Red Sonja (1985) Review

Red Sonja (1985) 

In a world dominated by female warriors, Red Sonja follows Red Sonja, who, after her family is killed and a magical talisman stolen, must embark on a quest, aided by the talisman’s keeper, Lord Kalidor, to get revenge on Queen Gedren and destroy the talisman before it destroys the world. 

If, by the synopsis, Red Sonja sounds like a gender-bent Conan the Barbarian or simply just another Conan sequel, you honestly wouldn’t be too far off from the final product, a big reason why I was immediately so drawn to this film after coming across it. What clearly separates the two however is the direction. Directed by Richard Fleischer (who also did Conan the Destroyer), Red Sonja really falls into the campy side of the sword & sorcery genre (as nearly all of them do) because unlike John Milius’ direction on Conan, this is never taken too incredibly serious, and honestly, that’s okay. So much of the genre is based in fantasy, with characters running around half naked and throwing around swords, on film sets with very little budgets, where acting talents always come second to one’s physique—I don’t expect anything crazy, just a fun story of revenge. 

Which is exactly what Red Sonja gives us, even if it is incredibly dorky (a guilty pleasure of mine nonetheless), boasting plenty of intense sword fights and even includes Arnold as co-lead, Kalidor, a not-so-subtle take on Conan given that they didn’t have the rights to the character (both Sonja and Conan come from the same comic). 

We get a pretty fun cast, starring Janet Ågren, Pat Roach, Paul L. Smith, Ernie Reyes Jr., Sandahl Bergman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Brigitte Nielsen. Though Nielsen’s acting has never been anything great, it’s particularlyrough to watch here. Her sword fighting however is more than commendable for the task at hand, especially when pitted with the likes of Bergman and Schwarzenegger, who are obviously a total treat to watch. 

Red Sonja, directed by Richard Fleischer, is an unintentionally camp, mid-80s sword and sorcery adventure that proves far more amusing than it is thrilling, and while it’s nowhere close to Conan, it’s fairly enjoyable for what it is. 

5.9/10