Review of Conan the Barbarian (2011) by Brahmabull — 21 Aug 2011

They didn't necessarily get Conan wrong, but they didn't quite get it right. It just didn't make you feel like you were seeing the guy you envisioned when reading Howard's Conan. But I guess if you came into the movie never having read any of REH's evocative prose, then it doesn't make any difference.

Why does every filmmaker think he has to retell the origin story of the hero? We never needed to see Indiana Jones' childhood to know that we were about to see another of his great adventures. And just like John Williams nailed the score for Superman, Basil Poledouris nailed Conan's theme in the original movie.

It just isn't the same without it. Jason does a passable job as Conan with as little as he was given to work with. Just nothing new in the same old paternal vengeance motive. There was never any Conan avenging his father/mother/fellow Cimmerians in any of Howard's work.

Just pure adventure. Fight scenes were mostly well choreographed and with good blood and some gore thrown in. And it wouldn't be a Hyborian Age movie without the topless women. Thanks for that at least.

Did not hate this version of Conan, but wasn't all that pleased with it either.