls just shy of achieving the same heights of luminosity in any regard compared to its brethren. Moments that in theory should carry significant emotional weight, be loaded with thrills, or inspire chills or cheers, simply don't get quite that far in actuality. This isn't to say that the feature isn't a joyful ride all the way through, because it is, but as if to accentuate the point, it's worth observing that the title character plays second fiddle in her own movie; Brigitte Nielsen is billed second to Arnold Schwarzenegger, who by all rights has what should be the supporting role.
Still, one shouldn't get too caught up in the details - if it's fantasy adventure you want, it's definitely fantasy adventure you'll get. The cast do a fine job of bringing their characters to life, with quite the list of names rounding out secondary parts. The film looks incredible in every way, exactly the lofty magnificence we would hope for from any such fare. Would only that this strong female character were meaningfully allowed to be more so, and that the title overall had beats that could resonate as terrifically as what we get in its kin. For otherwise, I think 'Red Sonja' is a really good time, well worth watching; only, it's perhaps just not altogether essential. A solid recommendation for general audiences, it's fans of fantasy, of the works of Robert E. Howard and his ilk, or of the cast who will get the most out of this, but one way or another it's entertaining and a swell way to spend 90 minutes.