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You think your childhood was rough? Check out the opening 20 minutes of Conan the Barbarian, a bone-cracking coming-of-age prologue that fully explains the "Barbarian" part of the name. The film gets off to a ripping start, including li'l Conan's lethal dispatching of a crowd of restless natives (it's not every lad that returns from camp with the decapitated heads of his enemies dangling from his shoulders) and a great deal of hoo-hah about the forging of swords. As the character grows into manhood, played by Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones), the cascade of brutality continues: boiling oil, nose trauma, death by metal fingernails--you name it, the movie has it. The "origin story" plot is a workable way into the world of pulp writer Robert E. Howard's hero: Conan seeks vengeance for the death of his father (Ron Perlman) and pursues power-hungry Khalar Zym (Stephen Lang, enjoying the fruits of Avatar), who in turn seeks the final piece of a many-tailed magic mask, which will give him untold power. Rose McGowan is all spooky as Khalar's daughter (she's got the fingernails) and Rachel Nichols is an innocent slated to be sacrificed by the evildoers. Director Marcus Nispel rolls out the tech hardware for this relentless action picture, pumping up every sound with a digital whammy that might make your head feel it has been split in two by Conan's mighty sword (that is, if you didn't already feel that from the chaotic cutting--since the movie was originally released in uninspired 3-D, this visual unpleasantness was enhanced in theaters). The movie's not a complete bust, but it is a fairly punishing experience. As for Momoa, he's got the pectorals, and generally comes across as a likable sort. Of course, Conan isn't supposed to be a likable sort, so his casting will likely trigger an unexpected response in viewers familiar with the 1982 version of the character. You will miss Arnold Schwarzenegger. --Robert Horton
Conan the Barbarian (Two-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD) Reviews
Conan the Barbarian (Two-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD) Reviews
| 113 of 133 people found the following review helpful:  Looks good, nice action, but needed more depth, By Soaring Eagle (Ohio/PA border USA) - See all my reviews This review is from: Conan the Barbarian (DVD) Since this 2011 film is a remake/reboot of the '82 version of Conan the Barbarian I'll draw comparisons throughout this review.Although the film's set-up is the same as the '82 version -- raiders destroy Conan's Cimmerian village and thus the barbarian seeks revenge -- the story is completely different. The villains here are Khalar Zym and his witchy daughter, Marique, who seek to resurrect Zym's sorcerous wife, once they attain the needed pure blood necessary for their Acheron magic (or something like that). WHAT WORKS: - Jason Momoa, as Conan, is excellent. Far better than Arnie. It's hard to conceive of a better Conan. - The Bulgarian locations are outstanding. - The Costuming is more convincing than the '82 version. Conan's apparel, for instance, is more faithful to REH than Arnie's fur... Read more 15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:  A missed opportunity, By This review is from: Conan the Barbarian (Two-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD) (Blu-ray) Despite it's mammothly disappointing box office take and lukewarm reviews, I still looked forward to seeing this remake/reboot/re-whatever of Conan the Barbarian. In all honesty, the film has a lot going for it, with some brilliant visual set pieces and set designs that wonderfully bring pulp writer Robert E. Howard's savage world to life, but other than that, the film itself feels oh so empty. Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones) stars as Conan, the Cimmerian warrior seeking vengeance for the destruction of his people at the hands of warlord Khalar Zym (a scene-chewing Stephen Lang), and in turn embarks on a quest to save all of Hyboria as Zym's master plan begins to come to fruition. Along for the ride are Rose McGowan as Zym's witchy daughter, and hottie Rachel Nichols as the pawn in Zym's plot; granted neither of them have all that much to work with. In fact, nearly the entire cast of Conan the Barbarian do little to make things memorable, other than Stephen Lang. The film's story... Read more 75 of 99 people found the following review helpful:  I Loved It!, By This review is from: Conan the Barbarian (DVD) I had seen a couple of trailers before going to see this movie and I knew that Jason Momoa from Stargate Atlantis was cast as the lead. I wasn't expecting much. All I have to say is that it delivered everything that I could hope for in a Conan movie. This movie isn't getting enough hype. Jason Momoa does a great job portraying everything that I know about Conan (...I've read about 10 comics and have seen the 80's movies a few times). In my opinion, the acting, the filming, the directing, the scenery and the story were all superb. Five stars... what can I say?.. I'm a big fan of the comic-to-movie adaptations (they're my favorites). You won't want to take your kids to this... it's a Barbarian movie (a considerable amount of brutal Violence, some nudity). All good stuff :) There was only one reference to Crom which I found peculiar, though they did mention "the Gods" several times. |
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