Conan in the media

[MGBM]

In a bit of reminiscence, let us talk about Conan in the media. Let's all give our opinions over whatever you remember watching in the media.

Of course, the first thing to talk about would be the two movies, Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer. Conan The Barbarian is, well, different. Not bad, just different. Certainly is not Howard's Conan, just an amalgamation of snippets of the stories into one movie. But the soundtrack, heck the soundtrack is one of the best soundtracks ever made, it's a work of art. Conan the Destroyer is quite literally a movie that made me go meh. It doesn't stand out from the crowd.

Then we have the upcoming Conan Red Nails, I really am expecting this animated movie a lot, it seems it will be very cool.

Then we got Conan the Adventurer, the animated tv series. Bloody hell, I laughed a lot with that series, and laughing in a bad way. I found the series to be, well, bad, but that's because it didn't respect Howard at all.

Speaking of not respecting Howard or, in fact, any kind of quality control, we have the Conan tv series with Ralf Moeller as Conan. God, this must be one of the worst tv series ever made. It kind of makes me wonder what Vincent thinks of this series. It was, quite literally, awful.

But that's only my opinion over all of this. Let's hear your opinions over Conan in the media, what you think about it, from the good to the awful.

So, let's have fun in being reminiscent over Conan and all the myriads reincarnations in the media.

 

[Aholibamah]

Conan the Destroyer is to me typical sword and sorcery blah. Conan the Barbarian is a decent movie of that genre that I enjoy mostly as a separate idea entirely from the stories. Sort of like when you're reading the Robert Jordan pastiches. (for me anyway)

Oddly enough one old film that struck me as being more Conan-ish than say Destroyer was "the Sword and the Sorceror". Silly in some ways but it captures some of the flavour of Conan's world. For example the mercenaries unapologetically spending their time in a whorehouse, or the leader demanding the favours of the sister of the rebel leader in exchange for freeing him. As I've said elsewhere 13th Warrior is also rather evocative. But in general the popular image seems to be of The Governator glaring with his headband on.

 

[Strom]

There is a great looking book coming out on October 3rd from Dark Horse Publishing about the many different eras of Conan throughout pop culture. It's called Conan the Phenomenon and will be a must-have book for all fans of the Cimmerian!

http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/profile.php?sku=10-673

8)

 

[SnowDog]

Conan the Barbarian was awesome! I know, it was pretty low budget film and it's showing it's age but when it was done there was not the politically correctness thingy going on with all the movies. Just look it again and compare it to most of the modern day movies and see the difference. In that regard it emulates really well how things go in Hyborian age.

That's how I visualize the Hyborian world in my head.

About Conan the Destroyer. I think it was OK. It was sort of watered down but still had good elements. To me probably the most telling part was when a short dialogy ended when Conan threw his dagger and shouted "Enough talk!" That was priceless and we have stolen that line to our games...

Apart from books I have really enjoyed current Dark Horse Conan comics. I like the way they are drawn that also helps to visualize things.

 

[Axerules]

Conan the Destroyer is to me typical sword and sorcery blah. Conan the Barbarian is a decent movie of that genre that I enjoy mostly as a separate idea entirely from the stories. Sort of like when you're reading the Robert Jordan pastiches. (for me anyway)

Seconded. If I couldn't stomach The Destroyer, Red Sonja or the horrible Kull, The Barbarian is still a movie I appreciate a lot, as a totally separate thing from REH's writings.

Conan the Barbarian was awesome! I know, it was pretty low budget film and it's showing it's age but when it was done there was not the politically correctness thingy going on with all the movies. Just look it again and compare it to most of the modern day movies and see the difference. In that regard it emulates really well how things go in Hyborian age.

20 hairy vikings charging will always look better than hundred monsters in pixels ! Even if they're "un-Hyborian" !

 

[Majestic7]

Another fan of the first Conan movie here. It has a great soundtrack and feels visually wonderful. Only things that annoyed me about it were the ridicilously huge hammer used by one of Thulsa's henchmen and the oriental combat training Conan receives in Khitai.

Compared to Conan the Barbarian, Conan the Destroyer is much, much worse. However, even it is okay for Howard fan, if not for other reason than to cringe for every "artistic liberty" they've taken. Really, turning Thoth-Amon in to a white guy living middle of a lake should be a crime.

I've read some of the new Conan comics and their quality seems to vary wildly. The few based on Howard's stories have been good. In the most recent ones, I was annoyed by the way Aquilonian soldiers dressed like Spartans from 300. They are supposed to be clad in steel, not run around wearing only speedos.

 

[Sarov the Swift]

Only things that annoyed me about it were the ridicilously huge hammer used by one of Thulsa's henchmen

Have you seen a German war maul?

 

[Bjorn the Barbarian]

I liked Conan the Barbarian. It is a good movie, as long as you take it on its own and don't compare it with the books, plus it had an excellent soundtrack. The Destroyer wasn't too awful. The story line was a little weak, to say the least, but it did have some very good one liners (from Zula and Malak), and it had a some good fight scenes (although they didn't show the blood splatter like in the first movie).

Don't get me started on Kull. That movie just sucked. The acting was terrible, plus I didn't like the fact that they had Akivasha as the primary villian. She was a ancient Stygian (post Atlantean) vampire from Conan, not a demoness facing Kull.

Red Sonja was a disappointment as well.

 

[Old Bear]

I hated Conan the Barbarian, and I watch it regularly. How can this be? Well, I'm old school Conan. A fan from way back when Sphere re-released the paperbacks.

Thulsa Doom: what's he all about? Is he a Kushite? A very well tanned Stygian? He's not the skull faced like in the literature. seems like they just had James Earl Jones on hand. And since when were Aesir or Vanir snake worshippers?

No, at a fundamental level the film disrespects Conan and Howard.

Yet I watch it regularly, have my DVD copy and think, like others, that the soundtrack is sensational. It's enjoyable, but it is Conan lite. I have talked at length to Fred malmberg of Conan properties about our visions of Conan and I know he wants to do so much more than has been done, so I do have faith in projects like Red Nails, although with the technology now available and the renewed interest in sweeping epics, something like Hour of the Dragon is no longer just a fantasy.

 

[B_Steele]

And since when were Aesir or Vanir snake worshippers?

And don't get me started on the fact that Valeria is obviously a Nordheimer and that Conan falls for her. Where is my Aquilonian pirate of the Red Brotherhood that is just his closest friend for a while?

It is a fun movie to watch, but I do believe Howard would have fed the writers to the lions...

-Bry

 

[Bjorn the Barbarian]

Hour of the Dragon! Now that would be a movie to see!

 

[Old Bear]

Fred and I talked at length as well about who would be the right actor to play Conan. Any guesses? This was about three years ago, by the way, when there were plans for a live-action movie.

 

[B_Steele]

My vote is for Brian Thompson.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0859921/

 

[Bjorn the Barbarian]

I agree that Brian Thompson has the right look to play Conan. I also think The Rock could make a good Conan (with more acting lessons :lol: ). I kinda liked the Scorpian King.

 

[Old Bear]

The guy we had in mind can also act... :wink:

 

[Faraer]

If I could, I would resurrect and rejuvenate Oliver Reed and cast him.

Conan the Barbarian doesn't even try to respect Conan or Howard, it just appropriates him for a right-libertarian anti-hippy John Milius film.

 

[Spectator]

Hmm a right-wing libertarian anti-hippy flick!?!
Well, I'm not sure Oliver Stone would be on board with that concept you propose seein all of anti-govt/ anti-war/ conspiracy flicks he's done.

just cause Conan bashes a couple of longhaired homos at the Mountain power doesn't make him a right wing Hyborian Rush Limbaugh, does it?


Well I hope you enjoyed the film at least, if conan is later to found out to be the equivalent of a Hyborian Ann Coulter, I'll still enjoy the film.

 

[Faraer]

I think there are remnants of Stone's draft in the filmed screenplay, but it's Milius's film all the way. That sub-Nietzschean philosophy is what he believes in.

 

[Old Bear]

Any more of that kind of language and I'll have you banned. :lol: