The 1985 film Red Sonja is a sword-and-sorcery fantasy film set in the Conan universe. It stars Brigitte Nielsen as the title character Sonja, along with Sandahl Bergman, Janet Agren and Arnold Schwarzenegger as Lord Kalidor.
The movie has a musical score by Ennio Morricone.
Red Sonja (1985) Movie Plot
Queen Gedren (played by Sandahl Bergman) murdered Sonja’s family after she rejected the queen’s advances. After Sonja (played by Brigitte Nielsen) calls out for help, a red goddess appears and grants her fighting skills and strength, but these powers will only stay with her if she is never with a man unless he defeats her in battle.
Varna, Sonja’s surviving sister, is a priestess who wants to banish a mythical relic named the Talisman which created the world. Only women can use this Talisman, but it has become too unwieldy. As the priestesses prepare to banish the Talisman, Queen Gedren and her army attack the temple and slaughter them. Varna escapes and is found by Lord Kalidor (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) but she dies as soon as he brings Sonja to her. Varna tells her in her dying breath to destroy the Talisman.
Heading towards Gedren’s realm, Sonja fights through various trials. Gedren’s warlock sees her approaching in a magic mirror, and sends a beast to attack her. Kalidor saves her from the beast, and Sonja accepts his help as he reveals he is part of the ancient family that helped originally position the Talisman in the temple. He fights her and attempts to defeat her in order to have her, but the battle is a draw.
They arrive at Gedren’s castle, and the queen retreats to the Chamber of Lights. The Talisman cracks the floor, and a pit of lava opens up. Sonja kills the queen and throws her into the lava. Sonja also destroys the Talisman by throwing it into the molten lava, and the castle is destroyed in the resulting explosion.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger in Red Sonja (1985)
Sandahl Bergman in Red Sonja (1985)
Brigitte Nielsen in Red Sonja (1985)
Brigitte Nielsen in Red Sonja (1985)
Red Sonja (1985)
Red Sonja (1985)
Arnold Schwarzenegger in Red Sonja (1985)
Brigitte Nielsen in Red Sonja (1985)
Brigitte Nielsen in Red Sonja (1985)
Red Sonja (1985)
Janet Agren and Brigitte Nielsen In Red Sonja (1985)
Brigitte Nielsen in Red Sonja (1985)
Red Sonja (1985)
Red Sonja (1985)
Red Sonja (1985)
Janet Agren In Red Sonja (1985)
Janet Agren In Red Sonja (1985)
Janet Agren In Red Sonja (1985)
Sandahl Bergman in Red Sonja (1985)
Red Sonja (1985)
Sandahl Bergman in Red Sonja (1985)
Sandahl Bergman in Red Sonja (1985)
Sandahl Bergman in Red Sonja (1985)
Red Sonja (1985)
Red Sonja (1985)
Red Sonja (1985)
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Janet Agren in Red Sonja (1985)
Gil has a bachelor’s in communication, and attended film school in Los Angeles. He worked in film & media production for several years, traveling to over 45 countries, before cofounding a marketing company. Obsessed with feel-good 80s teen comedies, sword-and-sorcery films, and gritty sci fi noir, Gildner is a fan of the weird and campy. His favorite films include Blade Runner, Alien, Mad Max, and Drive.
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The set backgrounds are incredible in this movie. That giant stone skull faced bull with the strange scaled monster beneath is a perfect example… I want to know what that place is. What do those statues represent. What is the scaled creature? In another scene there are giant abstract faces forming a wall. In others giant human statues or remnants of them, hugely thick stone walls, or massive temples of stome. It is all very inspiring and imaginative.