In ancient times, Conan (Jason Momoa), a Cimmerian, grows up with vengeance in his heart, having seen Khalar Zim (Stephen Lang) lay waste to his village and kill his father in his pursuit of a mystical mask with which he will subdue the whole world and resurrect his enchantress wife. He wants to become a god, you see, and he doesn’t care what he has to do get there.

*****

Conan was not well-received on its initial release and at the risk of skipping to the punchline in the first paragraph of my review, it’s easy to see why. It has some decent elements within it, such as a good sense of the viciousness, grimness and harshness of ancient life, some evocatively brutal fight scenes and in Jason Momoa a modest dose of charisma and some well-chiselled physicality. But, it’s not enough.

Conan was already an iconic figure before Arnie embodied him and although the Austrian Oak’s shortcomings as an actor are self-evident, he does have masses of screen presence. Though Momoa is a chunky guy, handy with a sword and possesses some sparkle, it is not nearly enough to propel the predictable and derivative narrative along. The rest of the actors are familiar to a degree (Ron Perlman as Conan’s father can do this sort of thing in his sleep and kind of does, Stephen Lang chews the scenery like it’s the elixir of life) but it all sort of looks and feels like The Scorpion King – too little genuinely compelling mythology, no explanation of the rules of the game when it comes to the supernatural elements, far too much box-ticking with the plot and in the end, nothing to make us care one way or another about what happens.

Director Marcus Nispel is fast-becoming type-cast as a director of unnecessary, lambasted and needlessly gory remakes (Texas Chainsaw and Friday the 13th were his too) and although it was noted above that a sense of the brutality of the ancient world was welcome, there are more subtle, intelligent and considered ways of doing that than having your lead character stick his finger two knuckles deep into the nasal cavity of an enemy, having already sliced his nose off in an earlier scene.

There are some energetic fight scenes, but the low budget and small cast of extras reveal some obvious shortcomings and ultimately it is hard to care about what happens. The script is pretty flat, the acting one-dimensional and the gore eventually tiresome. A great big waste of invaluable source material and a sad mis-handling of a project with big potential. You can rent it or buy it here from 12th December, but you probably won’t.

**~~~ (2/5)

Extras: Not bad, though hardly ground-breaking. All manner of contributors and experts wade in regarding the origins of Conan, from Robert E Howard’s pulp material, through Marvel, Arnie and later iterations, we then get a bit more on the development of this particular project and how they tried to build a sense of time and space with its own rules and mythology (spoiler alert – it didn’t really work). We also get some background on Robert E Howard himself, including the tragic revelation that he took his life at the age of 30, when faced with the prospect of his mother’s imminent death. She passed away the day after Howard took a gun to his head. There are brief featurettes on the staging of the action sequences and fight scenes and everyone contributes their tuppence-worth about how much fun it was and how hard Momoa worked. The commentaries were not available on the review disc, though there are to be two on the BD, one by the director Marcus Nispel and the other a two-hander with Momoa and co-star Rose McGowan. You can choose between the 2D and 3D versions as well, if that sort of thing is your bag.

***~~ (3/5)

On Sunday morning I woke up bright, early and ever so bouncy to interview the positively charming Jason Momoa about his role in the new Conan the Barbarian movie (which I thoroughly enjoyed, you can check out my review here). I wandered into the hotel suite whilst the 6ft 5 actor was knocking back an orange juice before he apologised for not being able to shake my hand, or give me a kiss *swoon* because he wasn’t very well. So any extra huskiness in this video is all down to germs I’m afraid. Despite the man-flu Jason was a great sport (even when I accidentally called him a Hollywood honk rather than hunk! *face palm*) and told HeyUGuys all about playing a sword-swinging action hero, his favourite weapons on set and what he really thinks about horses…

Check out our interview with the man himself and click here to view the rest of our epic coverage!

Stand aside summer blockbusters and make way for Conan! Marcus Nispel, together with Millenium Films producers Les Weldon and Danny Lerner have reawakened a giant in the sword and sorcery fantasy genre by bringing the ultimate warrior and fictional archetype of unbridled masculinity into the 21st century. But even with a staggering $80 million budget behind it this barbarian has to cut quite a figure to escape John Milius’ original Conan shadow and truth be told as I waited for the bloodbath to begin my expectations were not high…

From the start the film-makers were looking to retell the Conan mythology in a way that incorporated the story and hero’s evolution since Robert E. Howard first introduced us to him in 1932 and the result is a surprisingly enjoyable romp through a beautifully realized Hyboria! Now if you don’t have a sense of humour or the stomach for outrageous violence then this isn’t the summer flick for you. However, if like me, you grew up on semi-mythological staples such as Xena Warrior Princess and you continue to revel in the heroics, the adventure and the slight  (essential) campness of it all then you’re definitely going to enjoy Conan the Barbarian in all its immense half-naked, 3D, sword-swinging action!

After a little historical exposition, from the get go the movie makes a blood-thirsty first impression as we are thrust immediately onto the battlefield where Conan is ripped from his dying warrior mother’s womb by his father Corin. The subsequent flash forward from barbarian conflict into Conan’s childhood amongst his Cimmerian tribesmen provides a brief but vital context for the warrior’s character as Nispel is quick to establish Conan as much more than a mindless, ferocious barbarian. Ron Perlman who, despite a lamentably small amount of screen time, offers an earnest and subtly melancholic performance as the tribe’s leader and Conan’s surviving parent as he teaches his son the importance of skill over savage enthusiasm and provides a testament to Conan’s gentler side. Jason Momoa was cast off the back of his role as Khal Drogo in HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones and proves himself as a very worthy Conan and highly watchable action hero. He is a charismatic protagonist with a commanding screen presence and lets face it, he’s not half bad to look at.

The plot is simple enough; an unspeakably evil man with an equally wicked plan writes off a young boy’s home village as collateral damage in his quest for power leaving the boy orphaned and vengeful. The boy grows into a man as well as an obscenely muscular and incredibly skilled warrior before fate and chance collide in order for the hero to stop the bad guy, save the girl and the known world from certain doom. However through a combination of intricately choreographed and stimulatingly located fight sequences, eye-catching scenery and well-manipulated CGI this same old story is jazzed up a considerable amount. Stephen Lang plays the big bad Khalar Zym with gusto but his villainous efforts are somewhat outshined by his witch daughter Marique. Then again, it’s difficult not to be upstaged by a scantily clad and exquisitely malevolent Rose McGowan with daddy issues and a taste for the blood of beautiful virgins. Between her sultry witchcraft, sand zombies and huge monsters there’s definitely a little something for everyone to enjoy.

On the whole, the movie is a lot of fun and I’d go as far as to say it’s a must see.  It has tried very hard to meet the challenge of updating an epic pop culture icon without losing any of that raw, wild adventure that is synonymous with Conan’s world. Sadly I was left very unconvinced by leading lady Rachel Nichols and not through any real fault of her own. Her character Tamara is a poorly realized independent woman who never really gets the chance to satisfy her potential. Despite handling herself impressively well in various perilous situations Tamara suddenly cancels this progress out with an unfathomably clumsy fighting technique or an unnecessary scream for Conan to rescue her. Regardless of this Nichols is a beautiful woman and she has a fantastic set of lungs on her, not quite Fay Wray but not bad either.

An unfulfilled heroine and a somewhat anticlimactic ending aside, Conan is still a sexy, colossal and violently entertaining rampage through Robert E. Howard’s original mythology. The Cimmerian himself is a refreshingly modern and relatable hero endowed with passion, a roguish sense of justice and the courage of his own convictions. Visually the movie strikes a fairly original and diverse chord and although I only saw the 2D version I can safely imagine that 3D adds a substantial kick to the experience. If you’re a fan of good old-fashioned action entertainment then I recommend ending your summer on a high and seeing Conan the Barbarian. Kick off your flip -flops and enjoy some toe-curlingly graphic sword and sorcery with plenty of oomph.

****~ (4/5)

A new picture has landed online for Lionsgate’s upcoming reboot of the Conan franchise: Conan the Barbarian (in 3D).

Orphaned when his village is destroyed and his father killed, Conan (Jason Momoa – who, like, nearly died a bunch of times) wanders a path of “wanton adventure and women”, surviving as a thief, a pirate and a warrior. Chancing upon the man responsible for his predicament, Conan must overcome monsters, henchmen and a powerful witch if he is to achieve revenge on the warlord Khalar Zym (Stephen Lang).

The image depicts Ron Perlman as blacksmith and father Corin, and Leo Howard as a young Conan.

Source: ComicBookMovie.com

Lionsgate have released this new UK red band trailer which is rather violent and definitely NSFW! It basically shows people getting killed in various nasty ways which is a small taster of what we can expect from the brand new version of Conan the Barbarian.

The movie is a reboot of the movie made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger and based on the books by Robert E. Howard. It’s directed by Marcus Nispel and stars Jason Momoa as the lead character alongside Rachel Nichols, Ron Perlman , Rose McGowan, Stephen Lang, Jason Momoa and Saïd Taghmaoui.

Synopsis: A quest that begins as a personal vendetta for the fierce Cimmerian warrior soon turns into an epic battle against hulking rivals, horrific monsters, and impossible odds, as Conan realizes he is the only hope of saving the great nations of Hyboria from an encroaching reign of supernatural evil.

Conan the Barbarian is released in the UK August 24th.

Lionsgate have released another new poster for Conan the Barbarian 3D. The movie is a reboot of the movie made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger and based on the books by Robert E. Howard. It’s directed by Marcus Nispel and stars Jason Momoa as the lead character alongside Rachel Nichols, Ron Perlman, Rose McGowan, Stephen Lang, Jason Momoa and Saïd Taghmaoui.

Synopsis: A quest that begins as a personal vendetta for the fierce Cimmerian warrior soon turns into an epic battle against hulking rivals, horrific monsters, and impossible odds, as Conan realizes he is the only hope of saving the great nations of Hyboria from an encroaching reign of supernatural evil.

Ignore the date on the poster as Conan the Barbarian is released in the UK August 24th. You can find out more on the UK Conan Facebook page.

This poster follows the brand new UK trailer which was released a few days ago.

Source: Fandango

Conan the Barbarian 3D

Lionsgate have just sent over a nice new trailer for the UK release of Conan, a reboot of the movie made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger and based on the books by Robert E. Howard. It’s directed by Marcus Nispel and stars Jason Momoa as the lead character alongside Rachel Nichols, Ron Perlman, Rose McGowan, Stephen Lang, Jason Momoa, Saïd Taghmaoui

Synopsis: A quest that begins as a personal vendetta for the fierce Cimmerian warrior soon turns into an epic battle against hulking rivals, horrific monsters, and impossible odds, as Conan realizes he is the only hope of saving the great nations of Hyboria from an encroaching reign of supernatural evil.

Conan is released in the UK August 24th. You can find out more on the UK Conan Facebook page.

More swords and leather loinclothes today as Marcus Nispel’s Conan the Barbarian 3D stands on the cinematic horizon, ready to leap into action on the 26th of August and from the look of these new pics, it’s a handsome looking affair.

Jason Momoa continues to look all kinds of intimidating and there’s a good look at Stephen Lang as Khalar Zym, and if you’ve not seen the trailers (including a red band version which earns it’s restricted status) then click here and go crazy.

It’s a 3D movie so expect pointy things and incoming decapitations.

Gallery ahoy,

Cinema Blend pointed us to Fantasy.Fr who released these into the wild.

Last on Friday, Lionsgate released this brand new red band trailer for Conan the Barbarian 3d was released. I was going to put it up then but I wanted everyone in the UK to see it so it had to wait till now! Conan the Barbarian is a reboot of the movie made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger and based on the books by Robert E. Howard. It’s directed by Marcus Nispel and stars Jason Momoa as the lead character alongside Rachel Nichols, Ron Perlman, Rose McGowan, Stephen Lang, Jason Momoa , Saïd Taghmaoui

Synopsis: A quest that begins as a personal vendetta for the fierce Cimmerian warrior soon turns into an epic battle against hulking rivals, horrific monsters, and impossible odds, as Conan realizes he is the only hope of saving the great nations of Hyboria from an encroaching reign of supernatural evil.

If you’ve not see the trailer for the movie, you can check it out here. The release date which falls on August 24th and will be in 3d. If you missed our extended interview with Jason Momoa, you can also see that right here!

Please note, this is a red band trailer therefore NSFW.

Source: IGN

Sticking your foot into the Conan story in order to reboot it inevitably involves a fresh lick of paint and this Jason Momoa fronted take on Robert E. Howard’s famous barabarian has a very clear 21st century visual identity, as is displayed very clearly in this new TV Spot.

The swift montage of pecs and perms show off the CG infused money shots which are certain to puncuate the film, but Momoa does have something about him that gives Marcus Nispel’s film the much needed personality. Certainly Momoa doesn’t have to worry about people comparing him unfavourably to Arnold Schwarzenegger now…

Here’s the spot, balls and all. The film is out in the UK on the 24th of August in all kinds of 3D.

This one came all the way here tonight from the sunny climes of Coming Soon!

If you’re not in the know, Terra Nova is a new TV show, airing this autumn in the US on the Fox network. Essentially, the premise is that the future on Earth has become unlivable – congested, grimy, polluted. We are done for and our only hope is to travel back in time and try again. 85 million years back in time.

This splendid premise puts the cast in the path of dinosaurs, as they attempt to make a new home on old Earth. Whether this premise can sustain a number of series of the show, or whether it will quickly wither and die like The Event, Flash Forward and others have done, only time will tell. What we do know is that with this and Alcatraz on the way in a few months’ time, the new season of shows appears to have some treats in store.

Here’s the trailer, courtesy of Cinema (and Television) Blend.

Lionsgate have just sent over these five great new new character posters which give us a good look at Conan, Tamara, Corin, Mariqu and Khalar Zym. Further to these, UGO have a nice new 3d motion version last week which was on our list to get posted and this seemed like the perfect time. Scroll down to the bottom of this post to view.

Conan the Barbarian is a reboot of the movie made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger and based on the books by Robert E. Howard. It’s directed by Marcus Nispel and stars Jason Momoa as the lead character alongside Rachel Nichols, Ron Perlman, Rose McGowan, Stephen Lang, Jason Momoa, Saïd Taghmaoui

Synopsis: A quest that begins as a personal vendetta for the fierce Cimmerian warrior soon turns into an epic battle against hulking rivals, horrific monsters, and impossible odds, as Conan realizes he is the only hope of saving the great nations of Hyboria from an encroaching reign of supernatural evil.

If you’ve not see the trailer for the movie, you can check it out here. The release date which falls on August 24th and will be in 3d. If you missed our extended interview with Jason Momoa, you can also see that right here!

Here’s a nice new shiny poster for the UK release of Conan, a reboot of the movie made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger and based on the books by Robert E. Howard. It’s directed by Marcus Nispel and stars Jason Momoa as the lead character alongside Rachel Nichols, Ron Perlman, Rose McGowan, Stephen Lang, Jason Momoa, Saïd Taghmaoui

Synopsis: A quest that begins as a personal vendetta for the fierce Cimmerian warrior soon turns into an epic battle against hulking rivals, horrific monsters, and impossible odds, as Conan realizes he is the only hope of saving the great nations of Hyboria from an encroaching reign of supernatural evil.

If you’ve not see the trailer for the movie, you can check it out here. It’s a shame that the poster is a re-hash of it’s US counterpart but at least it gives us the release date which falls on August 24th and will be in 3d. If you missed our extended interview with Jason Momoa, you can also see that right here!

Click the poster below to make it GROW!

When you get invited for cocktails with a 6’4 Hawaiian actor/model, how can you possibly do anything except swoon and meep “yes, please!”

This is how, on the evening of 10th May I found myself clutching a glass of white wine and staring across the room as Conan the Barbarian aka Jason Momoa pushed a strand of his long curly hair out of his tanned face while every girl (and some of the guys) sighed in appreciation.

Not many actors are willing to donate hours of their time to talk to, arm wrestle, and have their picture taken with journalists. Jason Momoa, however, managed it with ease and a smile on his face, spending hours of his evening making an effort to talk to as many people as he could from the long line of people queuing up to find out about his upcoming film Conan the Barbarian, his work in Game of Thrones, and his workout routine.

Conan the Barbarian, distributed by Lionsgate Pictures, is set to be released on 24th August. The film intends to reboot and rebuild the 1980s franchise which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, and if anyone can fill his shoes, it certainly seems like Jason Momoa is the man to do that.

Check out our interview with Jason talking all things Conan here.

Click the images below to enlarge.

Find out more on Conan on the official Facebook page.

Taking the bold step to remake a well known and, in some corners, well-loved film series with an iconic character as its lead needs one crucial element to succeed. When you cast the role of Conan you need to find Conan – there are no half measures here. Make a mistake on the casting of that role and the project fails.

All eyes were on those vying for the role when it was announced that a new Conan film was coming our way and after a few names were bandied around it was Hawaiian actor Jason Momoa who was revealed as the eponymous hero.

The young actor had worked mainly in TV before landing this role and our good friend James Kleinmann sat down with the man who would be Conan for an extended and in-depth interview. Momoa proves a generous interviewee as he talks not only about the much anticipated film, but also his own influences and experiences for working on the film.

What he reveals in the interview is intriguing, not least that he’s never seen the original film, the 3D cameras turned up halfway through production and there was only about 10% greenscreen used on the film, some of the battles you would assume as CGI creations were fully acted out. As well as the production and momentum of Conan Momoa also talks about his own future projects, including a film he has co-written and directed called Road to Paloma, you can see a trailer for that film below the Conan interview which follows.

For the swearing averse there are a few ripe words here, but nothing shocking.

With thanks to Lionsgate. The film is out in cinemas on the 24th of August.

The new poster for Marcus Nispel’s Conan the Barbarian is an exercise is kicking subtlety in the groin with a steel toe-capped sledgehammer, but it’s certainly preferable to another floating face collage.

The recent trailer seemed to confirm expectations that this retelling of the Conan tale will be full of violence and growling, which is not without its charm and Jason Momoa seems to embody the long haired hero with a big sword type pretty well. The supporting cast has Stephen Lang, Leo Howards and Rachel Nichols and Nispel knows his way around an on screen slaughtering or two.

Still not convinced? Check out the new poster,

As you can tell IGN had it first. And from gamesdbase.com we have a nice comparison for what might have been. Actually – Wolf from Gladiators and Maria Whittaker would work – anyone got the phone number for The Asylum?

Last night, Yahoo released a full-length theatrical trailer for Conan and it didn’t really do much for me. It looks like it’s going to be a cross between Clash of the Titans (the 80s version!) and Labyrinth! Have a watch below and let us know what you think in the comments section. Let’s hope it all turns out nice!

The remake of Conan the Barbarian, this time labeled Conan stars Jason Momoa as the lead character made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger alongside Stephen Lang, Bob Sapp, Leo Howard, Ron Perlman, Said Taghmaoui, and is directed by Marcus Nispel. Conan is based on the stories by Robert E. Howard written in 1932.

Conan is a young Cimmerian man cast adrift in the world by the brutal murder of his father and the destruction of his village. Driven by the need to avenge himself upon the evil Khalar Zym, Conan learns to steal, seduce, and fight his way to his goals. He soon discovers, however, that there are greater things at stake than his own personal quest: an unearthly malevolence stalks the world, and it may be up to Conan himself to save Hyboria from ruin.

Conan is released in the UK 24th August and in the US 19th August.

MTV have released a nice new batch of images of upcoming movies this summer and we’ll show you each one in a series of posts over the next few days.

Title: Conan the Barbarian

Director: Marcus Nispel

Cast: Rachel Nichols, Ron Perlman, Rose McGowan, Stephen Lang, Jason Momoa, Saïd Taghmaoui

Synopsis: A quest that begins as a personal vendetta for the fierce Cimmerian warrior soon turns into an epic battle against hulking rivals, horrific monsters, and impossible odds, as Conan realizes he is the only hope of saving the great nations of Hyboria from an encroaching reign of supernatural evil.

UK Release date: 19th August

Trailer: Click here to view

Coming to us in 3-glorious-D this summer is Marcus Nispel’s Conan the Barbarian, and a teaser trailer released a few moments ago brings us growling, husky voices and some sword swirling.

We get to see Jason Momoa as Conan waxing lyrical about his Barbarianing, and look closer into the swirling mists to see other characters from the movie. It is a teaser in the strictest sense – so don’t expect too much, there’s no actual footage from the film but as a first look it’s perfectly passable. In other words – you’ll need more than smoky swordplay and growling to bring in the masses.

Conan also stars Ron Perlman, Stephen Lang, Rachel Nichols, Rose McGowan, Raw Leiba, Saïd Taghmaoui and is directed by  Marcus Nispel. The movie adaptions are based on the stories by Robert E. Howard written in 1932.

Enough reading, more sword swirling!

Yahoo Serious ly bought this to us.

It’s Sunday, so what better way to spend your day of rest than to stare fixated at the latest pics to spill forth from the production of Conan the Barbarian?

Empire got their hands on some production stills for Marcus Nispel’s film, and there’s long hair, blood, pecs, swords and wicker baskets aplenty and Jason Momoa looks built like a brick barbarian in these pics.

Conan The Barbarian is coming to you, swinging his sword in 3D and also stars Ron Perlman, Stephen Lang (who you can see in one of the images below) Rachel Nichols, Rose McGowan, Raw Leiba, Saïd Taghmaoui and is based on the stories by Robert E. Howard.

Pics time,

Pics via ComingSoon