Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

SUMMARY

Released in 1985, Barbarian Queen stars the beautiful Lana Clarkson as Amethea, a female warrior whose village is attacked by the soldiers of an evil king. Most of the villagers, including her husband-to-be, are kidnapped, and it's up to Amethea and a few others to travel to the opposing city and rescue their people.


HIGHLIGHTS

Torture on the rack. Takes place 48 minutes into the movie. Amethea has been captured and sent to the dungeon to be tortured by a very odd looking little man wearing weird goggles. The scene begins with a close-up of Amethea's bare breasts (NICE!), then the camera pans out to fully show the hopeless situation she's in. She's tied, wrists overhead and ankles apart, to a standing torture rack wearing only a dog collar and a pair of tiny black bikini bottoms. A pointing metal hand dangles from the ceiling above her, positioned so that the tip of the index finger keeps poking at her left nipple. Whether the fingertip is supposed to be a) sharp and painful, b) cold so that her nipples are kept erect, or c) simply an annoyance to her, I can't figure out. Whatever the case, she obviously doesn't like it, and continually tries to wriggle away from its touch, even though her torturer says her bonds tighten every time she moves. What a dilemma! Through all this, the weird little dungeon guy questions and taunts her. At one point, he offers her a glass of water, and just before putting it to her mouth, empties the water onto her chest. Despite the pain and humiliation, Amethea is silent (other than an occasional gasp/groan) and defiant throughout, refusing to give in to her captors. This has to be one of the best bondage scenes ever put on film, and any fan will tell you that it's the best thing about the movie.

Torture on the rack, part two. Takes place 52 minutes into the movie. This scene picks up shortly after the scene described above. By now Amethea is completely naked, though we only see this from a side view, and the creepy little dungeon keeper is tired of being a gentleman. He begins to rape our heroine, who somehow frees her legs and escapes by using her, ummmm, lower torso muscles to squeeze her torturer into submission. "Too tight!", he screams, moments before she shoves him into a pool of acid. Why did he put the rack directly in front of that, anyway? This scene isn't nearly as good as the previous one, but it again features Lana topless, so it's a highlight in my book!


FINAL WORD

Let's face it, most people won't watch this movie hoping to see a Conan-like swashbuckler. They won't watch it to see great acting or amazing sets. They'll watch it for the babe factor! And this movie won't let anyone down in that area. Not only do you get Lana, but you get numerous other women in various states of undress. However, if you get this movie for no other reason, get it for the dungeon scenes!


One more thing I need to add: Don't buy this on DVD because you'll only get the R-rated version, which cuts out quite a bit of footage from the dungeon scenes. Do yourself a favor and track down a VHS copy, just make sure it's the unrated version.


Related review:
Barbarian Queen 2: The Empress Strikes Back

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age