Conan

If you saw the original movie with Arnold and it's less watchable sequel in the theatre and later on TV you will get an idea as to what this series is missing. The censors made mincemeat of these two bloody movies because of a desire not to show blood and killing in a sword movie. The producers of the TV show decided to make him Conan the bloodless for the TV show with predictable results. Rolf Moeller was a perfect choice as Arnold already had us expecting a German bodybuilder in the role but they made him a kinder gentler Conan along with cutting the violence which simply departs too much from the original character. Throwing in full time sidekicks for no clear reason made this no different than Xena or Hercules. It's not quite as silly as the series Highlander which is about decapitation but refuses to acknowledge it but like Highlander, it is an idea for cable or feature films only.

It's low budget, and it's all in the forest. You can not really compare it with Arnold's movies. But Ralf is cool and Danny (the little guy) makes up for a lot ! And Zzeben and Bayu can not be missed. The thief compagnion woman Karella is an interesting returning aspect, not played bad at all. The special effects are not very terrible. They suffice for the stories. I watched an episode every day, and you see the actors (and maybe the writers) grow and improve. It's really very conveniant to watch during exercise. I would buy and watch a second season immediatelly. It's funny to see how they try to give Bayu a little more personality with later-added-in sound effects: growling animals and stuf. They shouldn't have bothered, but it's not very annoying. So please don't take it too serious and get yourself through the first few episodes. It will grow on you. In conclusion, here 's a reviewer waiting for the sequel.

Let me start off by saying that I am a big Conan fan. I enjoyed both of the original movies, I've read many of the novels and own a decent collection of comics. I didn't expect much from this series. As far as I know, it was shot in Mexico and is, somewhat low budget. There are kind of primitive (by today's standards) computer generated effects and even computer generated establishing shots.

But, as has been said, Ralf Moeller is a good Conan. At 6'6" or so and 280+ lbs. he makes an impressive warrior. He has been in some of my favorite movies and had a very impressive bodybuilding career in the 80s (not as much in titles, but in achieving an impressive and imposing physique on such a large frame!) So, he is fun to watch on screen. Also, the supporting characters are strong in their roles. Also, there are some characters from the Conan novels such as Karela. Many of the stories are pretty good, some are mediocre (as with any series).

The only real complaint I have about this series is its limited shooting locations and generally (too obvious) low budget production values. When every episode takes place in the same forest, it begins to look repetitive. We watch fantasy movies/shows to be taken away to imaginary places and in a series, this means fresh and new places of adventure, not the same ones show after show. The props and sets are another complaint. i.e. many of the weapons used are obviously wood or plastic and have no sharpened edge of any kind. They really made this too obvious. Conan seems to be the only one with any kind of real sword. What? they couldn't get a BudK catalog and order a bunch of $50 swords? And, every village looks like the huts and houses were thrown together in five minutes. I used to make better forts than this as a kid! So, those are the elements that are less than convincing.

The boxed set is reasonably priced and a must have for Conan fanatics like myself. But, the casual fan may get bored quickly with the generic sets and low production values. As a side note, I notice that Teagan Clive has writing credit on this show- she is a long time writer for many muscle magazines and a bodybuilder in her own right. Also, Matthias Hues ( of "I come in Peace" fame) makes a guest role in perhaps the best episode in the collection- mostly because of his great performance. He lends a more authentic "barbarian" quality to the episode and chews the scenery well in this type of role.

I couldn't agree more with the other poster. I found this show totally enjoyable. The DVDs are well worth having. Unlike shows that started out good and went downhill fast, like Xena, this one kept the tone jaunty and fun throughout, as well as steering clear of silly anachronisms. Conan's mostly exposed body is good eye candy for us ladies, too. I wish there were more episodes.

The only things I got bored with were the talking skull and the somewhat one-dimensional bad guys. However, there were some strong women characters (and what a blast to see Mariette Hartley show up as the Queen in "Heir Apparent," season 1). The sidekicks were a little dull in some ways, I guess, but I give the show credit for using "misfits" (a dwarf, a mute, a chubby coward) in action roles and in giving them some dignity and respectability instead of turning them into comic relief in a degrading way (can you say "Joxer"?).

I also liked the lack of gore--maybe I'm a wimp but the Conan movies, though I love them (and the soundtrack is absolutely the greatest), were a little gory for my taste. I prefer to leave that stuff to the imagination. Speaking of the soundtrack, I bought that CD also and it is pretty good. Not exactly Basil Poledouris, but it's thoroughly listenable.

After watching episodes on tape, thanks to a friend who had taped them, I want to know why Conan fans found this tv series so lame? Now, granted it wasn't the novels, or as bloodly and dark as it should have been...but it had monsters, women, warriors, killing, wizards, and Rolf did a great job as Conan the Cimmerian. Plus, unlike many syndie shows, had an actual storyline going through the season. Episodes like "Lair of the Beastmen" and "Al Sohn-Bar" were nicely done fantasy stories, with a bit of everything. Some episodes were not as worthy, but it was a fun series. Face it: Conan on cable or free TV isn't going to be the Conan a hardcore Conan fan wants. Until HBO can aquire a chance to produce a Conan tv series, the 1997/1998 "Conan: Adventurer" tv series is the best you'll get. And unless Threshold produces a new tv series (which they have yet to do, after fighting hard to get the rights, etc) the Keller Conan series is all there will be.