The Ultimate Conan The Destroyer Retrospective

#Conan #ArnoldSchwarzenegger #Marvel
The 1982 feature film “Conan the Barbarian” is widely considered a classic. It’s 1984 sequel however, “Conan the Destroyer”, isn’t held in anywhere near the same regard; despite the two being made within two years of each other, by the same production company - so what changed?
In this retrospective, @AndreEinherjar will uncover just that, by first exploring the changing priorities behind the scenes, and how these manifested themselves on screen as the plot evolved from its very different original conception, to what ultimately ended up in theaters, and what impact it had on the future franchise.
The Ultimate Conan The Barbarian Retrospective:
• The Ultimate Conan The...
In the upcoming part III of this series of Conan Retrospectives, the attempted sequels and other spinoffs will also be explored.
Current status of the King Conan movie:
• Arnold Schwarzenegger ...
Current status of the He-Man movie:
• Masters of the Univers...
Learn more about Robert E. Howard and his works at
www.rehfoundati...
Mark Finn’s definite Robert E. Howard biography:
www.amazon.com...
Credits:
Narration and script by Andre Einherjar
Editing by Tom Connors
Midnight’s Edge would like to extend a Special Thanks to the following for their assistance with research and other resources:
Roy “The Man” Thomas
John "THE MEGO STRETCH HULK" Cimino
Christian Baenen & KiramidHead
Edgard Rupel, from the Fórum “Conan o Bárbaro”
Roy Thomas image credit to Luigi Novi and Wikimedia Commons
commons.wikime...
Music:
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons...
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[@zvonimirtomac7896]

Dude, your retrospectives truly deserve the 'ultimate' part of the title.

[@MGSBigBoss77]

We know this! Andre's retrospectives ought to receive physical Blu-ray disc copies they're that great!

[@Bughunt89]

MGSBigBoss77 I totally agree, and I would buy the fuck out of those blu rays by Crom!

[@emmettfitz-hume9408]

If anyone is familiar with Cecil at Good Bad Flicks, I would love to see an Andre/Cecil joint production

[@rogerrambo4172]

Agreed, they are fantastic & have reignited my love for all things Conan.

[@mazimadu]

*The Story of Andre* : When I was I boy, I had the mind of a boy, and thus lived Conan the Destroyer. When I was a man, I developed the mind of a man, and thus liked Conan the Barbarian and hated Conan the Destroyer. Now I am an older man, and have developed wisdom, and thus appreciate both movies. ... this ends the story of Andre!

[@awesomereviews1561]

I know why you thought Conan The Destroyer was better as a kid because I was the same. Conan The Barbarian was the first movie I saw when I was 3 years old ( yeah my dad was awesome) . Soon after I saw Conan The Destroyer, and I liked it better because in as a kid it made more sense since the story had little depth and was pretty straightforward. But as I grew older, years after years, I was more drawn to The Barbarian. When I was older and studied philosophy in school, I finally understood what Conan The Barbarian meant and I was blown away. Conan the Barbarian and a few other movies from the 80’s ( such as Robocop 1 and First Blood) are a special bred. They are attractive for kid but get much better as you grow older because they do have depth. It’s just that has a kid, you are not equipped with the keys to unlock those doors. Great video as usual. Thank you.

[@TILLEYJS]

I'm in the same boat.

[@bellvnv2000]

For my own accord when I was a kid I thought Conan the Destroyer was better too because it had that monster in it and the sexy sexy Ursa as the Evil Queen . Barbarian came off as boring . The pacing in it at points is very slow and as a kid I didn't really get that and to an extent today when I watch the movie, unless I had the backstory or knew anything about the comics it still comes across as kind of boring . But like Empire Strikes Back it IS the better movie . Did I mention that Ursa was sexy ? 😍 😂

[@faz6877]

I had the same experience as a child. At 5 years old I appreciated the monsters in The Destroyer over the amazing story telling in the Barbarian. Of course today I'll take Doom almost any movie villain.

[@bellvnv2000]

@@faz6877 like fine wine time makes 'us' better with age . But for others they just turned to vinegar ! It is a strange Life to Live to look back at the 80s with fondness and reverence versus what we have today ! I mean back in the 80s I was foaming at the mouth for things to be better in the 21st century ! Aside from technology, "Good God" ! Have we not been such good stewards of our own culture as to stay off this Hellstorm ? 😔

[@nuruddinshah684]

( such as Star wars....Ones ago) are a special bred. They are attractive for kid but get much better as you grow older because they do have depth. It’s just that has a kid, you are not equipped with the keys to unlock those doors.

[@ditsycitykitty3841]

I remember my relatives and I were disappointed with Destroyer at first, but each time we gave it a rewatch it grew on me though I don't know about them. I liked it more each time especially when comparing it to Red Sonya whenever we watched the 3 together. Now I view Destroyer as an okay movie, but not great like the first. And arguably, it's a lot better than so many other action adventure movies that have come out over the last 30 years. Ugh, the MPAA rating system really needs to go. I think it causes more confusion than people care to admit. I loathe it with a passion! Ya, I think I definitely would have preferred to see the original Thomas and Conway script as a movie. Even with a PG rating, I think it would have fit well with the first. Always looking forward to more Conan related videos. Thanks, Andre!

[@909sid]

I just revisited Conan movies and I thank you for making my experience more savored one

[@johngonzales7130]

i had no idea that Bombatta ended up as the virgin sacrifice. how clever. i'm dumb. thanks for the great video!

[@DrJReefer]

I didn't get the eunuch thing or the virgin sacrifice.

[@Roper122]

Ahh love how much you are into Conan. Another retrospective? Bring it on.

[@Krommer1000]

FANTASTIC video. Can't wait for the next installment.

[@darrenq]

Wasn’t Red Sonja supposed to be Conan 3.

[@Cl0ckcl0ck]

22:14 thhe ultimate conan moment. You don't need to have the biggest body, just the biggest drive.

[@CommonSenseAmericanPatriot]

This was solid. I liked Destroyer when I was a kid more than Barbarian too. Then understood the quality of Barbarian! I love the Star Wars knock at the end!

[@georgeorwell4534]

Another magnificent IP brilliant in the writing (including SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN in the 80s) horribly mangled by entertainment managers in the studio.

[@METALGEARMATRIX]

I still like Destroyer

[@TheDolfanar]

You aren't going to cover Red Sonja, Conan the Adventurer Animated, Kull the Conqueror or the live action TV show?

[@MidnightsEdge]

In due time, yes. All of them.

[@hamarbiljungskile8953]

@@MidnightsEdge Hell yiss!

[@Invidente7]

@@MidnightsEdge The conan animated series are highly underrated, heck it even had a proper ending!

[@fstemarie]

I want to see the Red Sonja one !

[@faz6877]

I was shocked they gave a conclusion to the story. Not Many cartoons back in the day gave us a real ending

[@rockybeats8682]

We can only imagine what we would have gotten if they went rated R

[@jayeisenhardt1337]

It has me worried as R back in the day...

[@msg4925]

Excellent video! Looking forward to the next one.

[@totmacher6807]

Andre I felt the same when I was a kid as well and the same as a adult as well. Keep up the amazing work brother I cant wait for the next video

[@DixonAsses]

I’m so glad I found this video

[@happyhammer1]

Conan could have been such an interesting movie franchise had they kept the rating and themes of the first movie.

[@OmegaWolf747]

They wanted to make it "famblee frendlee", which is the kiss of death for anything interesting in a movie.

[@oliversmith9200]

My thoughts... Man, back in the day I was an uncritical film consumer who skimped on popcorn but ate whatever they put on hte screen with a big smile on my face.

[@xippetotectheflayedgod6179]

Damn, 1982 was a great year for movies.

[@michaelwills1926]

Getting the sequel wrong totally wrecked the franchise. This could and should have been so much more. A historic regret.

[@ryanjacobson2508]

Well Arnold took 7 years to do Terminator 2 and he didn't do the sequel for Predator. I'd say we were lucky to get any Arnold starring sequel at all so soon after the original. It still has some of the tone and atmosphere of the original, but with more fantasy and more of a plot. And Andre is correct that Part 1 dumbing down the character meant that the studio would figure that a lighter weight sequel would work well.

[@wojtekwieczorek6397]

Love the photo you chose to illustrate your point at 4:56

[@Sherudons]

To me the second one seemed more disjointed and confused, but the first was a clumsy yet really decent revenge and love story. Also helps that arnold is a meat tank of a man and really sounded like a barbarian.

[@animusvids]

I watched barbarian and destroyer in cinema as a kid, and even then I could tell the tone and quality of destroyer was lower than barbarian. Still I enjoyed the movie while gripping my He-Man figure in my pocket xD In the end, destroyer fits in the pool of the sword and sorcery cheap movies, while barbarian stand apart as a work of art. :)

[@IsaiahAmos017]

Always liked Conan the destroyer more than Conan the barbarian it might’ve been because I wasn’t allowed to watch the first one Similar to Robocop

[@brockhardick242]

Basically, leave the magic castles and light hearted adventure to Filmation, right?

[@MidnightsEdge]

Yeah, that's best left there.

[@actioncom2748]

This showed up in my Recommends again. A KZbin algorithm adjustment? About time.

[@MidnightsEdge]

One can hope. That has really been screwing us of late

[@harrissyed1417]

Moral of the story: Do not interfere with what's already perfect.

[@mynameisNeo369]

Its heartbreaking to think we will never get closure for what Conan the barbarian set up. Destroyer was good, but no film has ever come close to what barbarian did.

[@Reidbynature]

I could see a R King Conan movie doing well with a modest budget given recent R rated movies showing you don't need to compromise on vision for profit.

[@faz6877]

As much as I want to agree, I'm not sure if there is a huge market for a King Conan movie. I would be there first show! But I don't think there are enough people like us to make a hit. It would have to follow a path very similar to the last 2 Rambo's in terms of budget and doubling down on the violence. Even then, Rambo is a much more iconic (personally I'll take Conan) character and didn't exactly set the box office on fire. But they would need to target that same audience. A PG13 Conan would be a flop waiting to happen. I wish Arnold would have pushed for this instead of the last 2 Terminator films.

[@Reidbynature]

@@faz6877 I think he has tried pushing, but the guy who holds the rights was trying for an Amzon series which got rejected.

[@klausgartenstiel4586]

i got a fever! and the only prescription ... is more magic castles!!

[@theaverageDon]

Sounds like a cautionary tale that keeps repeating itself again and again, back then and today

[@mrgreatbigmoose]

"What does not kill you makes you stronger" is a fine quote. But "Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it" seems to be forgotten, as Hollywood could have produced five great Conans if they knew this little adage existed. Happy New Year Andre!

[@jordil6152]

@@mrgreatbigmoose Those who learn from history are doomed to watch others repeat it.

[@alexandresobreiramartins9461]

The thing is movie studio producers/execs have always been morons who never really understood movies and art. As they only see movies as a way to make money, and as they're usually filthy rich, they think they know better than everyone else how to make said money. And almost always they are in fact the least qualified people for that task. If they were capable of looking past their own arrogance and stupidity, they would realize that leaving the job for more qualified people would bring in a lot more of the money they so much crave. But that will never happen.

[@crispycritterz]

The worst enemy of the creative process: Meddling from the front office. Another potentially great franchise goes up in flames.

[@Emper0rH0rde]

It's been 40 years, bare minimum, and ivory tower executives *still* haven't learned that meddling in the creative process *never* changes things for the better. That's how isolated they are from reality.

[@jaytalks8091]

Great slight at Kathleen Kennedy!

[@sebastianprimomija8375]

Goddamn Arnold as Conan makes me want to get massive gains.

[@lsb2623]

Yes, bro. Go for it bro! You too can be the Tom Platz of abs...

[@AHersheyHere]

Destroyer gets to exist merely for the 'Enough talk!' line.

[@xser4321]

"only pain" is equally iconic!

[@johnstuartkeller5244]

"Lot on your knife!"

[@Hybris51129]

There really needs to be a uncut version of the Conan movies released.

[@Thundarr100]

There already is a directors cut of Conan The Barbarian. Not much difference except for a conversation between Conan and Subotai when they're preparing for the final battle, which was cut for time and not content. I would like to see the Rated R cut of Conan The Destroyer though. The first one that the MPAA sent back with an R rating. If the footage still exists, Universal Studios should totally rerelease it on DVD/BluRay.

[@jamiegoss4970]

First one, scandalous.

[@thebaron512]

@@Thundarr100 They added back the princess at the end as well

[@Thundarr100]

@@thebaron512 True. And some of the scenes of Conan sneaking up on Thulsa Doom were shown from different angles. Still, the bulk of the movie is unchanged between the two different cuts.

[@stonetic2515]

Basil Poledouris is still my favorite movie soundtrack guy of all time. It's a shame he's practically unknown despite all the legendary themes he's made. The Conan ones were his best by far. I love his unusual choices of primitive instruments and that powerful male chorus in "The Kitchen".

[@derekk2708]

Totally Agree. ; )

[@thecatsnightmare]

I still think the duel between Akiro and the leader of The Keepers of the Horn is one of the top 3 wizard duels in cinema. No special fancy effects, just the actor's performances of Mako and Ferdinand Mayne showing the back-and-forth of the effort of battle of two wizards trying to impose their will over the other other in magic to open/close that door.

[@faz6877]

Enough talk!!

[@lsb2623]

There is only ONE wizard battle of 80's flicks... Egg Shen versus Lo Pan !!!

[@thecatsnightmare]

@@lsb2623 Oh hell yes! That is one of my other choices for Top 3. Akiro Vs The Keeper for performance/acting, Egg Shen vs Lo Pan for style/presentation, and for #3, Fin Raziel vs Bavmorda in Willow for that "oh snap!"/intensity, it starts out a classic battle between two sorceresses but the raw intensity of their dislike of each other, just causes the whole thing to break down into old lady catfight!

[@faz6877]

@@lsb2623 : Ends the same way as in Conan, just cuts the wizard off and throws a knife at through them lol. That's how I like my wizard fights

[@jayeisenhardt1337]

@@thecatsnightmare I just had to watch Fin Raziel vs Bavmorda as a refresher, never knew how much it reminded my of lord of the rings how Gandalf got captured. lol

[@JamesGhodbane]

Conan the destroyer was a good heroic fantasy movie but I preferred Conan the barbarian a dark fantasy masterpiece

[@natsohigh5552]

Is that the one with Grace Jones, cause that's a badass film

[@luchomscyfy]

It's more philosophical too. The themes about the Riddle of the Steel.....marvelous.

[@lsb2623]

Barbarian was a journey of a film... Destroyer was a popcorn flick (albeit of the highest order!)

[@drogonblack4424]

I agree with you. I love Conan the barbarian. Fantastico 👍 John Milius a great director. Robert E. Howard I will love you forever

[@Steger13]

What a shame, of they kept the first script version itbcould had been even better then the first movie. Why is always stupid ppl that make dumb decisions and ruine something great. Something happen on Disney star wars. Hope they will make Conan the king while arnold still be able to workout and get in shape for it. I want to see arnold back on great shape.

[@RPGmodsFan]

I always thought that Arnold Schwarzenegger was ungrateful towards the movie that launched his career. Thanks to your Retrospective Video, I now realized that i was wrong. He wanted the movies more true to Robert E. Howard's stories, settings & characters.

[@Cyromantik]

He may not be the vest actor, but he's definitely one of the more sincere ones out there, and will do his best to play his characters faithfully.

[@poodinky80]

​Agreed, he was physically great in the roll and it was obvious how much he was into the character@@Cyromantik

[@hatuletoh]

I was thinking about the turmoil and ultimate failure to get another Conan movie made, and for a reason I didn't understand at the time, I was reminded of the Terminator movies; then my thoughts went to Predator. Finally I realized that the connection, the "through-line", so to speak, that all those franchises share is Arnold Schwarzenegger's looks and physical presence is/was a major component of their success (esp Conan and Terminator), and as time has progressed and Schwarzenegger has aged, it has completely dictated what story lines within those franchises can oe cannot do, even to the point of preventing films from being made. That's pretty remarkable when you think about it: major movie franchises that more or less turned on the physique of one....well, I was going to say "on the physique of one actor" but Arnold is much better described as a "movie star". Don't get me wrong, I grew up in the 80s and 90s, and make no excuses for my love of Arnold Schwarzenegger action films. I like everything he did from Conan to Terminator 2, even Red Heat and Running Man. And unlike many old Arnold action fans, I even enjoyed his early comedy: I recently watched Kindergarten Cop for the first time in at least a decade, and it was damn funny. It's an objectively enjoyable film if youre in the mood for what it is. That said, Arnold Schwarzenegger is never going to be mistaken for an great thespian who portrays different characters rather than being the same "big tough guy from a Germanic speaking country" in every single movie hes in. On the other hand, the man understood what people were coming to see, and if he had no hope of ever speaking with a different accent, he at least put tons of work into looking good and projecting a presence onscreen. This video mentioned him losing, then getting back, the muscle definition for the Conan movies, and his all-cast, all-night work-outs in the jungle while shooting Predator have become legendary. I think it's fair to say that Arnold's physique and charisma didn't just cover for his minimal acting ability, but actually created characters and whole franchises that Hollywood has been unable to recast since he became too old to play the roles. Has there ever been another film star who can make that claim? John Wayne is the closest I can think of, but as distinct as he was, he wasn't integral to roles in the same way or as irreplaceable as Arnold.

[@hamarbiljungskile8953]

Well put.

[@faz6877]

great post. As with Terminator, it sucks we have to tailor the story to Arnolds age (even if doesn't make sense) rather than simply crafting a great story. I agree, part of Arnolds screen presence is that look. Without it it has been hard to make the same impact. I will say he might have been able to pull Conan off. I guess I can accept an aging Conan over some of his other characters. He would look good with a big beard. Of course I don't have any faith in a studio giving us a dark depiction of Conan that would do justice to The Barbarian.

[@pangoprime8674]

Excellent post.

[@SirBlackReeds]

Kindergarten Cop is the best of those "stick the tough action hero with a bunch of kids" movies.

[@Keyser666]

I'd forgotten how beautiful Olivia d'Abo is in this. And everything else she's ever been in.

[@raksh9]

In the late 90s, I showed the Conan The Destroyer soundtrack CD to a friend. He was immediately drawn to the picture of Olivia D'Abo on the back, and we had a mutual appreciation moment. She was truly beautiful back then. I'm a bit disturbed to find out, decades later, that she was only 14 when that movie was filmed.

[@rengarcia5189]

And, I must say, Sarah Douglas is one of the most underutilized and covered-up hotties of all time. I thought she was absolutely gorgeous in this film, the dark smokiness of her character thrilled me.

[@jayeisenhardt1337]

I had to look her up and in this movie, not bad. Then next to it saw her in superman and outloud slipped "oh Jesus". lol

[@Tony-1971]

Both movies are awesome in their own different ways. The sets in both movies are fantastic as well. I love that the second one was more 'comic book' in style. The magic castles, horned god monsters and wizard lizards are exactly the kinds of things youd see in the Conan comic books. I actually wanted more of that stuff. Theres a great documentary on in the extra features on the Conan the destroyer blu ray that tells you about some other really cool stuff they planned for the movie but ended up dropping. Red Sonja is my unofficial 3rd Conan movie in series.

[@andrefarquharson2122]

Now I understand why Conan: The Destroyer was so bad and why some of the performances were a bit hammy at points, especially during the climax. It had to do with change of tone and director.

[@Reidbynature]

I still enjoy Destroyer. Though I'm more aware of the bad effects I also now see the Lovecraft connection which heightens my appreciation. Though not in the same league as Barbarian, it's a fun monster flick with some good cheesy lines.

[@MichaelLaing71]

Great retrospective. It was a pity with Conan the Destroyer, there were so many bad things that just brought the film down and the monster make up and effects, were terrible, even for the 80's. It is interesting that Schwarzenegger came back to play Lord Kalidor in Red Sonja in 1985, which again was not a good film.

[@DeadMammothEmailing]

He was under contract.

[@MichaelLaing71]

@@DeadMammothEmailing Yes, though from what I understand it was meant to be and extended cameo, as a favour to Dino De Laurentiis which ended up turning into a supporting role from what I have read, Apparently Arnold was not happy as it wasn't what he hadn't signed up for. I am not so sure how accurate this is, as he is in quite a bit of the film.

[@MichaelLaing71]

@wespozo Some were ok, others not great, the monster make up was the worst part though.

[@aylmer666]

as a kid, I remember thinking that Red Sonja was indeed the third Conan movie. I didn't even remember his character being different.

[@Kevin_Street]

He was basically Conan using a pseudonym.

[@Man_of_Tomorrow]

Destroyer doesn't hold a candle to Barbarian, but is still vastly more entertaining than most sword and sorcery films. Had Barbarian not existed and Destroyer was all we had I think it'd be held in much higher regard as the fun schlocky movie it is. It's just that the reality is that it follows a finely crafted philosophical masterpiece.

[@rengarcia5189]

I actually love this film. In 1984, I think I enjoyed it more than the preceding film because I thought it embraced high sorcery more. I loved Mako as the wizard and I even thought Wilt Chamberlain did a great job as Bombatta. This adventure fueled my imagination and, as a story-writer myself, help inspire me as I published my own works later on.

[@ryanjacobson2508]

If the lame attempts at humor had been cut out of the movie, it would work quite a bit better. That said, it's. still pretty good. The sets, costumes, and special effects are mostly good. The cast is unusual and does what they can with the script they've been given (I can't fault d'abo or Tracey Walter for the fact that their characters were written badly). And it does seem like the writers and the director were more comfortable with fantasy than Milius was.

[@kungfew1396]

They never even explain Subatai's absence in this movie.

[@kungfew1396]

@Stevo Urkel Me too, and I can't find that actor on KZbin explaining why. He was executed in the beginning of the original script and they at least brought back Mako as the wizard.👍

[@ryanjacobson2508]

Gerry Lopez was not an actor by trade and his character wasn't iconic or anything. I would have liked to have seen him back but perhaps the studio just didn't want to bother him and/or preferred to replace him with a character played by a "real" actor (and Tracey Walter is a wonderful actor).

[@bilwisss]

i don't often watch conan, but when i do its always “Conan the Barbarian” , never the reboot and never the destroyer. (am i nuts? destroyer, had bad sets and set decor, had bad costuming, bad lighting, odd ham-fisted comedy, dare i say bad acting? something felt very very off & plastic about destroyer, compared to barbarian, even to a dumb kid in the theater, which was me.) “Conan the Barbarian” was magic, "Conan The Destroyer" was kinda crappy tragic. i entered the theater wanting to love the film. but walked away with my first real dose of hollywood anticipointment.

[@Crazozourus]

Seven Deadly Sins? There is only one - Greed. The root of all problems. Greed - fear of not having enough.

[@seagrey75]

Fear? It's a desire...

[@theclubvids]

you could talk about dishwasher repair i'd be down

[@noobiesmurf]

Quickly Conan, save Jenna with your sword. No, your other sword.

[@blaircox1589]

May Crom haunt the souls who clicked thumbs down. Crom laughs at your gods! I was 8 in '84, so Destroyer was great when Arnold is your childhood hero. What could have been would have been glorious. But at least we have what exists.

[@Kevin_Street]

Your Conan series is so great. Thank you for making this video, and for releasing it at Christmas when we can all sit back and enjoy it. Conan The Destroyer... Wow, I haven't thought about that movie in a long time. I sort of remember coming away from it with three impressions and not much else: - The first movie was way less predictable and thus more fun. (And this was after only seeing Conan The Barbarian in cut form on TV.) - Olivia d'Abo was incredibly hot. She's older than me, so this wasn't inappropriate. - Conan's fight with the monster at the end was so stupid. It invalidated the seriousness of the quest they'd just gone through when he could slay it on his own. Over the years I've rewatched Conan The Barbarian a number of times, but haven't seen Destroyer since the mid 80's. Oh, for what could have been! The Thomas and Conway script sounds epic.

[@aylmer666]

I've seen the film dozens of times and it never occurred to me until your review that Bombata is indeed a Eunuch. I had always thought the princess was just "putting him in his place" and suppose the casting of Wilt Chamberlain affected my perspective.

[@MidnightsEdge]

See, that's why it needs pointing out;p

[@DantesDentist]

Lol who down voted this already? Muppet

[@randomicus4782]

snake worshipers probably.

[@jedanarcher7806]

The first film is a bloody masterpiece, the second one is a Marvel movie. Only the score is interesting, but still weaker than the first one.

[@17Watman]

Jedan Archer Marvel does that.

[@surlyunicorn9461]

I watched Conan the Barbarian on cable as a kid and I had just started becoming interested in Dungeons and Dragons. I absolutely loved it. I saw Conan the Destroyer a few years later in the theater as a teenager. The lack of a darker tone and the lack of gruesome battles was very disappointing. Agreed the first soundtrack is one of the best ever made.

[@huckleberry602]

I don’t know why they cancelled a third Conan movie just because Woke Fate bombed. It’s real simple; just make a Conan that’s for fans and not SJWs.

[@Caravaggio44]

Yea, I mean, let's be real...Conan movies are for guys. Make one that guys will like and the money will roll in.

[@Roam-de-route]

@@Caravaggio44 I think women wouldn't mind either.. they like hot guys, but Arnold is pretty old though

[@darthXreven]

sadly I'd rather suffer no Conan than suffer bad Conan [PG/PG-13 rated] and wrong Conan [SJW crap infused] I just wanna see more Conan lolz

[@huckleberry602]

rhizomeman exactly! It’s not rocket science.

[@joluoto]

There are unfortunately not a large enough fan base for it to be economically feasible.

[@raistlinmajere5752]

Amazing videos. Thank you. My only comment is that the chick that played the “virgin”, was super hot to me as a kid... and super hot to me now. 😂

[@Bughunt89]

Conan the barbarian is absolutely phenomenal and my favorite film of all time and Conan the destroyer is great I think, just not quite as good

[@wishfulthinking1079]

These Conan videos are amazing, thank you midnight's edge, keep up the great work.

[@shingodzilla7855]

I guess I was different as even when they premiered I felt Conan the Barbarian was the far better film. The tone, music, story and everything else in Barbarian had a different feel than typical fantasy - with Nietzschean undertones. It also helped to have a more layered story. Conan the Destroyer by contrast felt wrong to me - like a D&D quest.

[@peppermintspacecapsule9898]

Merry Christmas, Andre and the gang! Goodness, I hope CONAN comes back to destroy "woke culture!" Now do RED SONJA please, which also starred Arnold as Conan... but for licencing reasons he was always referred to as the "25% different" Kalidor! I know that Brigitte Nielsen's inexperience shows in some scenes, but physically she was a good match! :)

[@ShadowCthulhu]

I would like to see a REAL Red Sonja, the movie was cheesy but still fun to watch. However I would like to see the original story brought to life. If memory serves she was actually in the dark age of piracy. I do agree that BN as Sonja was a good match for Arnold.

[@Jmnzz]

Gotta admit, I still love this movie. That theme song got me as a kid and I loved the adventure . And...I still prefer it to the original 😜 Enough *TALK!*

[@Chrisdrumz]

Loved the 82 Conan and was beyond excited for the sequel but 5 minutes in I knew it was gonna suck and it DID.

[@Astrotrain78]

"Conan the Destroyesr was filmed on location on Mexico, or México for the locals" Yes, thank you, Andre.

[@MidnightsEdge]

De nada.

[@lsb2623]

Barbarian was a very artsy and "realistic" kind of movie with a certain weight to it. Destroyer had a real 80's Arnie action flick feel to it. I really had no idea they were made so close though! Both were huge to me when I was a kid and teen. I love Conan!

[@Paulafan5]

The first one treated it seriously and the second one did what most sword and fantasy movies were... a joke. You have to take the material seriously, even if it is outlandish.

[@DUARTE99]

Great stuff M.E.! I have to admit, Conan the Destroyer is a guilty pleasure of mine.

[@KesselRunner606]

Conan: Tank Malak: Rogue DPS Bombaata: DPS (but a ninja bastard) Zula: LFG DPS Jehnna: Healer (but a bit of a noob)

[@Cyromantik]

Mako: Caster/Crowd Control

[@FreeArtFreestheWorld]

A movie that has its moments for sure. Not an amazing sequel but not as bad as you'd fear.

[@rac1061]

2019: Conan 3 announcement starring Brie Larson as Conan, written by Phoebe Waller Bridge and produced by Kathleen Kennedy. Co-Starring Artie Lange playing every man in the film

[@handymanmagician]

Anything with Artie has my attention. The film will definitely need hookers, coke, gambling, and a cameo by Norm McDonald.

[@sylvana393]

and gay men , kissing.

[@tikkidaddy]

Success assured😂as Hollywood has proved as of late

[@Thundarr100]

Don't give them any ideas. Knowing Hollywoke they'll probably greenlight it and have it in theatres by Summer 2021, if not sooner.

[@samizdatbroadcasts7654]

It will still be criticized because Conan wasn't a genderqueer person of color.

[@Predilus]

The reference to kennedy / disney was spot on. History repeats itself.

[@hedronreviews8241]

I thoroughly enjoyed your review of this PG movie. Like you, this was the one I saw in the movie theater, I hadn't been old enough to see the R-rated original Conan movie. So to me, these are the real characters. We also had movie magazines at the time that would do the job of youtube previews, so I breathlessly read through descriptions of the cast and characters that would be in this one. Sarah Douglas (best known from the Superman movies at the time) was sexy and dangerous. Jenna was my age and relatable. (The Destroyer novelization had her trying clumsily to seduce Conan during the 'toothpick' scene). I thought Bombaata was menacing, and the rubber monster at the end seemed unstoppable until Conan found the trick to weakening it. As a young boy, I had been reading the Conan comic books and was getting into some of the Conan novels. I would eventually read all of the Robert E. Howard run, and the latter-day paperbacks by people like Robert Jordan and John Maddox Roberts. I do have some differnences with your otherwise thorough review. 1) Most novels or scripts do not survive being made into screenplays. Although I appreciate your listing the various characters like Zula and Bombaata from the original treatment, the modifications made to bring these characters to screen are typical of the movie-making process. See 'To Live and Die in L.A.', and compare it to the original novel. Characters from the book were merged, villains changed, even the ending was shot different ways for test screenings. So I have no problem with the changes made to bring Conan the Destroyer to the big screen. 2) You did not like Thoth-Amon the wizard's portrayal. But even as a child, I recognized that the ultimate villain from the Marvel comics was just a name in the Destroyer movie. The movie cobbled together bits from a dozen different stories, but the essence of what drew me to Conan remained: Conan was the leader of a rotating band of misfits. So it made perfect sense that you might have sidekick Subotai one movie, then Malak the next (although they made a mistake asserting Malak saw the Camel-punching scene from the first movie, that was Subotai, of course). Having Conan show up and assemble a mostly-new band of assistants in this movie was perfect. Far from being dumb, Malak (played by the always-talent Tracey Walter) defined what it is to be a Conan sidekick when he insists they are thieves, not a charity. The fact that some of the team would betray Conan is also very much in keeping with the Marvel stories that Conan fans were familiar with. 3) I would have liked to see you spend some time on Basil Pouledoris' soundtrack to Conan the Destroyer. I've owned this for decades on CD, having also bought the cassette tapes which have long since crumbled to rust. You might have hated the 'crystal castle', but we had the lovely harpsichord piece "Dream Quest" and "Crystal Palace". Finally, the reason we didn't get a third movie starring Arnold was that Destroyer made less money with its PG rating, proving the meddling producers wrong about that E.T. appeal. This gave Arnold the excuse not to appear in loincloths for most of his subsequent movies. As a kid in the movie theater, this Conan will always be my Conan movie, even if I grew to appreciate the dark R-rated movie later on videotape, then DVD, and now Bluray. Thanks again!

[@SeriousSam101]

Two movies than tank at the box office Dune and Conan the Destroyer.

[@MasterMayhem78]

I love them both

[@gulf_coast_gypsy]

I loved both movies, Barbarian being my favorite. That said I would have loved to see any Arnie Conan project no matter how bad. If he had played Conan in Red Sonia it would have elevated that movie in my eyes. I have even read that Kull the Conqueror movie was originally intended to be a Arnie Conan movie. That would have made that movie better by far. We have so little live action Conan that at this point (to me) anything would be great. We need more!!!

[@Pedr4m]

I actually preferred Destroyer to Barbarian as a kid, and again as an adult when rewatching them about a decade ago. After this retrospective, I think I want to revisit them again and see how I feel. I know they'll still be much better than the reboot regardless. The original script sounds like it would have been pretty cool to see though too.

[@rrmendoza1]

I was very entertained by this movie. Though the first was a whole lot better. Why they made it family friendly back then was a mystery to me until now. Thanks, Midnight's Edge!

[@MVProfits]

I loved the initial Conan, and still liked Destroyer. But, reading Robert E Howard's Conan stories, you know, the reason why the character became a classic, I wonder WHY do Hollywood buy out rights to these books just to completely rewrite scripts, just taking some general ideas and some names! It makes no sense at all. It just reeks of arrogance too. Like THEY can do better than one of the best ever? I understand making changes for reasons of budgeting, movie format, casts and all that, but they go way beyond and write complete new stories.

[@marcase2003]

Enjoyable piece, thanks guys. I too grew up with Conan, and the Conan comics at the time were among my favorite. There were a slew of cheap b-type "popcorn barbarian" movies being released back then which were enjoyable ("Barbarian Brothers", Beastman etc) but ultimately were nothing more than underperforming 'family adventure' movies. I doubt that Conan can be resurrected to a franchise in its original intended form, but something like a Witcher format might work.

[@ryanjacobson2508]

Actually Beastmaster and especially The Sword and the Sorcerer did fairly well at the the theaters. But they, along with Conan 1, were released in 1982. Later movies in this genre were much less successful since evidently people had had their fill of these movies.

[@wotancatro9479]

We need the Snyder cut.

[@white-dragon4424]

Conan the Barbarian was successful BECAUSE it was adult. By making Conan the Destroyer more suitable for kids they were unwittingly killing the film's box office, not increasing it.

[@maxwaller2055]

*by Crom, it shall be done* - written at 11:17 am Pacific Standard Time on Thursday, 26 December 2019

[@wolfman7284]

I had no idea that Andre "The Giant" Roussimoff played Dagon. That's cool, thanks for sharing that!

[@fortheloveofking]

Me either, even tho I've seen the promo photos before, I thought it was just promotional material.

[@wolfman7284]

@@fortheloveofking I did too. I thought maybe they were just showing how big everyone was due to them being in the same area or something. The only movie I knew with Andre in it was Princess Bride

[@quinnpd]

I love Destroyer for the live-action cartoon that it is.

[@yuothineyesasian]

Great job Andre

[@stazjohnson8618]

I liked 'Destroyer when it came out (I haven't seen it since) & preferred to to 'Barbarian because Arnold LOOKED like Conan. Admittedly, 'Barbarian is the better movie, but it's still only a good 'sword & sandals' film, it's NOT Conan, not the Conan of the Comics, & certainly not the Conan of the Howard stories. The problem with making a good Conan film is that the real Conan (from the books) is not a likeable character, & film producers seemingly have a real issue centering stories around unlikeable heroes, that's not to say it can't be done though as the Dredd movie from a few years ago proved.

[@9148H2]

I think Conan would get better film success if there was an animated Conan the Barbarian tv series. It would be easier to adapt the stories from Robert E Howard as well as some of the other writers who wrote Conan over the years like Robert Jordan and at the same time write new tales of our favorite barbarian. I'm coming to the conclusion that live-action adaptations of Fantasy have had more fails than successes. If we get a Conan animated series we would get the way Howard wrote the character and the way Frank Frazetta immortalized him. Imagine a Conan animated series that is drawn and animated to look exactly like those Frank Frazetta paintings come to life. In fact with a Conan animated universe, you can include some of Howard's other characters like Kull of Atlantis. Not only that but you can expand it if the studio would introduce the character that Frank Frazetta created the iconic Death Dealer himself since that character looks like he belongs in Conan's harsh world of Hyboria. That would be amazing. Now, who would not want to see Conan of Cimmeria meeting Gath of Baal on the battlefield? Anyway, Studios should really consider animation as a better alternative when it comes to Fantasy. Rather than just have a bunch of actors standing in front of a green screen. Sure it would be expensive, but it would nowhere be as expensive as those Marvel Movies that cost half a billion dollars to make. Not only that, but you don't have to worry about the laws of physics endangering your cast or making it impossible to do a particular scene. So why not do it take the risk. Studios have the money and the technology to do it. There's no excuse not to. If a Song of Ice and Fire was made into an animated series. We would get to see what the iron throne really looks like in the books.

[@chucknorris202]

So true man...Dino De Laurantis was to Conan what Kathleen kennedy IS to Disney Soy wars, to an extent anyway. Kathleen kennedy has obviously caused nearly irreparable harm to the franchise in question while Dino, well, he killed the movie franchise for Conan when Arnold could still pull it off with enthusiasm and was still young and in excellent shape. Arnold can still pull off King Conan these days but not a younger Conan, and most of the Conan stories are about a younger Conan under 40 years of age. And sjw feminist garbage is far more degrading and insulting to everything it touches, whereas trying to edit a Conan movie to be suitable for small children to watch was just plain STUPID - rather than STUPID AND MALICIOUS, like kathleen kennedys sjw feminist garbage is...and we know she is entirely motivated by self conceit and ego, even that mary sue of hers is a literal self insert and was chosen BECAUSE she resembles a young Kathleen Kennedy. I get what you are saying though. It takes a real arrogant piece of shit to try to dictate to a PROFESSIONAL how to do their job, most of all when YOU are an amateur - like kathleen or DIno. Kathleen is flat out worse in all respects and there isnt a single GOOD THING that exists at all with her in charge of lucasfilm STILL(why isnt she fired yet?).

[@Invidente7]

Why? Because they're hopelessly waiting for the second weekend even thought we all know it's gonna get beat down by that Will Smith pigeon spy movie.

[@xhagast]

I have to say that Arnold's ACTING saved the movie. Plus the basic script was still there and it made for a decent Conan movie. Check the unwatchable Gor movies for how bad it could have been.

[@LanceUppercut78]

Every child under 10 in the 80s thought Conan the Destroyer was better (myself included). That mirror monster scared the crap out of me!

[@MrWorf35]

A perfect in depth review for a very imperfect piece of cinema. Thanks! Despite some fine moments -the great sword fights, the design, matte-paintings and sets, some dialogues, it's a total though enjoyable schlock fest, close to my heart as a Conan interpretation. I thought the script for Conan II was bad because of Thomas and Conway; but all along, it was Dino the old scoundrel (and possibly Raphaella behind the scenes) who ultimately went and stupidly dumbed down his own production. Misplaced ego turns anyone into a moron! And Olivia d'Abo... still is the best special effect of this movie and a fine actress altogether 😋

[@natsohigh5552]

I'm sorry, but I like the films 🤣😂 I'm an 80s baby. I even like the sequel with Brigitte Nielson 🤷🏾‍♂️ And Grace Jones is a complete BADASS

[@faz6877]

No need for apology, Conan the Barbarian is a masterpiece. I have a soft spot for the Destroyer being a child of the 80's, but recognize it has a few issues lol. Red Sonja isn't really a sequel. I believe that was the initial intent, but Arnold does not play the character of Conan.

[@natsohigh5552]

@@faz6877 awww dammit .I never paid attention to the characters names in Red Sonja. (I did wonder why the witch was there cause the actress is in the first Conan 🤣). I really loved the thought that they were connected

[@jasonsantos3037]

For me I really don't mind Conan's destroyer it's don't my cup of tea of the 1st conan movie But I did find it entertaining that's it yeah it should stick with radar is more faithful to the character People who are fans of the movie are waiting for the day we get king Conan.

[@ardon68]

i like all 3 Conan movies as a Conan fan of the comics of the 80's . i had some of the paperback books but lost them due to storage weather ruining them. which i was going to read but never did.

[@MadMattInc1]

The only thing I still really like about Destroyer as it currently is, is the touched up music, and the addition of an actual Conan theme.

[@CaesiusX]

_Thank you for these fantastic retrospectives!_ I was turning 15 the year *Conan the Barbarian* came out. Thus, subsequently turning 17 around the time of *Conan the Destroyer.* I was _so disappointed_ with the latter. I was an avid RPGer (incl. AD&D), but there were so few solid fantasy films. I was crazy for the films with Harryhausen's work, like the _Sinbad_ films. His work on _Clash if the Titans_ was great. But I didn't care for the film as much. Anyway. . . of the releases around this period, I liked (off the top of my head) _Excalibur, Conan the Barbarian_ and Bakshi's _Fire and Ice._ And regardless of what Simon Pegg says in _Spaced,_ I was able to recognize what utter crap _Hawk the Slayer_ truly was. But he is three years younger than I, and that makes a difference around the time that we're talking. I might have felt the same way he did if I were three years younger. What bothered most with _Conan the Destroyer_ was *the score.* _Conan the Barbarian_ is *still* one of the greatest soundtracks I have ever heard. I forgot if the liner notes for either of the reissued CD releases explaines why there was no chorus on the _Conan the Destroyer_ score. However, I vaguely recall that Poledouris wanted it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ *Edit:* btw, if you love the _Conan the Barbarian_ score as much as I, and have not yet heard *Knut Avenstroup Haugen's* music from the Conan video games, they are a _must-have!_ They are beautiful successsors to the _Conan the Barbarian_ score. You can get a taste of some of them right here on KZbin.

[@derekk2708]

Thanks for the Knut recommendation. Listening to it right now.