Conan is a character born in the midst of a battlefield and brought up amongst violence and cruelty. The cast did an admirable job with what they had to work with, although Jason Momoa as Conan was lackluster and seemed a bit slender for the role. Having been brought up on Frazetta and Schwarzenegger, that could easily be a generational bias, but the books portrayed him as MASSIVE and Momoa just didn't have the hulkish girth needed for that description. And while Momoa didn't have to be a Shakespearean actor to get it over on Scharzenegger's performance, he really lacked any visible on-screen presence.
Still a fun romp if you like the typical sword and sorcery tale with a side of bloody gore.
Blu-Ray Extras
The Conan Legacy (18:00) – A look at the history of the Conan character from the pulps to the paperbacks featuring the art of Frank Frazetta which gave the character new life. Also looks at Conan in the comics and how Marvel helped give Conan new popularity with comments by former Conan comic writer Roy Thomas. Also looks at the animated shows and live action TV show.
Robert E. Howard: The Man who Would be Conan (11:24) – A look at the life of Conan creator Robert E. Howard and how he used traditional mythology and local folklore to develop his stories.
Battle Royal: Engineering the Action (10:00) – A short featurette about how the fight scenes were staged and choreographed
Staging the Fights (5:47) – A look at the Pre-visualization fight scene practice sessions and how they were referenced for the film.
The most legendary Barbarian of all time is back this Summer. Having thrived and evolved for eight consecutive decades in the public imagination - in prose and graphics, on the big screen and small, in games and properties of all kinds - Conan’s exploits in the Hyborian Age now come alive like never before in a colossal 3D action-adventure film.
Based on the character of Conan as originally created by Robert E. Howard, a boy born on the battlefield grows into a hulking warrior hell-bent on avenging his father’s death. But Conan’s personal vendetta soon escalates into an epic battle of impossible odds, facing the fiercest of rivals and the most horrific of monsters.
A home entertainment debut as fierce as the warrior himself, Lionsgate brings Conan the Barbarian to 3D/2D Blu-ray Disc, 2D Blu-ray Disc, DVD, Digital Download and On Demand this November. In an epic battle led by an epic hero, Jason Momoa (HBO’s “Game of Thrones”) stars as Conan, the Cimmerian set on avenging his father’s death. The action-packed film, directed by Marcus Nispel (Friday the 13th), also stars Rachel Nichols (Star Trek), Stephen Lang (Avatar), Rose McGowan (Planet Terror) and Ron Perlman (Hellboy).
The 3D/2D Blu-ray Disc and DVD releases are both loaded with ferocious bonus materials that include two audio commentaries, a history of the Conan franchise featurette, “The Man Who Would Be Conan: Robert E. Howard” featurette that looks at the creator of the famous character plus two additional featurettes that examine the action and fight scenes. Conan the Barbarian thunders into stores on November 22nd on 3D/2D Blu-ray Disc and 2D Blu-ray Disc.
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