We kick off our journey through fantasy film from the 1980s to the 2020s with Conan the Barbarian, the much-maligned box-office hit that kicked off a plague of direct-to-video loincloth knockoffs. Yet it's an important moment in the history of fantasy film, with production design anticipating the \"fantasy-as-history\" approach of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings. Furthermore, it's a well-made film in its own right, championing the role of the warrior woman in adult fantasy in ways that are less reductive than other films of the decade.
I mention the excellent Fan/Anim podcast in this episode. Here's the link to get there! https://www.fantasy-animation.org/all-episodes
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