---
title: "Conan the Barbarian: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/conan-the-barbarian/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/conan-the-barbarian"
critics_score: 60
critics_reviews: 9
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Conan the Barbarian (1982): what the critics said

Critics' score 60 from 9 reviews: 4 positive, 3 mixed, 2 negative.

## Empire — Clark Collis

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

The critic finds the film an epic, entertaining piece of mythmaking that rises above its pulp origins and technical limits. He singles out Milius’s earnest, serious approach for elevating the story, despite an unconvincing giant snake.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/empire-essay-conan-barbarian-review/)

## Slant Magazine — Budd Wilkins

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 30 January 2024. 

The critic treats the 1982 film as a rousing, thoughtful epic and finds its ideas more complicated than its macho reputation suggests. He particularly praises the warmth of Conan and Valeria’s relationship, which softens the film’s otherwise bellicose outlook.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/conan-the-barbarian-conan-the-destroyer-blu-ray-review/)

## Time Out

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 15 March 2012. 

The page frames Schwarzenegger’s later action-star fame as hard to imagine at the time. Its available blurb highlights the contrast between his early persona and eventual celebrity, but gives no clear overall verdict.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/newyork/film/conan-the-barbarian)

## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert

Rating 2.5/4. 14 May 1982. 

Ebert finds the film ponderous and often boring, though it has some interesting elements. He singles out Sandahl Bergman’s striking athletic presence as a strength.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/conan-the-barbarian-1982)

## Radio Times — Tom Hutchinson

Rating 3/5. 

Hutchinson finds the sword-and-sorcery adventure entertaining but too humourless. He praises its fabulous look and the movie’s fantasy atmosphere.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-fqhuru/conan-the-barbarian/)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1981. 

The review finds the film promising at first but ultimately weakened by a thin script and Schwarzenegger’s limited acting. It praises Milius’s setup and the anticipation around Conan’s emergence, while faulting the adventures that follow as meaningless.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1981/film/reviews/conan-the-barbarian-3-1200425238/)

## Collider — Andre Dellamorte

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 August 2011. 

The critic praises Conan the Barbarian as a brilliantly staged, memorable fantasy that makes strong use of Arnold Schwarzenegger. He singles out John Milius’s vivid world-building and the film’s thoughtful moments, while also noting that the Blu-ray transfer looks excellent.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/conan-the-barbarian-blu-ray-review-conan-the-destroyer-blu-ray-review/)

## Eye for Film — Gator MacReady

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 22 July 2002. 

The review is positive about the DVD release, especially its improved presentation. It singles out the widescreen picture and remastered soundtrack as major improvements, while noting occasional picture problems.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/dvdreview/conan-the-barbarian-dvd-review-by-gator-macready)

## The Playlist

Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 16 August 2011. 

The headline signals a strongly negative verdict on the film. It singles out the film itself as “unbelievably awful,” without enough accessible text to identify a more specific criticism.

[Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/empire-big-screen-11-review-by-crom-conan-the-barbarian-is-unbelievably-awful-20110816/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/conan-the-barbarian.md