20 Most Hated Film Remakes & Reboots In Movie History
17. Conan The Barbarian (2011)
John Milius and Oliver Stone’s original 1982 fantasy-action epic wasn’t then and isn’t now a definitive example of the genre, but it’s beloved by fans the world over. Even its initial popularity was enough to warrant a sequel - Conan The Destroyer - in 1984, and it’s only swelled in popularity since then.
The influence of the film is surprisingly hefty: all of the 1980s sword n’ sorcery epics owe at least a nod to it, as do Peter Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings films, and it can easily be argued that the biggest star in Hollywood today, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, wouldn’t have had his start in the movies had The Scorpion King not also been a remake of Conan in all but name.
A sequel languished in development hell for well over a decade, anticipation building and building. Original Conan Arnold Schwarzenegger became a megastar and a cultural icon, then Governor of California, while the movie bounced around from director to director, treatment to script and back again.
For years, with Arnold off the table due to his political commitments, WWE beefcake Triple H was the frontrunner for the role, earmarked to play Conan’s son. Eventually, the idea of an incredibly belated sequel was ditched, and the decision was made to reboot the franchise, such as it was: Jason ‘Khal Drogo’ Momoa was cast as a pretty-boy Barbarian, and the movie finally saw the light of day in 2011.
And it was panned harder than Tom chasing Jerry around a blind corner. Director Marcus Nispel - he of the unthreateningly average Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday The 13th remakes - shot a dull story and a lifeless script with a Conan that looked like he was one layer of guyliner away from playing bass for a black metal band.
In these post-Game Of Thrones days, blood 'n' thunder fantasy epics need to bring the blood, the thunder, and especially the epic. And when fan anticipation is built up to this level of fever pitch, you really need to deliver like gangbusters. Sadly, the Conan The Barbarian remake delivered like Yodel instead. What a missed opportunity.