Red Sonja

Warner | minutes | | | Standard DVD reviewed by: Fusion3600

Sonja (Brigitte Nielsen) is consumed by vengeance, a drive that is so powerful, she will do whatever it takes to settle the score. The target of her rage is Queen Gedren (Sandhal Bergman), a tyrannical ruler who has no mercy or compassion. Gedren ordered her minions to level the village where Sonja lived, which resulted in a slaughter. The village of Hablac was home to a mystical talisman, which is the reason Gedren invaded. The talisman has immense power and with it in her possession, Gedren would be closer to total domination. So her forces stormed Hablac, killed the keeper of the talisman and murdered anyone in their path. When the dust settled and the invaders had past, only Sonja remained alive. Her sister was the keeper of the talisman and with her dead, Sonja has dedicated herself to retribution with Gedren. She enrolls in a school of swordsmanship and is quickly the best pupil, even though she is a woman. When she awoke after the attack, she could feel a spirit around her, one which enhanced her skills in battle. Now she has trained to become even more lethal and with her magical sword in hand, she sets out to topple Gedren's empire. She won't be alone though, as a warrior named Kalidor (Arnold Schwarzenegger) will be by her side. Can just one woman manage to take down the powerful Gedren?

After the success of the Conan movies, attention was turned toward Red Sonja, another of the Conan's creator's creations. An extensive search for Sonja ended with Brigitte Nielsen (Chained Heat II, Cobra), a tall, strong woman with an intense persona. Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Terminator, True Lies) would also return, but not as Conan, though the role would be close enough. This could have been a dynamic adventure, such as the Conan pictures, but in the end, this is more of a mess than a motion picture. Nielsen was a rotten choice, as her thespian skills are blank and she lacks the charisma to captivate an audience. I suppose we're spoiled by Xena's Lucy Lawless, but a female warrior should be better than Nielsen's attempt. Arnold is passable, but the material is so thin, he has little to do besides just stand around. The Sonja character is mishandled at all turns, which robs her of some of her powerful presence. This woman should be intense and fierce, not reserved and quick to lay down her sword. The sexual side of the coin is ruined too, as Sonja comes off as more of a victim, even when she is in control. This could have been handled better, as it takes a lot of strength from the female warrior. If you're desperate for swordplay, then give Red Sonja a chance, but I think a rental is more than sufficient.

Red Sonja is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is an improvement over previous editions, but as expected, still doesn't measure up to the usual format standards. The print looks cleaner than I counted on, but shows grain, some nicks, and is often too dark, though never to an extreme degree. The image is quite soft and that lowers the impact of the colors, as well as overall detail presence. I suppose this could have looked much better, but given the film's limited audience, I don't think it would have been too profitable of a venture, in terms of a restoration of some sort. This won't become a visual demo disc by any means, but fans will note a nice improvement over prior releases.

This is a sword and sorcery type adventure, so the included mono option isn't able to bring the material to life that well. I don't think we need a full DTS makeover, though it would be nice, but some kind of surround sound would have helped. The fight scenes sound decent, but with only a mono track, the atmosphere is quite limited. But the elements are passable, so it isn't like the audio sounds terrible in this edition. The dialogue sounds terrific, while Ennio Morricone's excellent music comes across well enough. This disc also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.

This disc includes the film's theatrical trailer.