Conan - Part 1

[terry78]

I'm about to watch some Conan the Adventurer cartoons online to get me hyped up. Not the Arnie movies, those have just become too inaccurate for me.

 

[Thebumwhowalks]

terry, just a bit of advice man, whenever you enter a stand up comedy club, stay the hell away from the stage, particularly the microphone.

 

[rogue trooper]

I'm about to watch some Conan the Adventurer cartoons online to get me hyped up. Not the Arnie movies, those have just become too inaccurate for me.

I say try Ralph Bakshi and Frank Frazetta's "Fire and Ice"!

 

[piccolo]

Reading these reviews smiling from ear to ear. Cant wait for tomorrow. Just hope i'm able to stop myself from getting lost in Momoa's dreamy eyes.

 

[piccolo]

This movie seems like a bad candidate to see in 3D. The dark sets and atmospheres mixed with the naturally dark tinted 3D glasses could be a very bad combination. In CoTT you could barely see half the time with the glasses on, this could be more of the same. Looking forward to reviews from posters who catch it in both.

 

[PunisherPoster]

^Indeed. Hopefully, come tomorrow, they'll be up there.

I hope so. I can understand the amateur blog reviews being absent, but sites like Den of Geek, Joblo, etc. are always included. (And as I mentioned, Dread Central was originally present, but mysteriously vanished.)

You know going in that the target audience for this stuff isn't likely to heed reviews, so hopefully word of mouth will be enough to carry it. I just hate to think that a movie like Final Destination can reach a fifth entry, but a potential Conan franchise may be doomed because of idiots boycotting Marcus Nispel.

This movie seems like a bad candidate to see in 3D. The dark sets and atmospheres mixed with the naturally dark tinted 3D glasses could be a very bad combination. In CoTT you could barely see half the time with the glasses on, this could be more of the same. Looking forward to reviews from posters who catch it in both.

The reviews have been all over the place on this issue, with many claiming the high amount of daylight scenes make it better than most 3D films. Personally, the only one I've seen is Avatar, so I'm not sure how well I'll enjoy an action heavy film like Conan in the format. Still, I plan on seeing it that way first, if only to help support a possible sequel.

 

[PunisherPoster]

http://www.dailyblam.com/node/9237?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

"Jason Mamoa does an excellent version of Conan. Not quite the physical presence that the books, comics and yes, the films have shown us before but a snarling, coiled animal who thinks his kills through even while jumping headlong into battle.

Rating movies of this nature can be a bit of a misnomer. It is by no means a cinematic masterpiece or overly dramatic. What it does bring is a sense of adventure and not overstepping its bounds in scope or scale. Also, if you are a fan of Sword & Sorcery movies (I am) than this is definitely for you. Rated R for graphic violence, nudity and sex Conan The Barbarian brings Robert E. Howard’s universe to life. It has lots of fun moments and does make full use of the 3D gimmick with gobs of blood and many sharp objects flying at you throughout."

 

[PunisherPoster]

http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/08/19/movies/conan-the-barbarian-with-jason-momoa-review.html

"A heavy-metal fantasia scrawled in red, “Conan the Barbarian” now comes with 75 percent more gore. That’s only an estimate, though to judge by the gruesome opener that features the title character as a boy gouging enemy flesh and lopping off heads, it’s a fair guess.

Mr. Momoa has some awfully big biceps to fill. He rises to that task with a pumped physique made for ogling. Thankfully, he also shows glints of self-awareness that can make hypermasculine blowouts like these more watchable and were largely missing from Mr. Schwarzenegger’s wide-eyed turn in the first “Conan the Barbarian” (1982).

Mr. Nispel, whose résumé includes a few other slick redos, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Friday the 13th,” doesn’t add anything obviously personal to this “Conan,” which was probably just what the producers ordered. What he does bring is the gore and plenty of it (those severed heads are simply the sanguineous beginning) as well as some wit and surprisingly O.K. performances, Mr. Lang’s unsmiling turn being the standout."


http://www.vancouversun.com/enterta...barian+exudes+stupid+charm/5274330/story.html

"Everything from bludgeoning to disembowelment by broad sword is brought to the camera with technical skill — and just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek — by director Marcus Nispel, who has a flair for the genre, thanks to his previous credits on Friday the 13th and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remakes.

At its best moments, Conan is goofy fun with extra testosterone. At its worst, it's repetitive, dull and transparent. But for the most part, it balances somewhere in the middle with a grunt of pleasure and an evil grin to genre."

 

[PunisherPoster]

http://twitchfilm.com/reviews/2011/08/weinberg-reviews-conan-the-barbarian.php

"Their new rendition of Conan the Barbarian is smoothly entertaining and admirably unpretentious about delivering what we want: muscle-bound heroes, vile villains, a few lovely ladies, and a metric ton of action movie mayhem. Were it not for the frequent nudity and the consistently gory violence, Conan the Barbarian would be any 15-year-old boy's new favorite film. Ah, who am I kidding? 15-year-old boys are still going to fall crazy in love for this flick.

Those who walk in anticipating a remake of the well-admired Milius film may find themselves disappointed. But those, like me, who half-expected a big-screen version of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, will find a lot to like here.

Best known for his remakes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th (he also did the quickly-forgotten Pathfinder), Nispel steps into the big-boy action arena and acquits himself rather well. The director rarely resorts to hyperactive editing tricks, he keeps the narrative cooking even when there's no carnage on the screen, and he allows his production team and special effects wizards to create some strangely beautiful shots and locations. Some action scenes are tighter and more cohesive than others, but there's little denying that Nispel's Conan moves like a shot, tosses a lot of hardcore lunacy at the screen, and shows a decent amount of respect for basic matinee action-fests.

Despite a 3-D presentation that adds nothing to the final product, Conan the Barbarian may be one of the coolest surprises of the summer movie season. Not every movie has to have a deeper meaning or a streak of sweet humanity. All involved must know that a Conan the Barbarian flick is bound to be dismissed as mindless junk, but if all the mindless junk was this simply entertaining, film critics would have a lot less to complain about."

 

[PunisherPoster]

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-conan-20110819,0,3012389.story

"Conan the Barbarian," starring the excellent rippling chisel of Jason Momoa, is brutal, bloody beyond belief, and has no socially redeeming value. So it is with a certain amount of guilt that I say it's kind of a wicked blast to watch, especially if you're in the mood for some righteous revenge.

The fight scenes throughout are stunning to look at, exceptionally gross, exploit the 3-D technology is the best possible way and should satisfy hard-core action junkies, though there are still way too many of them.

From locations to sets, "Conan" is drenched in detail that feels both ancient and mythic as Conan dogs the evil Khalar from mountain enclaves, through dungeons, into torture chambers and across seas. The rise of the sand soldiers is especially cool.

So "Conan the Barbarian" is beastly and brutal; an unadulterated mess of English and American accents frequently butchering dialogue that is sometime witty, sometime catty and sometimes just colossally awful. Settle back and let the beheadings begin."

 

[Figs]

After reading most of these reviews I think I might actually go and see this, this weekend. I was going to wait for it to come out on Blu-ray, but it sounds pretty good.

 

[ChickenScratch]

Oh, I'm not gonna be able to see it till the earliest Monday. My niece's 2nd birthday party has turned into this huge family reunion of sorts. Between work and going to the airport pretty much every day I'm booked solid till Sunday after the party.

 

[terry78]

Conan....the Adventurer....Conan.....WARRIOR WITHOUT FEAR!!!!

 

[rogue trooper]

An excellent review from a Howard-expert here: http://mchaneyrobertehoward.blogspot.com/

 

[PunisherPoster]

IGN has a new trailer up which includes (brief) previously unseen footage:

http://www.ign.com/videos/2011/08/17/conan-the-barbarian-17-spot


And here's another positive review which will probably never be acknowledged by Rotten Tomatoes:

http://acedmagazine.com/acednetwork/2011/08/conan-the-barbarian-sweet-revenge/

"Hollywood has a way of reinventing things by rejuvenating characters and bringing them up to date with all the bells and whistles necessary to make it ‘fresh and new.’ This is the case of the film Conan the Barbarian where they have remade a classic adding all the CGI bells and whistles then throwing in some topless women for eye candy. If you love a medieval action adventure that kicks butt, there’s a thrill a minute in the ‘new’ Conan the Barbarian.

Conan the Barbarian is rated R for strong bloody violence, some sexuality and nudity. Trust me when I say this is a HARD R and should only be viewed my very mature. The 3D that some theaters will offer does nothing to enhance the film and my recommendation is save the extra bucks."

 

[PunisherPoster]

http://lostinreviews.com/2011/08/conanthebarbarian/

"Jason Momoa is pretty fantastic as Conan. He has the build and the uber-masculine face for the role. You can tell he did a lot of training for the role and it shows. I would not be surprised if he did some of his own stunts. I would be interested to know what Conan fanatics think of his performance. More people are probably aware of Momoa now because of his role in Game of Thrones series on HBO. While he is shirtless for the entire movie, the female audience only gets a shot of bare rear end in one scene. Compared to the amount of breasts that bounced around on screen, I do not think that is fair.

From this female critic, I would say that I enjoyed my time with Conan the Barbarian. It is not a great movie, but is anyone really going into this movie with award nominations on their mind? It is definitely a guy’s movie that is heavy on blood, violence, and boobies. Throw some more naked Momoa shots, and I think the female audience might come around. I have no doubt that if the movie makes enough money at the box office, we will have a sequel on our hands. Go into Conan the Barbarian with an open mind, but know what to expect."

 

[Roose Bolton]

Loving the great reception it's getting, I think I'll see this tonight after work

 

[Midnyte_Sun]

I just saw it. Much better than I expected. The soundtrack is forgettable.

 

[Shon]

Aw man, Conan and Cowboys and Aliens both came out in Aus today. I don't know what to see tonight!!!!

Cowboys and Aliens is a rental - save your money.

Conan is only 28% on RT, still going tonight after work but that gives me low expectations.

 

[Wolvieboy17]

Really? I've heard many good things about Cowboys from friends, reviewers and one reviewer friend :P

 

[rogue trooper]

Conan is only 28% on RT, still going tonight after work but that gives me low expectations.

This doesn't worry me much. Look at the grade "Rambo"(2008) and "Underworld:Evolution" have at RT. Yet, audiences didn't care and enjoyed them and did good. Also, way back, when "Death Wish" first came out, it had mixed to negative reviews, yet, that didn't get in the way of being a big draw.

 

[Rowsdower!]

Really? I've heard many good things about Cowboys from friends, reviewers and one reviewer friend :P

I wouldn't call it bad, just very... mediocre. It's worth a watch and has some cool moments, but overall, it's one of those movies where I just couldn't help but think that it should have been better. With all of the talent involved - both behind the scenes and in front of the camera - they had the potential to make a GREAT movie and settle for an average one.

 

[jacobed]

This movie was decent. Every character was very forgettable, the story was not very good but the action was pretty awesome and visceral. The only reason this movie works in my opinion is Jason Mamoa. He is a great Conan and I really hope they do a good sequel with him because I want to see more.

 

[rogue trooper]

Leonard Maltin liked it!: http://blogs.indiewire.com/leonardmaltin/archives/conan_the_barbarianmovie_review/


"You don’t go to a movie like this expecting to hear Shakespearean dialogue, but the action, under Marcus Nispel’s direction, is consistently vigorous and exciting. So are the visual effects, from an epic battle with sand creatures to a struggle with an enormous sea serpent. But it’s the bad guys who give the movie weight and solidity. Lang is a truly formidable opponent with a strong physical presence; McGowan stops just this side of camp to become a figure of danger.

"I try to take each movie I see on its own terms; this isn’t my favorite kind of entertainment, and some of its violence is extreme, but on the whole Conan the Barbarian is pretty good, for what it is. The screenplay by Thomas Dean Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer and Sean Hood may not be inspired, but it does what it sets out to do. I’m not sure if Jason Momoa has what it takes to become an A-list star, but he definitely looks the part of Conan."

 

[GhostPoet]

Really? I've heard many good things about Cowboys from friends, reviewers and one reviewer friend :P

Cowboys was an awesome film. Really fun to watch.