""Conan the Barbarian" movie: new or old?" Topic

Which Conan movie did you like better, the new one or the old one with Arnold?

I think the actor in the new one looks like Conan, but the old Conan movie has a better story, better script and better music.

Old – it has AHRNOLD. Nuff said.

I do like the new one, despite it many flaws, though.

THe old one.

Old was a better move , new was a better Conan. Too much shoehorned into the second movie

Old

Old.

Old. I think Momoa could make for a good Conan if he's directed better and given better lines.

Damon.

Neither. Both are horrid. Hopefully no more Conan movies will be made during my lifetime! Or during the lifetime of my grandchildren! Did I mention both films are horrid?

Jason Momoa looks more like Conan – but the first movie was way better

Both, but the 1st was better…

Old!

Old.

You can search TMP for other threads about the new movie, from back when it was in theaters. I thought it sucked on many, many levels. The only thing I really liked about it was the CGI landscapes. Most of them were very well done.

I thought Momoa was a horrible Conan, far too beetle-browed. Not that Schwarzenegger was any closer to the book-Conan, but I thought he did a much better job.

The Ahnald one is a better movie all around but both movies miss the mark as far as being true to R.E.H.'s character.

Old one.

Crom laughs at your remake!

Red Sonja

Definitely Arnold's version.

Neither. Read the books instead.

Doug

Beastmaster

Old one--better music (by FAR as I had forgotten the music from the new one the second I left the theater but the music from the old one helped me get through boot camp) and a bit better overall story. I refering to the director's cut of the old one, which adds a little dialogue and modifies the end slightly.

Rob

Old!

Brian

Old.

Old. I enjoyed it for what it was back in the day. I accepted the new one for a remake showcasing special effects.

Arnold

Conan the Destroyer rules!
Not kidding!

Old. Original was superb.

The new version is a dogs breakfast and the less said about Destroyer the better.

Old. It started a flood of low-budget, direct to video favorites like the four Deathstalker movies.

Al | ravenfeastsmeadhall.blogspot.com

Old for me, too. I loved that movie. Besides, how often do you see James Earl Jones playing a bad guy?

The old one.

Beastmaster

Not the "I'm Dar" Beastmaster I hope.

The old one is the better film overall, but is CINO, Conan in name only. The new one was much closer to Howard's fiction, but fell into the trap of having a world-conquering villain plotline.

old

Old

Old

The new one actually made me want to demand my $ back!

Old

Old.

The young Conan in the new version was Conan to me.

I just watched the new one a couple of days ago and have to say that I was happier than I expected to be by it.

I've seen the old one more times than I can count and will watch it again, hell I own the DVD for it. The new one I might catch someday and watch it again but I will not be going out of my way to do so.

I hope this makes sense but the movie is too good? The fight scenes are too choreographed, the special effects too glossy. Everything is too tight, too Hollywood, and I think it loses some of the "grit" I was expecting to see in a Conan movie.

Prince of Persia, Pirates of the Caribbean, and a slew of modern movies seem to have a problem with this as well.

They feel too "movie" for me. In Desperado when the throwing knives were being chucked at Steve's character they kind of whizzed here and there. Take that next to the CGI follow the path while matrix dodging of throwing axes and arrows that happens now, I'd rather have the first choice. It was the practicalness and not hyper realistic approach that made me like stuff like the 13th Warrior rather than sword fights on a rolling water wheels like other movies seem to like so much these days.

The original had weight and grit the new one has gloss. I just prefer the grit.

New. Arnold never looked right and played him to dumb. I think the new one is closer to the original stories…

Mick

The first movie, not the second in the series or the newest. Although, Ron Pearlman is in the newest so that is one saving grace.

Old.. the new one is ok, but like the older ones better.

Old

YouTube link

Old.

I have not seen the Momoa version; the trailers were quite enough, thank you.

Musically, nothing comes close to a Basil Poledouris film score. I have the new double CD set, the COMPLETE score, all c. 100 minutes of it; fabulous listening! I haven't watched the actual movie in years, though….

Old!

The old one. The new one was too uneven and flashy.

Another old. I didn't even see the new one.

I thought the recent film with Jason Momoa was much more in the Conan spirit and in particular the young Conan origin sequence is much more believable.

I am in a minority in that I never thought the Schwarzenegger Conan films were very good.

The first one crammed too many stories into one and I agree Conan was played wrong, not as smart as in the stories. The origin is completely out of character as well -- the idea that Conan would spend his teenaged years as a slave pushing a grain mill is counter to everything Howard wrote. Teenage Conan was running around in warbands plundering -- "The Frost Giant's Daughter" happens at the tail end of this period. Howard only ever imprisioned Conan as a plot device to get him to escape into a new locale. Plenty of other adaptions of Conan are clued into this -- portrayals of Conan in chains are short and quickly resolved, usually violently.

I never saw the later Schwarzenegger films except for channel surfed snippets that did nothing to convince me they were watchable.

As for the score of the Schwarzenegger films, I am a punk rocker, I never listen to movie scores. I am always surprised to find someone who does and who puts them on during miniatures games. I have no issue with that actually -- different strokes for different folks. But let's remember movies are a visual medium first. By praising a movie for its score, you are condemning it with your faint praise.

What is the best thing in a Conan movie ?

The old one has a dark, cruel and sinister atmosphere that you don't see anymore in nowadays films.
It's got Arnold, and a fantastic soundtrack too!
Old of course