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Red Sonja

Play trailer Poster for Red Sonja PG-13 Released Jul 3, 1985 1h 29m Fantasy Action Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
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21% Tomatometer 28 Reviews 29% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Power-hungry Queen Gedren (Sandahl Bergman) captures the priestesses guarding the Talisman, a mystical orb that created and can destroy the world. But one of the priestesses escapes and seeks out her warrior sister, Red Sonja (Brigitte Nielsen), to warn her about Gedren's plan for world domination. Lord Kalidor (Arnold Schwarzenegger), the Talisman's keeper, insists on helping Sonja, and though she scorns the assistance of any man, she soon gains respect for Kalidor's fighting prowess.
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Red Sonja

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Critics Consensus

Dull, poorly directed, and badly miscast, Red Sonja is an uninspired conclusion to Schwarzenegger's barbarian trilogy.

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Critics Reviews

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Gene Siskel Chicago Tribune None of this would matter if Red Sonja was the least bit exciting, or sexy, or even funny. Instead, it`s lumbering, oddly prim and laughable. Rated: 1/4 Jul 14, 2015 Full Review Dave Kehr Chicago Reader The dialogue passages don't exactly play like Noel Coward, but this is a movie that succeeds rousingly well on its own humble, Saturday-night terms. Jul 9, 2010 Full Review Variety Staff Variety Red Sonja returns to those olden days when women were women and the menfolk stood around with funny hats on until called forth to be whacked at. Mar 26, 2009 Full Review Alan Jones Starburst Red Sonja isn't camp enough to be funny, just boring. Jul 22, 2022 Full Review Rob Aldam Backseat Mafia A highly-entertaining swords and sandals epic which plays on the talents of both leads. Jul 16, 2022 Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com ...sword and sorcery buffoonery... Rated: 3/5 Mar 24, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Stephen C Failure in 1 hour and 29 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 07/04/25 Full Review D3Z 1 Richard Fleischer's take on Red Sonja was lifeless, messy and dull from start to finish. The story and its characters did not show much progress nor development along with some rather stale performances from its cast. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 07/02/25 Full Review Allan C As bad as this CONAN THE BARBARIAN knockoff is, I have a pretty big soft spot for it. Brigitte Nielsen plays the titular sword-wielding ginger warrior seeking revenge upon the evil queen who killed her people back when Sonja was a child (see, pretty much the same story as Conan). Besides a half-baked story, under-developed characters, and some truly unfunny comedy, the weakest part of the film is Nielsen, who can’t act her way out of a paper bag. Arnold Schwarzenegger is no Larry Olivier, but he might as well be Derek Jacobi next to Nielsen. The film also features one of the worst child performances ever seen in a film. Ernie Reyes, Jr. as Prince Tarn is so bad it makes Nielsen even look good! However, Reyes’ performance is balanced out by character actor Paul Smith (Bluto in POPEYE) as the prince’s loyal servant and protector, Falkon. Also in the film’s plus column is director Richard Fleischer (EL CID, COMPULSION, 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA), a Hollywood veteran who delivers some solid action. You also have Schwarzenegger in a supporting role that was originally supposed to be Conan, but they couldn’t get the rights to the character, but Arnold’s presence adds to the film’s fun. Best of all is a rousing score by legendary composer Ennio Morricone (THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY) that I would argue (hot take coming!) is even better than Basil Poledouris’ classic score for CONAN THE BARBARIAN. Overall, RED SONJA is incredibly cheesy and objectively a bad film in most respects, but it’s one that if I come across it on TV, I’m going to keep watching.  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 06/29/25 Full Review Jay O Ridulous but brilliant, 80s at its best Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/07/25 Full Review Alan T Dodgy acting, bad direction and overall felt like a very low budget film. Even the presence of Schwarzenegger couldn't save it. 6/10 is rather a fair score, it still gained some entertainment value for a one-time watch. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 12/25/24 Full Review Rosana B Após o lançamento, o filme foi um fracasso comercial e de crítica e Arnold Schwarzenegger disse em entrevista que é o pior filme que ele já fez, quem sou eu na fila do pão para contrariar, kkkk, Red Sonja apareceu em inúmeros títulos, tanto como protagonista solo quanto junto com Conan… Mas analisando friamente após seu derradeiro desfecho, é levemente superior ao Conan, O Destruidor, Arnold foi injusto... Efeitos ruins, mas as criancinhas sempre ganham meu coração, mesmo quando arrogantezinha. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/03/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Power-hungry Queen Gedren (Sandahl Bergman) captures the priestesses guarding the Talisman, a mystical orb that created and can destroy the world. But one of the priestesses escapes and seeks out her warrior sister, Red Sonja (Brigitte Nielsen), to warn her about Gedren's plan for world domination. Lord Kalidor (Arnold Schwarzenegger), the Talisman's keeper, insists on helping Sonja, and though she scorns the assistance of any man, she soon gains respect for Kalidor's fighting prowess.
Director
Richard Fleischer
Producer
Christian Ferry
Screenwriter
Clive Exton, George MacDonald Fraser
Distributor
United Artists, MGM Distributing Corporation
Production Co
Dino De Laurentiis Company
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 3, 1985, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
May 8, 2015
Runtime
1h 29m
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