Warrior woman Lana Clarkson (Deathstalker) survives the massacre of her little village (on the eve of her marriage to a tribal prince) and vows revenge. Surrounding herself with an estrogen brigade of female fighters, sh... more »e makes quick work of the marauders before moving on to the city to lead the brewing rebellion against the evil king. Don't think for a second that this is about empowered women: every female character is raped or molested in the picture. Ostensibly directed by Héctor Olivera (Funny Dirty Little War), this silly, badly dubbed, shot-in-Argentina production is full of gratuitous nudity and slapdash but serviceable action and is enlivened largely by Clarkson's charisma and energy. Much of the marvelous music is cribbed from James Horner's lush Battle Beyond the Stars score. Clarkson returns in the sequel, Barbarian Queen II: The Empress Strikes Back. --Sean Axmaker« less
In a nutshell, "Conan" + Boobs = "Barbarian Queen."
In this hilariously cheap action flick, a warrior woman's (Lana Clarkson) village is attacked on her wedding day, so she and a few other sword swingin' hotties saddle up for revenge against the evil overlord who's responsible. Yup, that's the entire plot. Obviously, lots of cheesy sword-fight sequences and tons of gratuitous nudity ensue.
Useless trivia: Ms. Clarkson was killed by music industry legend Phil Spector in 2003. He is currently serving time in prison for her murder.
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Movie Reviews
"Bondage Scene" NOT COMPLETE!
M. DelaPena | Tampa, florida United States | 01/15/2003
(2 out of 5 stars)
"I just got my copy of the DVD R-Rated version and yes the best parts of the bondage scene are missing. Why those edit happy bozos would remove the lower body scenes showing the actresses powerful legs around her captor and leave the breasts showing is beyond me. Since this scene is most appealing in the way the Original version first displayed it in 85, to take it out in my opinion degrades the movie entirely. I was completely dissapointed in this version of the movie. If anyone saw the unrated 1985 Vhs version you would know what I mean. Lana was the movie. Why remove it????? I have [not a] clue!!! Unsatisfied customer."
B Movie...what could you expect?
M. DelaPena | 11/14/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Well, let's put it bluntly: it's a B Movie. Meaning? for a B Movie to be such, there would usually be 3 main caracteristics: 1- low budget, 2- There will always be a naked (or half naked) woman scene, 3- It's just made to watch that woman scene. So, that pretty much sums up what the movie is mostly about, thus, if it fits your needs, go for it. As far as the story line goes, it's too stupid to even mention. One only thing I can say about it that lifts the mood of the observer: Lana Clarkson. The main character of the movie, an Amazonian looking women who likes to wield a sword and kill rapists. Unfortunately, not strong enough to take on an army, she's captured and taken to a "torture" room. In which, we happen to see the then-23-year-old blonde babe with her boobs in the air, strapped in a wooden table, being "tortured" by a small, ludicrous looking guy with equaly ridiculus glasses. Now, I must add, from any other b-movie, this one is probably the one that has the longest bondage scene, and, had the producers been a little more flirtatious, the closest to a 2x movie. So that single part is probably the whole reason to watch the movie, no more, no less. Advantages of the DVD version? just put the disk in, go to the chapter you need to see, enjoy, and then get out of it. No need to rewind or fast forward the tape for hours when you just need to see 5 minutes of the movie, right? Well, that pretty much ends my need to talk here. Having said all this, the purchase I leave to you."
For those looking to upgrade their VHS copy
arawen | Athens, GA | 08/28/2002
(3 out of 5 stars)
"There are two forms of the movie on VHS. The R rated one and the Unrated one. The DVD is of the R rated version. The only difference is in the Lana Clarkson bondage scene (which, if you ask me, is the best scene in the movie). Something is missing in the R rated version. Benefits to getting the DVD? Immediately go to your favorite scene. On top of that, the picture clarity is much MUCH better than your old beat-up tape.About the movie? Well, I'm about as big a cinema snob as you can get without being a professional film critic. I love the classic film-makers. Kurosawa, Kubrick, Keaton, Ford, Wilder, Hitchcock, etc. But I really like this movie. It is one of the best B movies out there. What's so great about a B movie? I think it's intent. B movies are obvious. They know exactly what they are and what they can do. They are there for a little action, a little adventure, some blood and guts, some T and A. They don't try to be anything more than that. That's why they are my guilty little pleasure.You want a good B movie? Get this one, if you can. But if you have the unrated VHS, you might want to have second thoughts about this purchase. But then again, it's 10 bucks. Why not?"
Barbarian Queen - Uncut
Scott Carruthers | England | 04/29/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If its the uncut version your after then look for VHS video copies, its not available, or was never put on DVD. The only available versions are the ones that were released by Vestron Video, all the other studios only have the cut version. There was only this one scene that was cut out which lasted about 2 mins and was a torture scene which showed the late Lana Clarkson tied up to a rack and then scissoring this torturer and pushing him in a vat of acid, and considering the rest of the film features limbs being cut off and breasts bouncing up and down all over the place, why the hell it was cut out is a mystery. But as i first said the only way of getting the uncut version is looking for a copy for sale that's on VHS tape only (not DVD) and the studio name who released it is Vestron Video. Its rare and not easy to find, but worth owning if you can get it.
R.I.P Lana Clarkson"
Lana lives on
Michael P. Dobey | colorado springs | 05/03/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Lana clarkson always gave it her all in any movie she was in. This is not a great movie but a acceptable low budget sword and sorcery movie. The print looks half way decent too. Sadly Lana was murdered by Phil Spector the music producer (he was convicted of it too) and is no longer with us; but her earnest performances in this and other low budget movies still survive. She had enough talent to make this seem like it was more important than it was and she will be missed."