History Film / RedSonja

''Red Sonja'' is a 1985 film based on [[Comicbook/RedSonja the Marvel comic book series]], starring Creator/BrigitteNielsen in the title role. Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger also stars as Prince Kalidor (an {{expy}} of Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian).[[note]]Indeed, it was originally supposed to have been a third Conan movie (following ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian1982'' and ''Film/ConanTheDestroyer''), but things happened...[[/note]]

* BigBad: Queen Gedren, who threatens various kingdoms with her powers, and is Sonja's personal enemy.

* CollapsingLair: Garden's castle after destroying the Talisman.

* CourtMage: Queen Gerden has a wizard who serves her. He aids her in the final battle against Sonja, until the latter kills him.

* TheCreon: Ikol commands Gedren's sodiers and is perfectly fine in his position as TheDragon with no desire to become TheStarscream, he never tries to take over! On the contrary, he suggests caution in regards of the Talisman, and after a last failed attempt to convince her he abandons his Queen!

''Red Sonja'' is a 1985 film based on [[Comicbook/RedSonja the Marvel comic book series]], starring Creator/BrigitteNielsen in the title role. Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger also stars as Prince Kalidor (an {{expy}} of Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian).[[note]]Indeed, it was originally supposed to have been a third Conan movie (following ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian1982'' and ''Film/ConanTheDestroyer''), but things happened...[[/note]] The film was directed by Richard Fleischer. It performed poorly at the box office and was also widely panned by critics but gained a cult following throughout the years from its VHS release.

* TheCreon: Ikol commands Gedren's sodiers and is perfectly fine in his position as TheDragon, and has no desire to become TheStarscream, he never tries to take over! On the contrary, he suggests caution in regards of the Talisman, and after a last attempt he abandoned his Queen!

* AdaptationalModesty: Sonja ''never'' wears her iconic chainmail bikini, wearing standard action-girl fantasy attire (mostly-covered torso with bare arms and legs).

* DisposableWoman: ''Every single female character'' except Sonja and Gedren is this. They are massacred or tossed into a pit to die early on, and are quickly forgotten for the rest of the film.

* WarriorMonk: The priestesses from the Order of the Talisman wield swords to protect the artifact from Queen Gedren and her troops. Although they fail in the end, they take many soldiers with them first.

A new take on the character, the animated movie ''Red Sonja: Queen of Plagues'', was released in 2016. A live action ''Red Sonja'' remake project was in DevelopmentHell for quite some time, certainly not helped by the [[Film/ConanTheBarbarian2011 2011 Conan remake]]'s [[BoxOfficeBomb box office disaster]] [[http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/movies/red-sonja/53145/red-sonja-new-movie-version-is-being-fast-tracked but is seemingly getting off the ground]].

* YouKilledMyFather: Sonja swears vengeance on Queen Gedren for murdering her whole family, (along with ordering her to be raped) because Sonja had rejected [[PsychoLesbian her advances]]), and [[EvilIsPetty gave her a slight cut on the cheek]].

* BadWithTheBone: Falkon's weapon of choice is a bone club.

* EvilIsPetty: Gedren ordered the massacre of Sonja's entire family because she got a scar on her cheek from them. Sonja, who up until the moment Gedren explained herself thought that the massacre had been because of the Talisman, gets even more enraged as a result.

* PsychoLesbian: Gedren doesn't take rejection too well, as Sonja's dead family can attest to.

* DoesNotLikeMen: {{Discussed}} and {{subverted}}. Sonja understandably has issues being touched by men, after she'd been gang-raped. However, when the Grand Master urges her to get past it, Sonja denies hating all men, and shows affection for him (he's much older, saying it would have made his day thirty years ago). She warms up to Kalidor, kissing him, but prevents anything going further as she's vowed not to unless a man beats her in combat.

* EvilIsPetty: Gedren ordered the massacre of Sonja's entire family (the rape of Sonja was [[RapePillageAndBurn just a pleasant bonus for the troops]], and so is the Talisman from the look of things) because she got a scar on her cheek from them. Sonja, who up until the moment Gedren explained herself thought that the massacre had been because of the Talisman, gets even more enraged as a result.

* LadyOfWar: Sonja.

* MsFanservice: While Sonja's outfit in the film is not ''quite'' as revealing as her ChainmailBikini in the comics... it's still quite {{stripperific}}.

* RoyalBrat: Prince Tarn is an arrogant little snot who really gets on Sonja's nerves (she almost spanks him at one point, and had urged his servant earlier to), but he mellows over the course of the film.

* DoesNotLikeMen: {{Discussed}} and {{subverted}}. Sonja understandably has issues being touched by men, after she'd been gang-raped. However, when the Grand Master urges her to get past it, Sonja denies hating all men, and shows affection for him (he's much older, saying it would have made his day thirty years ago).

* EvilIsPetty: Queen Gedren had Sonja gang-raped by her soldiers and massacred Sonja's family because she'd rejected Gedren's advances, plus gave her a slight cut on the cheek.

* LadyOfBlackMagic: Gedren.

''Red Sonja'' is a 1985 film based on [[Comicbook/RedSonja the Marvel comic book series]], starring Creator/BrigitteNielsen in the title role. Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger also stars as Prince Kalidor (an {{expy}} of Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian)[[note]] Indeed, it was originally supposed to have been a third Conan movie (following ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian1982'' and ''Film/ConanTheDestroyer''), but things happened...[[/note]]. The film was directed by Richard Fleischer. It performed poorly at the box office and was also widely panned by critics but gained a cult following throughout the years from its VHS release.

* ActionGirl: Both Sonja and Gedren are proficient sword fighters, especially Sonja.

* AsYouKnow: The movie starts out with the title character laying barely conscious in a field as a mysterious spirit grants her the power to get her revenge, but first it explains Sonja's own backstory to her in great detail. It's especially awkward because it presumably all happened to her moments before the movie started, and involves her [[RapeAsBackstory being raped]] and having her family killed off, which are things you'd think she wouldn't need (or want) to be reminded about.

* CaptainObvious: Sonja is weeping over her sister, who's just died. Kalidor leans down, touches her lightly on the shoulder and says, "She's dead."

* LadyOfBlackMagic: Gedren
* LadyOfWar: Sonja

* MsFanservice: While Sonja's outfit in the film is not ''quite'' as revealing as her ChainmailBikini in the comics... it's still quite {{Stripperific}}.

* ShootTheMageFirst: In the climax of the film, Sonja is fighting Queen Gedren. Every time she gets close enough to attack, a {{Mook}} teleports Gedren away and Sonja has to chase her down again, while the mage uses Voodoo-like magic to cut Sonja with a dagger. After this happens two or three times, Sonja has enough and chops the guy's head off.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The final fate of Gedren's handmaiden (''i.e. her younger teenage consort'') remains unknown (out of the rest of the cast), though she is shown running away after being forced by Gedren to serve as bait in order to catch the prince.

* ActionGirl: Sonja and Gedren.
* ArtifactOfDoom: The Talisman.

* BattleButler: Falkon.

* CaptainErsatz: Kalidor to Film/{{Conan|The Barbarian 1982}}, to the point where he's played by the same actor as Conan. He was initially ''supposed to be'' Conan, [[ScrewedByTheLawyers but legal troubles prevented it]].

* CaptainErsatz: Kalidor to Film/{{Conan|The Barbarian 1982}}, to the point where he's played by the same actor as Conan. He was initially ''supposed to be'' Conan, [[ScrewedByTheLawyer but legal troubles prevented it]].

* CaptainErsatz: Kalidor to [[Film/ConanTheBarbarian1982 Conan]], to the point where he's played by the same actor as Conan.

* CollapsingLair: Gedren's castle

* LargeHam: With this sort of film it's arguably inevitable, but Sonja and the boy prince in particular can get quite dramatic with their lines. It really says something when, in the famous scene with the page quote, ''Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger'' seems quite subtle and nuanced compared to Brigitte Nielson.

* MsFanservice: While Sonja's outfit in the film is not ''quite'' as revealing as her ChainmailBikini in the comics...it's still quite {{Stripperific}}.

''Red Sonja'' is a 1985 film based on [[Comicbook/RedSonja the Marvel comic book series]], starring Creator/BrigitteNielsen in the title role. Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger also stars as Prince Kalidor (a Conan clone)[[note]] Indeed, it was originally supposed to have been a third Conan movie (following ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian1982'' and ''Film/ConanTheDestroyer''), but things happened...[[/note]]. The film was directed by Richard Fleischer. It performed poorly at the box office and was also widely panned by critics but gained a cult following throughout the years from its VHS release.