Readers, one of the things about being a fan of genre entertainment that unites us much more than it divides us is that – even critics – all of us are fans of some individual production that – ahem – we’re a bit embarrassed to admit we love.
I know, I know, I know. I hear the complaints from the back of the room, from the Peanut Gallery, those of you who would condemn a condemn a professional for not only admitting such a truth but also merely suggesting that critics are normal people, but it’s true. Each of us harbors some secret fondness for something we shouldn’t. Though some dismiss these film crushes as being entirely inconsequential, I’ve always said that they’re pivotal into understanding what it is about films exploring the realms of the Fantastic that make them so different from anything else available on silver screens. Essentially, they transport us away from the cares of our world to a place wherein all we think about is the trials of the hero and heroines. When they do that effectively enough, then the dirty little secret is that we – as viewers – don’t really give a damn whether or not the scenery is perfect, the effects are inadequate, or the acting might (MIGHT!) be a bit hammy. We’re in it for the adventure, don’t you see; and so long as that’s captivating then quality be damned, buckle up, and enjoy the ride.
1985’s Red Sonja is such a film for yours truly, and it has always been.
No, this is not because it starred the lovely Brigitte Nielsen at the height of her singular sex appeal because – in all honesty – anyone who grew up on the Red Sonja comic iterations can tell you that in print Sonja clad herself in far more revealing costumes than the actress dons for this Richard Fleischer directed romp. (FYI: those hardcore enthusiasts were no doubt disappointed that costume designer Danilo Donati covered up so much of what made Sonja and Nielsen exceptional.) Furthermore, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to both notice and suggest that there’s very little structural difference in this origin story than what Oliver Stone served up a few years earlier with 1982’s Conan The Barbarian (also from the works of the late Robert E. Howard). The two films are foundationally so close to one another the casual viewer could easily argue that Sonja pretty much stole Conan’s beginnings and repackaged them (in female garb); and – for all intents and purposes – that might be true.
What Red Sonja meant to me and those who accepted it as an acceptable theatrical diversion from life is that it was one more chance to experience Fantasy on the screen. This was decades before Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema would show the world-at-large what was possible with The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, and serious fans of the genre would still be waiting a few years for TV’s Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess to whet our appetites from our couch cushions in the 1990’s. In fact, the budding intellectuals among us genre enthusiasts might theorize that 1985’s Sonja was, culturally, a necessary evil to show producers that there was an audience for the stuff – yes, even low budget stuff and, yes, even a small audience – although the entertainment industry couldn’t quite afford to dish it out profitably back then. Lessons were learned, and steps were taken with other projects as needed. Inevitably, Hollywood got to where it needed to be; so perhaps Sonja – as a project that failed on more levels than one – had to happen the way it did.
But what a remarkable lesson it was …
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“The fearless warrior Red Sonja sets out to avenge her family's murder and rid her kingdom from the tyrannical rule of evil Queen Gedren.”
Having lived through those early days of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career, I can assure the audiences that not every genre fan was all that thrilled with the acting of the Austrian Oak.
Again, I offer this with nothing but admiration for what the bodybuilder-turned-actor accomplished back then. Even his dullest line readings or memorized recitation couldn’t overwhelm the pure machismo of his physical prowess in damn near anything he did. Box office results being what they were, moviegoers clearly didn’t much care that there was little inflection in his voice – barely any emotion in his verbal cadence – because the man embodied characters that were both written exclusively written for him or otherwise. He had that knack for doing what was necessary to make his deficiencies disappear sufficiently to make a project percolate; and the same could be said of his participation in Red Sonja.
As Kalidor, Schwarzenegger scored top billing over the virtually unknown Nielsen, the dubiously talented ‘actress’ who played Sonja in the film that gave an origins picture based more on the character’s Marvel comic book lore than it was the Howard source material. Thankfully, the script from Clive Exton and George MacDonald Fraser wound up using Kalidor more like a plot device than an authentic person: the adventurer largely sets up sequences necessary to move their film from Point A to Point B to Point C, with the Lord of Hyrkania literally disappearing from these vignettes and allowing Sonja to take center stage. I’ve since learned some of this was originally intended while other times it developed along the way as the writers were redesigning the story as Schwarzenegger’s participation morphed from a cameo to a more supporting capacity.
Not unlike what Arnie accomplished with Conan and Kalidor, Nielsen – by hook or by crook – employed much of the same toxic masculinity (I said what I said) to give her rape survivor turned warrior the fearlessness needed to set out on her own journey of vengeance. Sadly, the actress’ best emotional moments are buried in flashbacks detailed at the film’s opening – Queen Gedren (Sandahl Bergman) destroys Sonja’s homestead, kills her family, and announces her intent to seize the lovely damsel as a concubine before instead leaving her for dead – and I can’t help but wonder if all involved would’ve been better served by not truncating that performance for brevity’s sake. Granted, such a small chapter may not have made a significant difference given the rather obvious low-budget presentation that permeates what remained of the 90-minute running time; and yet I can’t help but wonder if a stronger, bolder, and bloodier beginning could’ve made audiences of the mid-80’s to be more forgiving than they were back then.
Still, once the particulars of her background and motivation are established, there’s no denying that – as a loose road picture to redemption – Red Sonja works capably from start-to-finish. It’s chocked full with swordplay – some good, some bad – along with some practical action, PG-rated fisticuffs, and admittedly a baseline pulse of screen chemistry between two of filmdom’s most wooden actors. (Even E.R. doctors require a pulse to do their work, and if that’s all they’ve got then they have at it!) Along with some screen chewing work by Bergman and a very young Ernie Reyes Jr. – his curious Prince Tarn is sometimes laughable, sometimes cringeworthy and yet it still succeeds – Sonja demonstrates the good, the bad, and the ugly of Fantasy filmmaking for those willing to give it the proper respect. (Mind you: I’d never ask you to like it, only to understand it.)
Any amount of reading into the film, its production, and its place in history strongly suggests that it’s the kind of project that is best forgotten. Years later, even star Schwarzenegger calls it one of his absolute worst; and there’s no denying that it largely stalled the industry’s fleeting fascination with Fantasy, setting the unique sub-genre on the backburner for what would be a handful or two of years. My longtime support of the flick is tied more to its camp or schlock sensibilities – there are bad films some of us just long to love – because I think there are far more warnings to be learned in studying failures than there ever is in merely imitating successes. Recognizing a picture is clunky is, frankly, an easy task; but being adroit enough to identify the steps wherein some female representation got in the way of a film’s other more important themes takes a bit of time, patience, and schooling.
In the end, what matters is that the individual is entertained, and … what can I say? Sonja did that for me back then, and it still does today. Even with its imperfections and plot holes and stilted acting and hackneyed ideas, I embraced it for what it was. I’ve always been that odd duck marvels at what went into creating a scene one way as opposed to others, and I totally fixate on practical sets as opposed to current CGI slop. Logically, Gedren’s castle makes no sense – its layout, its fragmented design elements, its whole aesthetic – and yet I can’t look away from the glorious spaces and how some technicians of a time and place accomplished far more with far less. I’d wander those halls for hours if I could instead of, say, the Jedi Temple because one looked like it was made by builders while one was conceived entirely by computer.
Red Sonja (1985) was produced by Dino De Laurentiis Company and Famous Film (II). DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Arrow Films. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can still assure readers that the provided sights and sounds look (technically) very good: Sonja – as a project – was obviously plagued here and there with some subpar effects work, but the end results are strong enough to propel the story forward as needed. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? As I’ve mentioned many, many times on SciFiHistory.Net, Arrow Films rarely (if ever) disappoints, and to their credit there’s a vast assortment of newly produced interviews and featurettes to digest on this release – far too much for me to ever be fair – so fans should be understandably excited to get their hands on this. (I’m still wading through some of the shorts, frankly.) I will say, however, that there are two commentaries available on the disc; and while the one hosted by critics Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth is good the much better listen is the one from comic book expert Dave Baxter as it’s a wonderful deep dive into Sonja (and Conan) lore that relates to the screen adaptation (along with missed opportunities). Sonja purists will likely learn things they’d never known … yes, it’s that great. Don’t miss it.
Recommended.
Sometimes I can be honest to a fault; and this is why I’ll say that – critically – 1985’s Red Sonja is not a good film on most levels but – personally – I can’t help but love it. While some might dismiss my that sentiment as me being nostalgic, I can assure you nothing is further from the truth because I’ve always loved this clunker from the first time I saw it on the silver screen through today. (Frankly, I was damn near giddy when I learned that Arrow was giving audiences an update because their stuff is exceptional, and they’ve not let me down.) Like gawking at a freeway car crash, I just can’t look away no matter how hard I try because – as a pure old school swords-and-sandals B-Movie – Sonja works entirely as intended. But is it a great picture? Nah … it’s a movie, and it should be enjoyed as such.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Arrow Films provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray copy of Red Sonja (1985) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
I know, I know, I know. I hear the complaints from the back of the room, from the Peanut Gallery, those of you who would condemn a condemn a professional for not only admitting such a truth but also merely suggesting that critics are normal people, but it’s true. Each of us harbors some secret fondness for something we shouldn’t. Though some dismiss these film crushes as being entirely inconsequential, I’ve always said that they’re pivotal into understanding what it is about films exploring the realms of the Fantastic that make them so different from anything else available on silver screens. Essentially, they transport us away from the cares of our world to a place wherein all we think about is the trials of the hero and heroines. When they do that effectively enough, then the dirty little secret is that we – as viewers – don’t really give a damn whether or not the scenery is perfect, the effects are inadequate, or the acting might (MIGHT!) be a bit hammy. We’re in it for the adventure, don’t you see; and so long as that’s captivating then quality be damned, buckle up, and enjoy the ride.
1985’s Red Sonja is such a film for yours truly, and it has always been.
No, this is not because it starred the lovely Brigitte Nielsen at the height of her singular sex appeal because – in all honesty – anyone who grew up on the Red Sonja comic iterations can tell you that in print Sonja clad herself in far more revealing costumes than the actress dons for this Richard Fleischer directed romp. (FYI: those hardcore enthusiasts were no doubt disappointed that costume designer Danilo Donati covered up so much of what made Sonja and Nielsen exceptional.) Furthermore, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to both notice and suggest that there’s very little structural difference in this origin story than what Oliver Stone served up a few years earlier with 1982’s Conan The Barbarian (also from the works of the late Robert E. Howard). The two films are foundationally so close to one another the casual viewer could easily argue that Sonja pretty much stole Conan’s beginnings and repackaged them (in female garb); and – for all intents and purposes – that might be true.
What Red Sonja meant to me and those who accepted it as an acceptable theatrical diversion from life is that it was one more chance to experience Fantasy on the screen. This was decades before Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema would show the world-at-large what was possible with The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, and serious fans of the genre would still be waiting a few years for TV’s Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess to whet our appetites from our couch cushions in the 1990’s. In fact, the budding intellectuals among us genre enthusiasts might theorize that 1985’s Sonja was, culturally, a necessary evil to show producers that there was an audience for the stuff – yes, even low budget stuff and, yes, even a small audience – although the entertainment industry couldn’t quite afford to dish it out profitably back then. Lessons were learned, and steps were taken with other projects as needed. Inevitably, Hollywood got to where it needed to be; so perhaps Sonja – as a project that failed on more levels than one – had to happen the way it did.
But what a remarkable lesson it was …
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“The fearless warrior Red Sonja sets out to avenge her family's murder and rid her kingdom from the tyrannical rule of evil Queen Gedren.”
Having lived through those early days of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career, I can assure the audiences that not every genre fan was all that thrilled with the acting of the Austrian Oak.
Again, I offer this with nothing but admiration for what the bodybuilder-turned-actor accomplished back then. Even his dullest line readings or memorized recitation couldn’t overwhelm the pure machismo of his physical prowess in damn near anything he did. Box office results being what they were, moviegoers clearly didn’t much care that there was little inflection in his voice – barely any emotion in his verbal cadence – because the man embodied characters that were both written exclusively written for him or otherwise. He had that knack for doing what was necessary to make his deficiencies disappear sufficiently to make a project percolate; and the same could be said of his participation in Red Sonja.
As Kalidor, Schwarzenegger scored top billing over the virtually unknown Nielsen, the dubiously talented ‘actress’ who played Sonja in the film that gave an origins picture based more on the character’s Marvel comic book lore than it was the Howard source material. Thankfully, the script from Clive Exton and George MacDonald Fraser wound up using Kalidor more like a plot device than an authentic person: the adventurer largely sets up sequences necessary to move their film from Point A to Point B to Point C, with the Lord of Hyrkania literally disappearing from these vignettes and allowing Sonja to take center stage. I’ve since learned some of this was originally intended while other times it developed along the way as the writers were redesigning the story as Schwarzenegger’s participation morphed from a cameo to a more supporting capacity.
Not unlike what Arnie accomplished with Conan and Kalidor, Nielsen – by hook or by crook – employed much of the same toxic masculinity (I said what I said) to give her rape survivor turned warrior the fearlessness needed to set out on her own journey of vengeance. Sadly, the actress’ best emotional moments are buried in flashbacks detailed at the film’s opening – Queen Gedren (Sandahl Bergman) destroys Sonja’s homestead, kills her family, and announces her intent to seize the lovely damsel as a concubine before instead leaving her for dead – and I can’t help but wonder if all involved would’ve been better served by not truncating that performance for brevity’s sake. Granted, such a small chapter may not have made a significant difference given the rather obvious low-budget presentation that permeates what remained of the 90-minute running time; and yet I can’t help but wonder if a stronger, bolder, and bloodier beginning could’ve made audiences of the mid-80’s to be more forgiving than they were back then.
Still, once the particulars of her background and motivation are established, there’s no denying that – as a loose road picture to redemption – Red Sonja works capably from start-to-finish. It’s chocked full with swordplay – some good, some bad – along with some practical action, PG-rated fisticuffs, and admittedly a baseline pulse of screen chemistry between two of filmdom’s most wooden actors. (Even E.R. doctors require a pulse to do their work, and if that’s all they’ve got then they have at it!) Along with some screen chewing work by Bergman and a very young Ernie Reyes Jr. – his curious Prince Tarn is sometimes laughable, sometimes cringeworthy and yet it still succeeds – Sonja demonstrates the good, the bad, and the ugly of Fantasy filmmaking for those willing to give it the proper respect. (Mind you: I’d never ask you to like it, only to understand it.)
Any amount of reading into the film, its production, and its place in history strongly suggests that it’s the kind of project that is best forgotten. Years later, even star Schwarzenegger calls it one of his absolute worst; and there’s no denying that it largely stalled the industry’s fleeting fascination with Fantasy, setting the unique sub-genre on the backburner for what would be a handful or two of years. My longtime support of the flick is tied more to its camp or schlock sensibilities – there are bad films some of us just long to love – because I think there are far more warnings to be learned in studying failures than there ever is in merely imitating successes. Recognizing a picture is clunky is, frankly, an easy task; but being adroit enough to identify the steps wherein some female representation got in the way of a film’s other more important themes takes a bit of time, patience, and schooling.
In the end, what matters is that the individual is entertained, and … what can I say? Sonja did that for me back then, and it still does today. Even with its imperfections and plot holes and stilted acting and hackneyed ideas, I embraced it for what it was. I’ve always been that odd duck marvels at what went into creating a scene one way as opposed to others, and I totally fixate on practical sets as opposed to current CGI slop. Logically, Gedren’s castle makes no sense – its layout, its fragmented design elements, its whole aesthetic – and yet I can’t look away from the glorious spaces and how some technicians of a time and place accomplished far more with far less. I’d wander those halls for hours if I could instead of, say, the Jedi Temple because one looked like it was made by builders while one was conceived entirely by computer.
Red Sonja (1985) was produced by Dino De Laurentiis Company and Famous Film (II). DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Arrow Films. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can still assure readers that the provided sights and sounds look (technically) very good: Sonja – as a project – was obviously plagued here and there with some subpar effects work, but the end results are strong enough to propel the story forward as needed. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? As I’ve mentioned many, many times on SciFiHistory.Net, Arrow Films rarely (if ever) disappoints, and to their credit there’s a vast assortment of newly produced interviews and featurettes to digest on this release – far too much for me to ever be fair – so fans should be understandably excited to get their hands on this. (I’m still wading through some of the shorts, frankly.) I will say, however, that there are two commentaries available on the disc; and while the one hosted by critics Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth is good the much better listen is the one from comic book expert Dave Baxter as it’s a wonderful deep dive into Sonja (and Conan) lore that relates to the screen adaptation (along with missed opportunities). Sonja purists will likely learn things they’d never known … yes, it’s that great. Don’t miss it.
Recommended.
Sometimes I can be honest to a fault; and this is why I’ll say that – critically – 1985’s Red Sonja is not a good film on most levels but – personally – I can’t help but love it. While some might dismiss my that sentiment as me being nostalgic, I can assure you nothing is further from the truth because I’ve always loved this clunker from the first time I saw it on the silver screen through today. (Frankly, I was damn near giddy when I learned that Arrow was giving audiences an update because their stuff is exceptional, and they’ve not let me down.) Like gawking at a freeway car crash, I just can’t look away no matter how hard I try because – as a pure old school swords-and-sandals B-Movie – Sonja works entirely as intended. But is it a great picture? Nah … it’s a movie, and it should be enjoyed as such.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Arrow Films provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray copy of Red Sonja (1985) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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