New Conan getting horrible reviews...

[VintageMike]

Sounds good to me, I'm checking this out tomorrow!

[babycyclops]

Just saw it, and enjoyed it!

[aquatroy]

>What are critics expecting?
Conan the Librarian?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZHoHaAYHq8

Don C.

Perhaps Cowan the Retailer?

[MIB41]

I still need a little more feedback. I liked the Arnold original and have read a few of the Conan novels when I was in my teens. I always felt Arnold's movie was closer to the comic flavor of it's day. Especially since his look closely resembled the character drawn by artist John Buscema. I'm not so much concerned about script so much as atmosphere. The novels were pretty straightforward, but had a feeling of 'old earth' to them. I'm just curious if this film has that or is it just a CGI fest on steroids?

[babycyclops]

I still need a little more feedback.

Well, I'm a big fan of the Arnie film, and the new film will not replace that. For starters, nothing can match the awesome Basil Poledouris score in that film, and the epic scope that the score alone provides that film.

I have not read one of Howard's books, but I saw it with a bunch of hard core Conan fans, who are into the books and comics bigtime, and everyone mostly enjoyed the film, though the film has editing and even continuity issues.
Conan's horse has a very Frazetta Death-Dealer look, which is pretty cool.

I've knocked many films for being pointless cg-fests, so I have to say, that this film did NOT look like a computer game from start to finnish, and the bloody sword effects looked mostly like old fashioned blood packs, not 300
style cg blood.

There are some lush sets, a couple of big battle scenes, plenty to like.
Like so many moderrn action films, though, trying to make each action scene better than the last can be a tricky thing to pull off, and I liked the first half of the film better than the second half.

I've tried to let you know what you might be in for, without any spoilers...

[torgospizza]

Well, I'm a big fan of the Arnie film, and the new film will not replace that. For starters, nothing can match the awesome Basil Poledouris score in that film, and the epic scope that the score alone provides that film.

You said a mouthful there. "Anvil of Crom" is one of the best soundtrack entries in the history of film, IMHO.

[Bruce Banner]

Well, the movie was okay. It wasn't as bad as I'd feared.

Suitably gory, with some pretty good brutal fight scenes.

Momoa portrays the brooding nature and savagery of Conan fairly well, although he's still not the ideal choice for the role.

While this movie is missing the epic almost operatic grandeur of the Milius film, it still succeeds with its more frenetic approach to the subject matter.

Although the film still doesn't manage to reflect the true essence of REH's original character overall.

All in all, the approach and tone of this movie reminds me of the recent Solomon Kane film, another REH adaptation.

But yeah, I miss Poledouris's masterful score, too.

[torgospizza]

Momoa portrays the brooding nature and savagery of Conan fairly well, although he's still not the ideal choice for the role.

I think he's close. He definitely nails the look and is more like the character than Arnold or Ralf Möller. Don't get me wrong; I like those guys, but I also like Adam West and Michael Keaton, but they didn't nail Batman as well as Bale. They're good for what they do, which is almost like "alternate universe" Conans, if that makes any sense.

Although the film still doesn't manage to reflect the true essence of REH's original character overall.

I agree, but like I said, it was close. Contemporary films are too wrapped up in katas and stuff, and wouldn't recognize true barbarism. We're too influenced by our love affair with martial arts to realize what a 250 pound guy with an axe and a knowledge of anatomy could do to someone. Flashy moves and an excessive expenditure of energy is what equals ability in our culture and has been a part of every version of Conan since the 80s.

I'd like to see a straight adaption of "Beyond the Black River," but I don't think the average moviegoer would appreciate it. It's essentially a western frontier story with Picts replacing Apaches, and Conan's a Kit Carson type.