Director: Richard Fleischer
Script: Clive Exton, George McDonald Fraser
Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Brigitte Nielson, Sandahl Bergman, Paul L. Smith, Pat Roach, Janet Agren, Ronald Lacey
Running time: 90 minutes
Year: 1985
Certificate: 15
The Eighties were a great time to be a fantasy movie fan, with several key fantasy films revealing themselves for a post Star Wars fantasy stimulated public. Hawk the Slayer (1980), Dragonslayer (1981) and The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982) rubbed shoulders with the likes of Lady Hawke (1985), The Beastmaster (1982), Conan the Barbarian (1982) and Krull (1983). So, okay, the visual effects were a bit on the basic side compared with those we often see today, but they all had a certain visceral quality to them that is sorely missed by many (including myself) in today’s overly CGI-reliant features. Give me another Beastmaster film any day of the week compared to yet another Avengers movie.
Following on from the critical and commercial success of Conan the Barbarian uber producer Dino De Laurentiis was looking for something similarly successful in the fantasy realm and therefore raided Robert E Howard’s literary stash again and came up with the lesser-known character Red Sonia. So, did lightning strike twice or was the result more rumble than thunder?
Brigitte Nielson plays the title character, who, after being left for dead after her village was put to the torch in a rather rushed flashback sequence, goes on a quest to revenge herself on the evil queen who had had her assaulted and her family put to the sword.
Meanwhile the evil queen Gedron, (Sandahl Bergman), raids a religious sect to steal some kind of magical talisman that feeds on light, getting more powerful by the hour, and which ultimately will destroy the world if not kept in darkness. The bad queen, who’s clearly a bit dim, keeps said talisman in a candle-filled hall, to boost its power, not realising that it will be the end of her too, and not just her enemies.
Along the way, Sonja picks up a boy-prince (Tarn) and his guardian, after their own city was levelled by the evil queen, and also the talisman’s rightful protector, Kalidor (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who was clearly not protecting it when the evil queen turned up at the temple where it was housed. Their adventure takes them through hostile territories including through an underground cave where a poorly constructed water dragon dwells. However, they finally make it to the evil bitch’s castle to settle Sonja’s score, or at least die trying.
I have to say that Red Sonja was much better than I remembered it to be, with some great locations, excellent matt paintings, fun fights, a fantastic Ennio Morricone score and some enjoyable banter between its likeable leads. I’m not quite sure why critics have given it such a hard time over the years; perhaps because the plot’s a bit silly, and feels over-rushed, and some of the VFX are crude, to say the least – the dragon leaves a lot to be desired, for sure, but is still a lot of fun. And, while the acting, was never going to win any awards for any of its cast, the performances are all serviceable and don’t distract from one’s overall enjoyment of the piece. Arnold and Brigitte makes for a believable couple, who’s flirting and foreplay involves lots of fighting and crossed swords instead of the usual cross words. Even the annoying boy prince turns out to be a good kid in the end.
Overall, then, I can certainly recommend Red Sonja, especially to fans of Eighties fantasy films. The picture and sound quality are excellent, hence make it worth upgrading your DVD copies, if you have any.
Red Sonja is being distributed by Studiocanal on Blu-ray. There are a number of extras on the disc including:
Arnold Schwarzenegger – The man who raised Hollywood (16:18) – An interesting, but succinct, documentary charting the rise and rise of our favourite Austrian hunk. Various filmmakers who have worked with him over the years are interviewed including Peter Hyams (End of Days) and Arthur Seibelman (Hercules in New York). To the former Arnold said: “That’s what I like to see, a Democrat with a gun!”
Making of Red Sonja Vs. Kalidor (12.5 mins) –Another enlightening mini doc where producer Micel Ferry reflects on the production. He remembers that Arnold was contracted to spend 10 days on the production but stuck around for weeks. Also, the director couldn’t speak Italian and the producer couldn’t speak English!
Renato Casaro – The last movie painter (97 mins) – Interesting feature-length doc about the painter Renato Casaro who worked on a lot of well-known movie posters. Described as a ‘hyper-realist’, Renato’s paintings are quite special, for sure.
Renato Cesaro (1.5 mins) – This makes the film look a lot more exciting than it is – so it does its job!
Renato Cesaro – Artwork gallery (1.5 mins) – Shots of his paintings for Red Sonja
Trailer (1.5 mins) – New trailer aimed at showcasing the 4K transfer
Theatrical trailer (2.04 mins) – Cool, retro trailer with gruff ‘voice-over man’
