In 1982, Arnold Schwarzenegger became a star after taking the title role in John Milius’s Conan The Barbarian. Now it is time for another retelling of the story with Game of Throne star Jason Momoa in his first lead role. Will the same thing happen?
A young barbarian boy witnesses the death of his father at the hands of the Cimmerian warrior Khalar Zym, looking for the pieces of a mask that will give him absolute power if used with the blood of a particular virginal girl. Years later, the boy, Conan, has become a defender of the slaves, releasing them until he comes face to face with one of Khalar’s men and so begins a journey of personal vendetta while at the same time protecting the beautiful Tamara who fits the bill as the perfect girl.
The story doesn’t seem to be that important. This is an out-and-out assault on the senses which seems that for every five minutes of dialogue, there’s 15 minutes of violent, gory battle scenes or acts of brutal deaths, each one getting grislier than the next.
Jason Momoa doesn’t really need to stretch his acting muscles in the role of Conan but certainly has the screen presence to carry this off. With his huge frame he swings his sword well and doesn’t need to do anything else. Even the support are out performed by the scenes of death and destruction.
Stephen Lang as the baddie Khalar doesn’t come across as bad enough and in a role that should have been overplayed is badly underplayed. Rose McGowen, as Khalar’s witch-like daughter, comes across with more evil than her father as she casts her spells and uses her elongated fingernails with great effect. Rachel Nichols is at least a fiery female lead as the naive Tamara. Even the usually reliable Ron Perlman, who stepped into Mickey Rourke’s shoes as Conan’s father, isn’t given enough to do to make a dent in the film.
The real star is Marcus Nispel, the director. With a relentless pacing, he keeps the whole thing moving so it doesn’t seem like nearly two hours. It does suffer from loads of unrecognisable fight sequences where the camera is moving so fast, you are never sure what is actually happening but Nispel keeps the energy levels so high, you can forgive him.
The continuity leaves a lot to be desired too. One huge mistake is when Conan tortures a man who had his nose removed by sticking his finger in the gaping hole, only for the victim to have a cover over it in the next shot. The plot has tons of gaps too while the pointless use of 3D doesn’t help things along at all.
And yet, this is surprisingly entertaining. It never really takes itself seriously and if you like this type of movie, it is miles better than most produced. While the original was no classic, it is highly regarded by many. This version does a good job and some may find it better than Arnie’s. One thing is for sure, Mr Momoa may well follow in Arnie’s footsteps and Conan might make his a star.