Conan the Barbarian

Director: Marcus Nispel
Writers: Thomas Dean Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, Sean Hood
Stars: Jason Momoa, Stephen Lang, Rachel Nichols  

Searching for the man responsible for the death of his father and the slaughter of his people, Conan travels the lands of Hyboria on a quest for vengeance.  What he finds not only pits him against a hated adversary but a man who plots to unleash an evil supernatural force that could destroy the human race.

Since I was a kid I have been a fan of Conan having read countless Robert E. Howard stories, seen the movies with Arnold Schwarzenegger and even read a few comics.  When I heard there was a new movie in the works I was curious to see what direction this movie was going to take.  Was there going to be a new take on the character and was the story going to be expanded upon or taken in a whole new direction?  Well when the trailers came out I was admittedly a little hesitant due to what I saw but I remained determined to give this film the benefit of the doubt.   

As I walked out of a nearly empty theater I found myself disappointed knowing the movie had the potential to be so much better.  Keep in mind the movie wasn’t horrible but the script could have used a major reworking to create a hard R rated film that was grim, darker and a lot more chaotic.  Instead what was released was more of a bare bones action film that lacked a hard edge suitable for a Conan movie.

The dialogue throughout the film was bad and not in a laughable bad way.  The only character who didn’t seem out of place speaking was Conan as I didn’t expect anything profound from a guy whose sole purpose is to slaughter everything in his path.  Another irritating point was the anticlimactic ending which again similar to the original could have used a little more of a confrontation between Conan and Khalar Zym.  It felt like it lacked the raw energy one would expect from two warriors determined to kill one another.

What helped make up for the short comings was the amount of violence which was accomplished with nicely choreographed fight scenes.  When the action starts it’s fast and angry, weapons swinging and blood spraying every which way.  A nice addition was Jason Momoa doing his own stunts as he crashed through sets in the chaos of battle.  It’s always a hit or miss when an actor does their own stunts, Momoa was decent in this movie.  Another big point of notice was the set designs.  The settings and visuals seemed like they were pulled from the pages of Howard’s stories giving birth to a Hyborian realm which had never before been captured on film.

As for his portrayal of Conan, Jason Momoa made the part his own in just about every way.  The attitude, physicality, mannerisms, personality and appearance all fit together to create what came across as a deadly Cimmerian warrior worthy of the sword he wielded.  The same can be said for Leo Howard who played the young version of Conan.  Howard showed all the same traits and characteristics in a pint sized version of the Cimmerian on a journey to become a warrior.  Opposing Momoa in the role of the villainous Khalar Zym is Stephen Lang.  Delivering a performance that adds an intense and physical side not seen from the villains in the two previous renditions, Lang was a little over the top which made for some questionable acting.  Whether the scene called for loud and crazy or quiet and brooding Lang was able enough to capture the persona of a madman possessed with becoming a god.  Accompanying Lang is Rose McGowan who takes the role of Marique, the sorceress daughter of Khalar.  McGowan gives a performance that is creepy at times but otherwise unimpressive.  Completing the main cast is Rachel Nichols as Tamara, a monk who possesses the key that Khalar Zym needs to complete his ritual and fulfill his destiny.  Showing some different sides to her characters personality which didn’t amount to a lot, not unlike McGowan there wasn’t much to the role which seemed memorable.

Although this isn’t a horrible movie it still lacks important qualities which would have created a decent movie, instead it shoots wide and misses the mark.  If you’re a fan of Conan and the works of Robert E. Howard this is potentially worth renting once available on DVD. 

Rating: 2 Reels