Conan the Barbarian (1982) vs Conan the Barbarian (2011)

Conan the Barbarian (1982) vs Conan the Barbarian (2011) Jul 14, 2021 10:18:17 GMT darksidebeadle likes this

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Post by stefancrosscoe on Jul 14, 2021 10:18:17 GMT

Jul 10, 2021 7:43:49 GMT darksidebeadle said:

Jul 10, 2021 6:42:03 GMT leesilm said:

82 has cheesy, nostalgic fun. 2011 is a better overall movie.
(Granted, I always liked the second Conan movie better than the first)

82 is not cheesey, it is gorgeously made and very brutal with a great score. It is a quality production, remake just looks like straight to video schlock

The original is anything but "cheesy". That is something which fits more in with the lesser and more watered down sequel and Red Sonja, whom I would still watch anyday, anytime, over the god awful remake from 2011.

That one was hyped up for some time, especially on several movie forums back in the day. And this new one, was gonna be the "real" Conan film, that "everyone" had been waiting so long for. And then it just turned into yet another generic looking piece of trash, and suddenly a lot of the hatred and ridicule towards the original and all the Arnold bashing, just somehow stopped. Well, they got their "masterpiece" alright.

John Milius made such a beautiful movie, but one which also comes with a lot of brutal and unpleasant scenes, and of course, is backed up by one of the all time legendary scores by Basil Poledouris, pounding in the background, and which makes sure, even the lesser parts, feel far more powerful than they probably ever should have. But it works like magic.

I think one of the best examples of how great the combination of Milius/Poledouris talents working together, was shortly after the ruthless attack early on, at the village, and where Thulsa Doom and his warriors, merciless slaughters almost the entire people of Conan, then for a short moment, the viewers is fooled into believing that Doom might spare the lives of the two lone survivors.

Just one of many classy scenes, combining beauty with brutality. Not a single word spoken, yet so much emotions and focus on details, but without ever making it look cheap or vulgar. Which is something that the 2011 version sadly went all the way into making. But I guess one should early on, realize where it would go, just by taking a short look at the movie posters of the two versions, and already there, the difference in class is showing.

One, as you said, looks like a cheap generic DTV release. The other is a damn thing of gorgeous beauty, and something I would have loved hanging on my wall.

The sad thing, is that for a short while, I was actually a bit excited about this new Conan movie, but yeah, that did not last for long.

Anyway:

Conan the Barbarian (1982) - 10/10
Conan the Barbarian (2011) - 3/10