Conan - Part 2

[Ponyboy]

The sword is a little too Arthurian. Whoops, geek moment.

Came across this cool art by Tim Bradstreet: http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/exclusive-tim-bradstreets-new-art-inspired-by-conan-the-barbarian

 

[ChickenScratch]

The movie is pretty good for what it is. My experience coming from reading the novelization is that they left a whole lot of cool stuff out. There is a whole bunch of magic that just does not show up, as well as some really cool creatures.

I also finally figured out what was bugging me about the movie. You can see the directing! There's a scene in the novelization where Marique is taking off her father's armor while they talk. This scene was used to play up that creepy angle they have. In the film, the scene starts with the camera moving into view of Marique and Zim, you can clearly see Rose waiting till she's in full view of the camera to star caressing the armor ... but she was talking still before the camera got to her. It was one of those "gosh, I gotta go act now" moments.

There was also a movement on the boat where from one angle Conan is standing straight up (when shown from behind), but when shown in the same position from the front he's slightly bent over in the same scene. Bad editing, bad directing?

There's a whole bunch of moments in the film where you can see the directing and the acting, but I give it a pass for Zim and Marique because what they were doing was grand theater, big strokes, very impressionistic.

Jason owns the movie though. The way he moves around even in a more passive scene. There's a pent up rage always going on there that is quite good.

 

[rogue trooper]

The movie is pretty good for what it is. My experience coming from reading the novelization is that they left a whole lot of cool stuff out. There is a whole bunch of magic that just does not show up, as well as some really cool creatures.

Could you name or describe the creatures in the novelization(with spoiler tags, ofcourse)?

It would be cool if some of those get to appear on an extended version.

 

[ChickenScratch]

Could you name or describe the creatures in the novelization(with spoiler tags, ofcourse)?

It would be cool if some of those get to appear on an extended version.

Spoiler

Well for one, the Sandlychts (not my name, it's in the book) have the mask of Acheron on them, on their chest. That's how you kill them by destroying it. In the movie Conan just hacks at them for a while. They don't even have the mark.

Also at Tamara's kidnapping, when Conan arrives at the clearing with the horses of the soldiers he should have seen them dissolving. Marique used a spell to turn the horses into half dragon half horse type creatures that could make the journey to catch up with the ship. When they get there the horses should have melted away into puddles.

 

[THANOSRULES]

That would have been cool , as it is, the sandman scene was a "tad" Mummy-ish

 

[rogue trooper]

Spoiler

Well for one, the Sandlychts (not my name, it's in the book) have the mask of Acheron on them, on their chest. That's how you kill them by destroying it. In the movie Conan just hacks at them for a while. They don't even have the mark.

Also at Tamara's kidnapping, when Conan arrives at the clearing with the horses of the soldiers he should have seen them dissolving. Marique used a spell to turn the horses into half dragon half horse type creatures that could make the journey to catch up with the ship. When they get there the horses should have melted away into puddles.

Very interesting! Thanks!

On some of those creatures, I immediately had Blackstar's mount Warlock on my mind.

 

[lespaul59]

The movie is pretty good for what it is. My experience coming from reading the novelization is that they left a whole lot of cool stuff out. There is a whole bunch of magic that just does not show up, as well as some really cool creatures.

I also finally figured out what was bugging me about the movie. You can see the directing! There's a scene in the novelization where Marique is taking off her father's armor while they talk. This scene was used to play up that creepy angle they have. In the film, the scene starts with the camera moving into view of Marique and Zim, you can clearly see Rose waiting till she's in full view of the camera to star caressing the armor ... but she was talking still before the camera got to her. It was one of those "gosh, I gotta go act now" moments.

There was also a movement on the boat where from one angle Conan is standing straight up (when shown from behind), but when shown in the same position from the front he's slightly bent over in the same scene. Bad editing, bad directing?

There's a whole bunch of moments in the film where you can see the directing and the acting, but I give it a pass for Zim and Marique because what they were doing was grand theater, big strokes, very impressionistic.

Jason owns the movie though. The way he moves around even in a more passive scene. There's a pent up rage always going on there that is quite good.

I agree there is a lot in the noval that I would have liked to have seen in the movie.

 

[lespaul59]

Sorry double post.

 

[Thundarr]

Over all I was quite pleased with the movie. I unfortunately missed the very beginning, due to the concession stand taking for freakin' ever with my french fries, so I caugth the movie when Conan returned to his people with the heads of several members of a rival clan (right of passage?). Anyway, I have very few complaints about the movie. If I had to pick something I didn't care much for, it would be Conan's red kilt. I think he would look better dressed in furs.

 

[The Dark Defender]

There's a whole bunch of moments in the film where you can see the directing and the acting, but I give it a pass for Zim and Marique because what they were doing was grand theater, big strokes, very impressionistic.

I haven't even read the novelization and I'm not that up on my Conan lore, but even I came out of the movie feeling like that. I just expected something bigger, more epic, more visually stunning...

The movie was entertaining, but it didn't have the scope I would've liked. I thought the childhood scene in the woods is the probably the most intense action scene in the movie.

I still found it entertaining and liked the Conan actor and Rachel Nichols quite a bit, and I always love getting to see Perlman on the big screen.

It was satisfying, but not AWESOME...and the 3D was terrible.

 

[THANOSRULES]

Most Conan stories are not very epic.

 

[ChickenScratch]

Most Conan stories are not very epic.

Yup. Many are down and dirty, Rambo running through the jungle mowing people down type of stories, like Beyond The Black River.

You know, I was just thinking how great this movie could have been if that Timor Bekbambetov did it? I'm really digging his stuff now.

 

[rogue trooper]

...yeah, the tone of Conan's adventures are, usually, a little bit more in tune with those of Rambo, Turok, and Tarzan, and less with the more grand scale of those of Kratos(God of War) and Link(Legend of Zelda).

 

[JeetKuneDo]

Unfortuantly most of the GA believes that Conan begins and ends with Ahnold and have no idea of the true origins of the character.

Probably true. Arnold is so iconic he may have swallowed Conan.

Interesting to me that Arnold's personal awesomeness is more impressive than his wimpy portrayal of Conan.

I got onboard with Conan before Arnold's movies via Marvel and then the novels. The first movies were very disappointing to me. I'm much more satisfied with this new version. This Conan is more like it! It may be failing at the box office but I'm happy with it and will buy the home version.

 

[rogue trooper]

Did anyone feel the way Conan's father is killed was inspired by how Harmonica's brother is killed in Leone's Once Upon A Time In The West? It's physically different methods, but maybe that same type of drama.

 

[rogue trooper]

Jason Momoa eager to do 2 more Conan films: http://www.google.com/hostednews/uk...EeULcKWCpv5pbqY3g?docId=N0569411314193553668A

 

[Donut]

Good luck with that. Unless he paid for them with his own money & what not

 

[ChickenScratch]

That link doesn't work.

Sure they can do 2 more, heck if they are done on a conservative budget and are straight to DVD they could do quite well. All the tough work is done, securing the rights, the basic look of the world, etc. Sets, costumes, same actors, lots of green screen.

 

[TX85]

I'd sure love a sequel,I'm also hoping there's a big chance of a unrated/extended/director's cut..Which I think there is since it's a Marcus Nispel film!!!

 

[ChickenScratch]

I think that there's nowhere to go but up from here. His "origin" has been taken care of, now let's move on.

New director though.

 

[webs]

Week 20 .. 20M, worldwide 42M..!! Guess production budget would be recovered on DVD/Blu-ray..!!

 

[GhostPoet]

I'm a little facinating that people keep complaining about the story...but it's Conan. Conan has never really been a deep character or a deep story. Even the novels weren't all that impressive storywise.

 

[THANOSRULES]

I'm a little facinating that people keep complaining about the story...but it's Conan. Conan has never really been a deep character or a deep story. Even the novels weren't all that impressive storywise.

Totally agree..it was essentially pulp fiction , extremely formulaic, and a contradictory and disjointed chronology.

Go to those REH boards you'll laugh at some of those folks. (many are ok though)

By the way, REH never really even wrote any Novels. A few of his tales were close, but not really

I love REH conan AND i love all the movies (cept destroyer)

 

[Wolvieboy17]

As far as Pulp goes, I always thought Conan was far most sophisticated than most writing. There is some truly great social commentary from REH, and Conan represents such a great purity of human instinct. I always loved the mentality of this character, who starts and the bottom and becomes king, purely through 'experimentation'. He starts out not understanding many things at all, but seeks education of that which baffles him, such as thievery, piracy, etc. Then, once he understands it, he moves on to the next thing. It's an interesting philosophy, a step above just a wandering warrior. There is an intelligence and purposeful yearning for education present in those stories. It's up there with one of my favourite fantasy writings, alongside Earthsea Chronicles.

 

[THANOSRULES]

Pulp Fiction , in that it was written for Weird Fantasy Pulp magazines, but I agree with the virtues of the writing. I love it....but i don't try to make it into shakespere.

Some of the messages of REH were antiquated, and i did feel like many of the stories were heavily racist and masochistic. But whatever, it was a long time ago. Stories are great, and they tend to have some complex undertones like the virtues of Savagery VS the horror of cultivated civilization.