Customer Reviews

Conan: The Adventurer - (Complete Series)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

First a quick review:
Picture quality is fine , colorful and clear with some minor compression occasionally (5 episodes per 1 sided discs,last disc has 2 episodes) Sound is clear and crisp. Episodes are uncut as memory serves.
Correct episode order:
On disc 1 Heir Apparent which originally aired last as #22 was filmed fourth. Heir Apparent should be watched as the last episode on disc 1. (watch as the 5th episode on disc 1) for continuity reasons. Lethal Wizards IS the SERIES FINALE. Explanation below:

When the show ran originally, one of the Main actors (not Conan) appears to have left the show after the third episode (Lair of the Beastmen) and a new actor takes over a new role on the fourth episode (The Siege of Ahl Sohn-Bar). 17 episodes later the series finale airs (Lethal Wizards which has a definite and satisfying ending to the series). Then, Heir Apparent aired as the last episode and because this was really filmed fourth with the original actor before a new actor had been introduced into the series a new voice over was made explaining why the new guy was gone and why the old guy was back. Confusing right?
To rectify this simply watch Heir Apparent after The Siege of Ahl Sohn-Bar and everything fits perfectly.
Hopefully this helps anyone watching the show.

One review on here states that this series got better as it went along. I agree. This series really does improve with each episode and the final conclusion is quite satisfying. This entire DVD set plays out like one big movie. I love the cast and the characters in this series. Cool and funny heroes and hot female warriors! What more could I ask for? This is great! Plus the low budget fx don't hurt either. Brian Yuzna produced this and nobody does low budget effects like Yuzna. I like cheesy fun and have a good imagination. Conan the series has provided me with hours of fun.

Many "die hard" Conan fanatics probably will be disappointed by this show as it really isn't true "Conan". The series, of course, tamed down the character for TV. He's more friendly, talkative, and has a number of sidekicks. The show is actually quite cheesy, bing more influenced by Hercules and Xena than the orignal Conan movies and novels. That aside, the series is also quit entertaining and the show actually gets better as it progresses. Ralf Moeller is also a perfect choice for Conan. He has the perfect build and he even does an Arnold impression with his voice! The DVD set is also incredable. All 22 episoids are present on 5 discs that come individual cases housed in one big slipcase. Not much for extras, but fans of the series will be just happy to see it on DVD as many probably thought they would never see it.

The continuing adventures of Conan are often quite different from what Robert Howard wrote. This is true of Conan's further literary, animated, film, comic book, and TV adventures. This doesn't mean there is plenty of Conan related entertainment that delivers a fun experience. I'm a fan of Howard's work and I enjoy Conan in various forms too. The reviewer who claims that the Arnold movies are "true" Howard is maistaken. The story told in Arnold's Conan movies is VERY DIFFERENT from what Howard wrote. Neither movie remains true to Howard's writings but they are fun. So is this series. It's more kid friendly than the films but it's still a great blast of fun. The cast is awesome and it's a wonderful DVD set. A+!

I just got this as a gift for Christmas and I'm thrilled with it. I'm having a blast watching it. I just want to take a moment to give my appreciation for the quality of this set. Everything from the box art to the slim individual cases of each volume... I also really like how the menus are set up. And there's even chapters for each individual episode. Something you don't get in a lot of the more popular & highly regarded shows. This package was put together with care. Since there is (unfortunately) only one season someone had the good sense to make it right.

There was no information on this DVD at AMAZON (although I believed it was the TV series I had once started to watch)so I turned to the web. Here is Barbarian Keep's writeup on the series:

Conan the Adventurer is a live action television show that premiered in the U.S. on September 22nd, 1997. The Conan television series initially cleared in fifteen countries and 85% of the U.S. market. The show was distributed by Western International Syndication, and was produced by Keller Entertainment, the same production company responsible for the low quality series Tarzan: The epic Adventures and Alcapulco Heat.
Conan the Adventurer was a weekly one hour action-adventure series that ran for 22 episodes. Actual production of the show began in June of 1997, and the two hour pilot was filmed in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. The series was taped on location in Mexico.

The role of Conan was played by Ralf Moeller (AKA Rolf Muller), two time Mr. Universe, a native of Germany, and friend to Arnold Schwarzenegger. The rest of the ensemble cast included Danny Woodburn (Otli), Robert McRay (Zzeben), T.J. Storm (Bayu), Aly Dunne (Karela), and briefly, Andrew Craig (Vulkar).

The dismal script for the 2 hour pilot was written by Steve Hayes, the head of Project Development for the series. The show was not promoted to be "authentic Conan", but rather a mixture of Arnold Schwarzenegger's and John Milius' interpretation of Conan, but they couldn't even get this right. The writers and directors for the TV series were/are some of the worst in the business. So that these writers and directors recieve proper "credit," a listing of their names and the wretched episodes in which they participated follows:

EPISODE Writer / Director
RED SONYA Scott Thomas & Charles Henry Fabian / Mark Roper
THE CHILD Dennis Richards & Charles Henry Fabian / Frank Wayne
SHADOWS OF DEATH Scott Thomas & Charles Henry Fabian / Mark Roper
CRYSTAL ARROW Scott Thomas & Charles Henry Fabian / Mark Roper
RUBY FRUIT FOREST Harry Ackerman & Charles Henry Fabian / Rob Stewart
HEART OF THE ELEPHANT I&II Dennis Richard & Charles Henry Fabian
LAIR OF THE BEASTMEN Dennis Richard & Charles Henry Fabian
SIEGE OF AHL SOHN-BAR Teagan Clive and Charles Henry Fabian / Rob Stewart
A FRIEND IN NEED Scott Thomas and Charles Henry Fabian / Frank Wayne
THREE VIRGINS John Bull and Charles Henry Fabian / Mark Roper
HOMECOMING Scott Thomas and Charles Henry Fabian / Rob Stewart
THE TAMING Molly Glenmore and Charles Henry Fabian / Rob Stewart
THE CAVERN Peter Collins & Charles Henry Fabian
THE ANTIDOTE Peter Collins & Charles Henry Fabian

In it's first season, Conan the Adventurer recieved a dismal 1.7 Nielson Rating primarily because of low production values, bad directing and terrible writing. This show was far worse than its animated counterpart (also named Conan the Adventurer) which was produced back in 1991.

I was skeptical going into this. How would they recast a role made famous by Ahnuld? Then I saw this series and was really impressed by this Ralph Moeller. I never heard of the guy before I saw this show and he makes a great hero for a fantasy show. He's a little more like Steeve Reeve's Hercules than Conan since this series was made with a kid audience in mind. Moeller comes across as the nicest Conan ever and yet that's not a bad thing since Moeller makes it work. Yes the production values were low and few saw this series and yet when all is said and done I liked it. The guy who called this the "Plan 9 of fantasy series" is right. This is a very fun and funny show and the females are hot too. No matter what some Scrooges say I'm not afraid to admit that I had a blast watching this. I must also admit that Moeller was a more entertaining Conan than Ahnold. It's true!

I had toyed with the notion of picking this up for a while since I am a long time Conan and Robert E. Howard fan. I figured it would be a huge ball of cheese and I was not let down! If you liked Xena and Hercules, you would love this. It is a lot better written (and acted) than Hercules and has about the same amount of hot chicks in bikini outfits as Xena. If youre a Conan fan, this is a must - but a must with tongue in cheek. The effects are cheesy, but the stories are fun. Ralph is massive and makes an impressive Conan. The sidekicks remind me of the Conan comics from the late 80s.

In my previous review I meant to say: "This doesn't mean there ISN'T plenty of Conan related entertainment that delivers a fun experience". The point I was trying to make is that Conan has been featured in various forms of media over the years and still remained highly entertaining. This more family friendly TV series is a great example of that. It's fine for younger viewers and older Conan fans too (if you don't take it too seriously). Great series!

i was given this as a present recently. i'd never seen ths show before but was won over quickly by it. it's ultra entertaining and it's quite an impressive dvd set which was put together very well. good stuff and nicely done.