StudioCanal, out now

The fearless warrior Red Sonja sets out to avenge her family’s murder and rid her kingdom from the tyrannical rule of evil Queen Gedren.

Richard Fleischer (Soylent Green) followed up his Conan the Destroyer (1984) with another tale based on a property by Robert E Howard, and also starring Arnold Schwarzenegger – Red Sonja. This would mark Brigitte Nielsen’s Hollywood debut, though it was the same year’s Rocky IV that gave her a higher profile.

I struggle to imagine that many movie collectors are jumping up and down in glee at the prospect of this minor picture getting an UHD upgrade, the story being flimsy and the acting minimal. But once you accept that this is a B-movie with a healthy budget, there’s still plenty to enjoy, as much from the recognisable supporting cast that includes Sandahl Bergman (Conan the Barbarian), Paul Smith (Dune) and Ronald Lacey and Pat Roach (Raiders of the Lost Ark).

Maestro Ennio Morricone delivers a score that could easily grace a much better movie and the set design by Danilo Donati is remarkably sumptuous. As to the UHD transfer, it’s crisp, and the HDR amps up the primary colours of the costumes and fantastical sets and Sonja’s vibrant, scarlet hair.

For me, the best reason for buying this release is the 97-minute documentary about legendary movie poster artist Renata Casaro, which covers his work from peplum to westerns to gialli and huge Hollywood productions. He’s probably the greatest movie poster artist that you never knew, and this is an excellent overview of his career to date. Ported over from the previous Blu-ray release is a feature on Arnold Schwarzenegger, an artwork gallery, interview with Assistant Director Michel Ferry, a ‘making of’ and the trailer.

Verdict: By all means pick this up for the format upgrade, but the hidden treasure is the documentary on Casaro. 7/10

Nick Joy

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