Conan the Barbarian

Too good, just too good... I feel like watching it all over again right this second.

What a movie! Arnie rules—that shaved head and long hair combo... absolute perfection!

Gnn - excellent comment 😂

Conan



It’s been quite a few years since I last sat down to watch both Conan films, Red Sonja, and Kull the Conqueror (with sa Sorb 😁), so I’m currently getting ready for a marathon, feeling pretty inspired by a few specific scenes. 😁

In my opinion, the most powerful moment out of all of them is that opening sequence in Conan, especially with that killer musical score. It might even top the beginning of LOTR, which is easily one of the best cinematic intros in history. My absolute favorite is Mako, delivering that monologue: "Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis, and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of. And unto this, Conan, destined to wear the jeweled crown of Aquilonia upon a troubled brow. It is I, his chronicler, who alone can tell thee of his saga. Let me tell you of the days of high adventure!" 🙏 😁

Conan Barbarian - intro

Conan the Destroyer - intro

Arnie Red Sonja legend 🙏 🙏

Red Sonja - trailer

Kull the Conqueror 😁

Ralf Moeller as Conan in the TV series 😁

Intro to Ralf's TV series 😁

just a little more Ralf

I'll write up some more thoughts once I've finished the movies and let the memories sink in.

BTW, I am seriously looking forward to the new adaptations of Conan, Thulsa Doom, and Red Sonja, but honestly, nobody is ever going to top Arnie. It’s a real shame they never brought that idea to life where they'd film a third Conan movie with Arnie playing the king, finally letting us hear the story teased at the end of both Conan films.

I'm still waiting on Red Nails 🎉.
As for the Thulsa Doom movie, I'm expecting a total flop if they mess with the character again like they did in the first Conan. If they actually stick to the original story and character, it might be watchable, though personally, I don't see why anyone would bother making it at all.

Hold on, hold on... you're telling me they actually managed to take down Thulsa Doom in the first film? 😕
To me, he remains one of the most formidable cinematic villains ever created... Doooooom 🙏 😁

Yeah, that's because you've clearly never read Conan
Thulsa Doom isn't actually a thing; he pops up in one of the early stories as a necromancer who kind of gives off Skeletor from Masters of the Universe vibes.
Originally, that character comes from Kull's novels, but in the movie, they basically mashed him together with the actual villain from Conan the Destroyer, which they turned into some minor side character—Thoth-Amon

They also messed up Valeria—she's supposed to be a pirate.

Conan is pure darkness🙏🙏

feralorca82 said:Yeah, that's because you've clearly never read Conan
Thulsa Doom isn't actually a thing; he pops up in one of the early stories as a necromancer who kind of gives off Skeletor from Masters of the Universe vibes.
Originally, that character comes from Kull's novels, but in the movie, they basically mashed him together with the actual villain from Conan the Destroyer, which they turned into some minor side character—Thoth-Amon

They also messed up Valeria—she's supposed to be a pirate.

In the movie "Conan the Barbarian," there actually isn't a character named Valeria—not really. It's never explicitly mentioned what Conan's female companion is called. If you check the end credits, they just list her as "The Girl."

nimblemarlin6 said:In the movie "Conan the Barbarian," there actually isn't a character named Valeria—not really. It's never explicitly mentioned what Conan's female companion is called. If you check the end credits, they just list her as "The Girl."

Really?!
Maybe try actually watching the movie once in your life. 😉
Who did Sandahl Bergman play? Maybe that girl Conan knocks out? 🙄

feralorca82 said:Yeah, that's because you've clearly never read Conan
Thulsa Doom isn't actually a thing; he pops up in one of the early stories as a necromancer who kind of gives off Skeletor from Masters of the Universe vibes.
Originally, that character comes from Kull's novels, but in the movie, they basically mashed him together with the actual villain from Conan the Destroyer, which they turned into some minor side character—Thoth-Amon

They also messed up Valeria—she's supposed to be a pirate.

I read Conan, but it was a long time ago... and since you're clearly a fan, I respect your take. For context, I'm a huge fan of LOTR (the books, to be clear), which means my feelings on the movies are 🙂 and 🤮

Since I don't know who the "original" Doom is, his cinematic portrayal is just total nonsense to me. 👍The actor played the part phenomenally, even if it wasn't strictly faithful to the comics, but hey... no one can convince me that the LOTR films aren't complete garbage, even though everyone else treats them like masterpieces.🤷

@silentpilot6, feralorca82
Look, a book and a comic are one medium, while a movie is something else entirely. You can't just cram every single detail from one into the other exactly how some fans dream it would happen. There’s this group of fans—I call them the "true believers" (and there's a decent amount of them among the Tracker crowd)—who get genuinely worked up over every tiny little thing, even when it's obvious they don't have a leg to stand on. Honestly, calling the PJ trilogy "total garbage" is just bad taste if you ask me. But hey, to each their own.

Personally, I've spent plenty of time reading Conan comics, LOTR, and Silmarillion, but I've also sat through the movies, and I think both formats work great for me. They're just two different angles of the same story, told in a fresh way while still staying true to the original spirit.

feralorca82 said:Really?!
Maybe try actually watching the movie once in your life. 😉
Who did Sandahl Bergman play? Maybe that girl Conan knocks out? 🙄

Sandahl Bergman played Conan's girl—the one whose name isn't even mentioned anywhere in the film.

nimblemarlin6 said:Sandahl Bergman played Conan's girl—the one whose name isn't even mentioned anywhere in the film.

😂
You're a genius! 🙏
Look, you don't have to take my word for it; feel free to check it yourself http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0008160/bio 😉
Here, just to prove how much of a big shot you are: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTdno...eature=related
Pause at 3:05 and maybe learn how to read.

silentpilot6
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Conan the Barbarian is bad. On the contrary, it's one of my favorites and the characters are great. I'm just saying most things in that movie are poorly handled because they have nothing to do with the original REH's Conan—they were changed or invented just for the film, including some of the characters.

@Martok
Don't compare the Conan comics to what I'm talking about, because maybe only 5% of them are based on the original REH stories, and there aren't actually that many of those.

The new Conan series is supposedly meant to follow Howard's stories. In other words, it should be a completely different beast—darker, more brutal, and bloodier, with a totally different plot.
The story from the first film and that opening where his parents get killed is made up, so don't be shocked if the new movie takes huge liberties (assuming it actually follows the original source material, of course).

I’ve decided to step back from the need 😬 to go into exhaustive detail about why that total amateur (PJ, obviously) did such a terrible job. It’s in the past now, and there’s no point wasting more breath on it... I can only say I regret that he even filmed it—if nothing else, because it will likely be another 20 or 30 years before anyone even attempts another screen adaptation of LOTR.
In my view, he should have simply stuck to Tolkien and not strayed; every time he decided to deviate (which happened quite often), he just made things worse. But anyway, I said I wouldn't dwell on it.

Regarding Conan... since I read the comics as a kid, I can't even remember who wrote what or when 😬... all I can really do is compare the new Conan to the old one, which is going to be incredibly difficult. To be perfectly honest, I can't think of anyone who could embody Conan better than good old Schwarzenegger 😁 👍

Originally, Conan wasn't even envisioned as someone getting stung by hornets 😁
but that doesn't really matter now
I agree, replacing Schwarzenegger is going to be a tough act, though I wouldn't exactly hate seeing Dwayne Johnson take the lead http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...ckasConan2.jpg 🙏

Oh no... I had this nagging feeling they might cast him for that role, but I just can't see it working. He's fine in certain movies, but that's not Conan to me. Honestly though, I can't think of anyone else who could pull it off... maybe someone like Schwarzenegger back in the day—someone almost completely unknown 🤷

This guy might actually pull it off... he’s got the stats and even sounds like Arnold - Roland Kickinger. He actually played Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie See Arnold Run. Here are some clips from that flick (CLIP 1, CLIP 2, CLIP 3). Apparently, this same guy is stepping in for Arnold in the new Terminator—rumor is they’ll just swap Arnold's head onto Roland's body...

It isn't just about the muscle. Every actor brings something different to the table, but The Rock has that same spark Arnie had; he's got the charisma, and honestly, that’s enough to make him pull it off in my book. 😉

feralorca82 said:It isn't just about the muscle. Every actor brings something different to the table, but The Rock has that same spark Arnie had; he's got the charisma, and honestly, that’s enough to make him pull it off in my book. 😉

Ali Rock is honestly more funny to me than someone I'd cast in a "serious" macho role. He was great in The Scorpion King because he was clearly having a blast and the movie itself was such a joke, but as Conan—and I mean the original one, not that second kid-friendly version—man, he just doesn't look or sound Neanderthal enough.

Arnold isn't just Conan because of how he looks; it's that voice too. Honestly, I can't even picture Conan speaking perfect English—I've always imagined him sounding like some guy from Austria, LOL. That’s why Arnold was the perfect choice, and Kickinger is probably the closest thing we'll get. Of course, nobody's going to offer him the role since he's a total unknown.

Plus, The Rock just doesn't have the look for Conan. Schwarzenegger looked like he stepped right off the comic book pages—both with his physique and that rugged face. He actually looked like Conan. The Rock? I don't know. His body is fine, but his face... not so much.

feralorca82 said:😂
You're a genius! 🙏
Look, you don't have to take my word for it; feel free to check it yourself http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0008160/bio 😉
Here, just to prove how much of a big shot you are: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTdno...eature=related
Pause at 3:05 and maybe learn how to read.

silentpilot6
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Conan the Barbarian is bad. On the contrary, it's one of my favorites and the characters are great. I'm just saying most things in that movie are poorly handled because they have nothing to do with the original REH's Conan—they were changed or invented just for the film, including some of the characters.

@Martok
Don't compare the Conan comics to what I'm talking about, because maybe only 5% of them are based on the original REH stories, and there aren't actually that many of those.

The new Conan series is supposedly meant to follow Howard's stories. In other words, it should be a completely different beast—darker, more brutal, and bloodier, with a totally different plot.
The story from the first film and that opening where his parents get killed is made up, so don't be shocked if the new movie takes huge liberties (assuming it actually follows the original source material, of course).

Even after all this time, "Conan the Barbarian" is one of those movies where you just keep discovering new details—it’s got layers! 😁

As for a remake? The guy playing the new Conan shouldn't be some beefed-up bodybuilder; he needs to be an unknown, charismatic type—someone built more like a gritty fighter than a gym rat.
And honestly, I think Mel Gibson would be the perfect director for it.[/url][/I]