MovieChat Forums > Conan the Barbarian (1982) Discussion > Was this the first awesome Marvel Comic ...

Was this the first awesome Marvel Comic brought to the big screen?


I think so even though I know purist complain about it not being faithful to the source material. But when I was 15 yo and saw it in the theater it blew me away. Have never stopped loving it since.

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It was the first Robert E. Howard story brought to the big screen... Conan was encountering strange sorceresses, weird monsters, and sword-wielding foes in Weird Tales long before it was a Marvel comic book.

The movie's great, though, source-accurate or not.

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Right on.

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I rewatched it recently and it blew me away all over again. The soundtrack: fabulous.

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Oh yeah Basil Poledouris was a genius, he also did Red Dawn, Robocop, TheHunt for Red October and many more of my favorite film compositions. He worked frequently with John Milius.

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The soundtrack (while great) was mostly "borrowed" or influenced by Holst's "The Planets".

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A common misconception. Poledouris had never heard the piece before (early 2000 Spanish interview I believe)

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That's impossible. It's simply too close for coincidence. He went to college to study music. Well, at some point while working on a classical music degree (be it in composition, performance or musicology) one of your music history classes (you'll take at least six of them them while you are working on your undergraduate degree alone) will cover Holt's "The Planets".

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Sounds like I'll really enjoy listening to Holst's "The Planet", then, because the Conan soundtrack rocks.

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Definately check it out. It's on youtube. All the movements are amazing.

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I've listened to the first few (Mars, Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter) and all were astoundingly good. I'm looking forward to when I can grab some time to finish the suite. Thanks for the recommendation; it's incredible stuff.

EDIT: finished the rest of the suite, and all were breathtaking. I'll be revisiting again. Thanks again for recommending it.

I definitely hear the original shout that became echoes in the minds of other composers, not just Poledouris' Conan, but Williams as well - and others. I'd definitely say "influenced", though, and I wouldn't say anybody "borrowed" anything.

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A highly respected movie from our (X) generation.

I have read several posts from millennials and genz that don't like it as much, some actually prefer Conan the Destroyer (1984).

I'm afraid that this movie might not hold up well in time.

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Don't be afraid. It's holding up.

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It holds up. I used to think of it as a fun action movie, but I think it's deeper than that, and I really love the use of operatic music to score the mostly-silent set pieces. Conan's quest for truth and "what is best in life", the answer to the riddle of steel, his finding humanity after losing it - these are big ideas put into what could have been a movie that was nothing more than "Ahnold with a Sword". The way it's shot... I can't get over it. It's like testosterone ballet.

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50years seems to be the demarcation point for movies... (Two generations)

A movie has to be heard of and/or seen by new generations as not to be headed toward oblivion.

Amazing how many movies from the 70's millennials and genz never heard of..and now are on the oblivion pile.

The big one now that is headed toward oblivion is Billy Jack (1971) a huge blockbuster for it's time (the sequal was a #1) but I'd say 90%of millennials and genz never heard of it. This movie will always live as a cult classic however.

I think Conan is a much better film, but about ten years we will see (50years)...but it's cult classic status is at least assured.


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I think Conan will stick around as a cult classic. I intend to do my part to ensure its survival in the cultural memory, anyway.

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[deleted]

Great two word review.

"Testosterone ballet"🙂

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If the silk shoe with wooden blocks in it fits...

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Yup John McTiernan was a mans man and injected plenty of testosterone in his films. I am so glad he is working on a new film.

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I watch it once year at least and it holds.

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I saw them both in the cinema with my Dad. I prefer Conan the Destroyer, but this is great too. I was (still am) a massive REH fan and it was more of a kick for me to see the Conan of my books on screen than it was to see the Conan of the comics.

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Technically, that would be Captain America from way back in 1944, but don't let that detract from the sheer awesomeness of Conan The Barbarian (any film where a random camel gets punched gets a thumbs up from me).

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LMAO. Tru dat.

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People who claim this isn't source accurate haven't actually read the stories. This movie doesn't follow any single story of the Conan dime store pulp, as most of them aren't lengthy enough to develop a full length feature film. This movie simply borrows elements from many of the stories instead.

And, this movie has fuck all to do with Marvel comics.

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No, Conan isn't part of the Avengers

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