The first trailer is out for the “Conan the Barbarian” reboot. Unsurprisingly, it reveals very little.
The only things I can really tell from this trailer are that – one – Lionsgate makes terrible trailers (this isn’t the first time they’ve put out a trailer which is so poorly executed it makes one wonder of it’s a fan-produced parody), and – two – Jason Momoa is going to make a much better Conan than Schwarzenegger ever did.
That may sounds a bit heretical, but we all have to admit: No matter how much we like Arnold, he’s not an actor, he’s a body-builder with a cool accent.
Perhaps that’s the only real requirement to make a memorable Conan or a classic future-murdering robot, but, while he may not be Patrick Stewart, Momoa does have some acting talent.
Of course, he’s best known for his role on “Stargate Atlantis” (the best of the Stargates), in which he plays a loner, reluctant hero, meathead warrior with an exotic look. Sounds familiar. I can imagine that his ability to pull off that role played no small part in the casting decision for this one.
On the other side of that coin, we are almost certain to end up with Ronon the Barbarian, and the tiny performance we get to see in this trailer confirms that.
Of course, it doesn’t help that they had him keep Ronon Dex’s long hair and circle beard, choosing only to comb out the dreadlocks. A shave and a haircut would have done wonders in separating Conan from Ronon.
The studio also released a plot synopsis in a press release simultaneous with the video:
“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.”
No surprises there. It’s the plot of Conan the Barbarian, but at least we can rest assured that Lionsgate is readapting the story with some integrity.
