When the first trailers for the new Conan the Barbarian movie came out, I was very skeptical. I'm a fan of both the books and the 1982 film and this new one didn't really look like it would stand up to either. Coming to this realization was a bit of a disappointment. As I got more info on the new movie, however, I realized a couple things:
A) Nothing will ever stand up to the classic excellence of literary Conan. Robert E. Howard created an iconic character that is too complex, I feel to be accurately represented in a single movie. His creation has endured and been supplemented by various authors (most notably, in my opinion, Robert Jordan with The Chronicles of Conan). If you like fantasy and you haven't read either Howard's or Jordan's Conan...seriously, get off your ass. Go acquire some barbarian goodness and enjoy.
B) Nothing will ever match the mood and feel of 80's swords and sorcery and Conan the Barbarian had it all. Hulking bodybuilder barbarians? Check. Vivid, ultra-violent fantasy imagery? Check. A superb score by Basil Poledouris? Check. I am an Arnold fan so I may be biased but Conan the Barbarian was pretty damn awesome. They just don't make 'em like that anymore.
Now, looking at it this way, the new film had some impossibly big shoes to fill. But as I watched the new trailer, I realized something that the actors and filmmakers had been saying for a while now: this is an original re-imagining of Conan. It won't live up to the books. It won't live up to the original film. It's not supposed to. It's not trying to.
I'm not saying the new movie will be great. But at least with this new trailer, I feel like it was finding it's own identity a little more. It's got some humor, definitely some bloody action and a very distinctive modern feel. I don't want to hype it because I am still dubious of the entire enterprise but at the very least I hope it will be fun. It's not going to win any awards but it can't be worse than, say, Prince of Persia. Right?
Anyway, enjoy the new red band trailer. I will be going to see it when it releases on August 19. Here's to being cautiously optimistic for an entertaining summer blockbuster.
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