A Modern Take on a Classic Adventure: Conan the Barbarian (2011)
This isn’t your father’s Conan. The 2011 reboot of Conan the Barbarian delivers a visceral, action-packed experience, but does it capture the spirit of the original?
Conan (Jason Momoa), a Cimmerian warrior, is forged in the fires of battle. His very birth is a testament to his parents’ ferocity, with his father (Ron Perlman) performing a battlefield cesarean on his mother amidst a raging conflict. Conan grows up immersed in the art of war, but his idyllic (if brutal) existence is shattered when an army led by the necromancy-obsessed Khalar Zym (Stephen Lang) razes his village, leaving Conan the sole survivor. Driven by vengeance, he embarks on a quest to avenge his people.
Promising Start, Disappointing Execution
Director Marcus Nispel’s film starts strong. A feral young Conan, eyes blazing, tears through the forest, displaying his savage skills. For a moment, it seems like Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Conan might fade into historical memory. However, the film quickly devolves into lengthy dialogues and derivative scenes, pilfered from other genre classics, causing the initial promise to crash and burn.
A Director’s Homage or a Rip-off?
Nispel’s blatant borrowing of iconic scenes is a major flaw. It’s one thing to be inspired, but he lifts entire sequences wholesale. Sand creatures behave exactly like those in The Mummy Returns (2001). A camera sweeps through tall grass with the same angle and speed as in Gladiator (2000). The film seems to draw inspiration from Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), The Lion King (1994), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) (the latter particularly evident in the ship battles, acrobatic stunts, and a giant octopus). Unfortunately, beyond these borrowed elements, the film offers little originality.
Tone and Heroism
The film’s excessive gore is initially appealing, but it’s ultimately undermined by a childish, almost Disney-esque sense of adventure. While the original Conan lacked the same level of graphic violence, it possessed a palpable atmosphere of unmotivated brutality. The new Conan, in contrast, feels more akin to Prince of Persia, with its sanitized, vegetarian heroism. This is especially disappointing considering Jason Momoa’s portrayal of Conan. He is a far cry from Schwarzenegger’s Conan, just as 2011 is different from 1982. Schwarzenegger’s stoic, brutish presence was a perfect fit for the Hollywood of the 80s. In today’s world, however, the character has been replaced by a handsome, TV-ready hero. While he can still snarl at a beautiful stranger, his motivations lack the original’s raw, primal drive.