"Conan the Barbarian" Jason Momoa SPOILERS

[CessnaDriver]

This thread reeks of pre-viewing bias coloring the opinions of the posters before they've even seen the opening credits.

Who knew Conan the Barbarian would be so polarizing?

I'm guilty yes.

The casting was a major fail right out of the box for me.
Can't fix that. I am incapable of accepting this actor as the character,
First photos then trailers assured me I could not accept him.
Too much Frazetta and comic consumption for me after Arnie. LOL

I'd never heard of this guy until he was announced as Conan.
So was neither a fan nor hater of him in that regard.
I'm sure he does fine with what they gave him in the eyes of those that can see him as the character.

That being said, if I saw raving reviews that said this film had channeled REH and the Hyborian world I would have bit the bullet and taken a look.
That was far from the case.

You can read the plot points easily on line.
You can read reviews which I have. No character development, crappy tired barely there plot, action scene after another with lots of blood to please those that like lots of blood to be pleased.
Trailers show the films flavor,
I know exactly what to expect as this is the kind of stuff we've been getting for years.

Even many (of the few) positive reviews have some kind of excuse for the film.

"The very fact no attempt is made to hide the over-acted performances and under-developed storyline will sit perfectly fine with fans of this kind of junk"

"Does it satisfy, this tale? In its own modest way, it does."

So yes, you can determine if a film is something you want
to reward with a ticket sales and thus show support that you would
like more of the same.

I want Conan to get the Peter Jackson treatment that Lord of the Rings got. Dig deeply into the source materials and breath life into the Hyborean age.

The literature supports that kind of care is deserved.

Film must make changes I know, and for Conan I support that fully as it is a different animal then Lord of the Rings. But I want to see a faithful attempt one day.

 

[Jannix Quinn]

It just really is a nothing film. The score is nothing you'll remember, the actors are all really bland. The action is just the same as every other low budge sword fighting movie where the swords are made from styrofoam. The sets were made of styrofoam also. Seriously, everything either shattered or crumbled.

I don't remember anyone's name other than Conan. Some of the scenery was nice, I guess.

 

[ihs]

There. I've fixed that for ya.

Why is it difficult for some (and this isn't directed at you specifically, Qui) to simply view a film on it's own merits, and not judge it as a remake? I enjoyed the Michael Keaton Batman film, as I also enjoyed the first Christian Bale film, each in it's own way. I think if folks would look past the "Arnie" Conan films, they could be entertained by this one.

...Some of the scenery was nice, I guess...

I would definitely agree with this; I thought some of the scenery was superb.

 

[Qui-Gonzalez]

Part of the merits of a film are the actors portraying the roles. I remembered Bale in American Psycho and thought "Hell, he WOULD make a good Bruce Wayne!" and went from there. With Momoa, I simply do not see Conan. Hell, I did not see Conan when Ralf Moeller played him on TV. Even the producers there knew people saw Arnie as Conan and were looking for the next best thing.

 

[Larry Young]

The literature supports that kind of care is deserved.

As a bit of a REH scholar in my youth, I find "literature" to be a... gracious... observation. :lol

I was going to put back the San Diego stock this morning so I can park in the garage again, but you all have made me go see this thing.

 

[AdamNightmare]

Part of the merits of a film are the actors portraying the roles. I remembered Bale in American Psycho and thought "Hell, he WOULD make a good Bruce Wayne!" and went from there. With Momoa, I simply do not see Conan. Hell, I did not see Conan when Ralf Moeller played him on TV. Even the producers there knew people saw Arnie as Conan and were looking for the next best thing.

Maybe it's subjective, but I heard they cast Momoa and thought "dude would make a GREAT Conan." Between his role on Atlantis (which apparently people hated? I don't get it - he was the only character on the show I DID like) and playing Khal Drago, I could definitely see him as a fit.

 

[KnightAsylum]

I thought it was alright, but I still prefer the original.
I like the actors, it was the story and the directing that lost it for me. Conan needs to feel raw and somewhat epic in nature and this did not have that feel. While I appreciate the nudity and violence that should be in any Conan movie it was more at a TV level for me. Needed a better script, a better director, better music, more "barbarian" in Conan, and a more big movie feel (harder for me to discribe what I mean with that one.)
Oh...and one more thing, better (brighter) lighting if you are going to have Rachel Nichols naked.:thumbsup

 

[Larry Young]

Of course we know we can't make people prefer anchovies on their pizza, no matter how much better we think pizza tastes with the salty fish topping ourselves. Neither does it make any particular sense that every one of my pre-wife girlfriends were very similar Irish-Catholic flaxen-haired lasses so much so that if one of them killed somebody all the others would have been in the line-up. And, you know, the missus wouldn't be. So taste matures. And there's no accounting for taste.

Next, my bona fides. Read all the REH, some of the Jordans, collected nearly all the Marvel run of both the monthly and Savage Sword and had letters published in the letters page of both back in the day.

Me, I'm well-versed in my Conan. Not as expert as some, but my toe's further in the water than most. But it's my adolescent toe; I don't care that much about sword-and-sorcery any more.

But I have to say: it sure was nice to see a Conan movie. Jason Momoa is awesome; a John Buscema drawing come to life. I wasn't familiar with his work; I haven't seen any of the various Stargates, and I don't watch Game of Thrones. I was a huge fan of North Shore, where he played the Yoda-esque surfing bartender, but it's hard to pre-judge roles based on work on a night-time soap.

But I loved loved loved his take. Obviously Arnold's shadow is large so it's hard not to compare the two, but Momoa seems more like the Conan I grew up with. He's full of gigantic melancholy and gigantic mirth; if they had begun the film with the tavern scene and told the village/father/young Conan kicking Pictish ass scenes in flashback, they would have made their money back already. As it is, the impatient cats aren't going to wait for the payoff, and even pooh-pooh young Conan.

To which I say: are you kidding me? That kid was great. Wants to join the bigger kids on the warrior's test, and only gets a slot because of his indulgent father. But when the other would-be warriors run away, not only does a Cimmerian Justin Beiber fan kill four adult Pict warriors, but he returns to the village with their heads as proof... with never breaking the bird's egg. Seriously, haters; what more do you need? The Morgan Freeman narration starts with the masthead from the Marvel comic.

And that tavern scene! Conan arm-wrestles the Zula stand-in, starts to lose, takes a big swig of beer, spits it into his face, takes a full punch to the face, and kisses the old lady who brings him more mead, because a wench's a wench. COME ON! I hate to disagree with the esteemed Cessna, but that guy up there doing that isn't a Chippendale dancer, I tell you what.

And what wasn't in this that is in every Conan story? The riddle of steel, a villain warrior (married to a sorceress and father of a hottie witch), beheadings, boobies, drink, The City of Thieves (even featuring the guy who played Caesar on LOST), a tentacled monster, a collapsing fortress, a hot maiden, pirate ships, magical enemies.

I get why people aren't flocking to this two weeks before school starts, but I'm here to tell you it's not because it doesn't deliver what a Conan fan might want.

 

[Kerr Avon]

And what wasn't in this that is in every Conan story? The riddle of steel, a villain warrior (married to a sorceress and father of a hottie witch), beheadings, boobies, drink, The City of Thieves (even featuring the guy who played Caesar on LOST), a tentacled monster, a collapsing fortress, a hot maiden, pirate ships, magical enemies.

I get why people aren't flocking to this two weeks before school starts, but I'm here to tell you it's not because it doesn't deliver what a Conan fan might want.

There you go.

 

[Larry Young]

You know it has to be true if Kerr and I agree on something.

 

[Qui-Gonzalez]

Your judgment is suspect, Green Hornet.

 

[Jannix Quinn]

Those who've seen it, at the end did-

Spoiler

-anyone really care if he dropped her or not? I actually would have preferred if she'd turned into a monster and he dumped her. It would be more 'barbarian' to do so.

 

[Larry Young]

Your judgment is suspect, Green Hornet.

Wait; what?

:lol

Seriously, Conan smiles all the time in this flick; happy he is to reave and slay. Can't remember Arnold doing it once, but Momoa looks like he's happy to cut off heads and hands and legs.

 

[Larry Young]

Those who've seen it, at the end did-

"Barbarian" maybe, but not "Conan." There's twenty stories where he has to choose between the girl and the gold and he always chooses the girl because he can always get more gold. That was very Conan.

 

[StevenRogers84]

"Barbarian" maybe, but not "Conan." There's twenty stories where he has to choose between the girl and the gold and he always chooses the girl because he can always get more gold. That was very Conan.

I could take pics of all my Conan books to. The only saving grace to the film was the beginning which was very exciting after that...........(crickets chirping).

I just didn't see it maybe I should go watch it again, but I feel I would probably fall asleep with sheer boredom.

(By the way is Rose Mcgowan still playing Red Sonja?)

 

[Scareb]

I live. I love. I slay...I am content

He does all those during the movie, so I can definitely see why he's smiling haha.

I think the sand demon guys were in there because the film needed em. Otherwise you'd just have the tentacle creature. Also I think it's also to show you that rose mcgowan isn't just some half bald chick who likes to lick blood, she actually has some power behind her.

 

[Kerr Avon]

No, she's out. She injured her arm and it took several surgeries to fix it. Apparently the doctor told her if she gets injured in that arm again it could become paralyzed.

 

[StevenRogers84]

No, she's out. She injured her arm and it took several surgeries to fix it. Apparently the doctor told her if she gets injured in that arm again it could become paralyzed.

Crap....I was looking forward to that movie. Have they found a replacement actress?

 

[Scareb]

I don't even know if rodriguez has any interest in doing it anymore without her.

 

[StevenRogers84]

I don't even know if rodriguez has any interest in doing it anymore without her.

Double crap.....