Conan the Barbarian - Blu-ray Review

4.2 Stars (out of 5)

Synopsis                               

Based on the pulp fiction of Robert E. Howard, this action-driven adventure breathes new life into the story of Conan the Barbarian, a warrior who rises to defend the people of Hyboria after evil forces slaughter his family and fellow villagers. Buy Now $22.99

Starring:

Jason Momoa, Stephen Lang, Rachel Nichols, Ron Perlman, Rose McGowan, Bob Sapp, Leo Howard, Steve O'Donnell, Nonso Anozie, Raad Rawi, Saïd Taghmaoui, Milton Welsh

Director:

Marcus Nispel

Blu-ray Release Date:  

November 22, 2011

Subtitles:

English, English SDH, Spanish

Rating

Overall rating weighted as follows:
Audio 40%, Video 40%, Special Features 20%, Movie - its just our opinion so take it with a grain of salt

Audio 4.5 Stars (out of 5)

Dolby and DTS Demo Discs used as basis for comparison
●    Subwoofer – 5.0 Stars
●    Dialog – 3.5 Stars
●    Surround Effects – 4.5 Stars
●    Dynamic Range – 5.0 Stars

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

This audio presentation is just as big as Conan’s muscles. The low end is heavy and thumps the drum heavy soundtrack. The couch vibrates as booming explosions and sounds of battle fill the room. Rear speakers help bring fight scenes to life with whistling arrows, swooping tentacles, screams of pain, clanging swords, and galloping horses. One major gripe I have is the poor dialog performance. Not much is said during this movie, but if it isn’t obstructed by sounds of action, the actors murmur their lines. At some point I gave up and turned on the subtitles in stead of rewinding scenes to hear what was said.

Video  4.6 Stars (out of 5)

Spears & Munsil Benchmark Blu-ray Edition used as basis for comparison
●    Color Accuracy  - 4.5 Stars
●    Shadow detail – 4.5 Stars
●    Clarity – 4.5 Stars
●    Skin tones – 4.5 Stars
●    Compression – 5.0 Stars

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC, Resolution: 1080p, Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1, Original Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

If there's a movie with swords and lots of muscles, expect the color to have a bronze tint. Ever since the movie 300, this seems to be the case. The bronze coloring isn't very drastic, but it is noticeable. It makes every actor look tan, and most whites look slightly orange. The clarity is clean and allows all the gory details of the carnage to be seen. Scars, matted beards, sweat, animal fur, beard stubble, and ornate weapons all show good detail. Film grain is minimal and during some dark scenes details are lost in the shadows.

Bonus Features 3.0 Stars (out of 5)

• Audio commentary with Marcus Nispel
• Audio commentary with actors Jason Momoa and Rose McGowan
• “The Conan Legacy” featurette – the history of the Conan character and its influence on the filmmakers of the new Conan the Barbarian
• Robert E. Howard: The Man Who Would Be Conan” featurette – an exploration of Conan novelist Robert E. Howard’s life and the creation of his most famous character
• “Battle Royal: Engineering the Action” featurette – an in-depth look at the film’s major action scenes
• “Staging the Fights” featurette – see how the stunt team acts out the battles prior to filming

Movie - 2.0 Stars (out of 5)

Review

I’m a fan of the original Conan movie, I even read a few Conan comic books, so I had high hopes for this movie. All my dreams and hopes for a good Conan movie when out the window after watching the first 10 minutes of this movie. Even though the movie has good actors their performances are unconvincing, the script has lots of holes, the action scenes are overcut making it difficult to follow, and it all made the movie kinda corny. This is one of those movies that's so bad it's good. I found myself laughing at some of the acting and plot points of the movie.

Everything isn't all bad though. There are some decent action sequences in this film. Watching Conan slice down his enemies was visceral fun. The violence is way over the top in fact, I haven't seen this much blood spilled since Kill Bill. The video presentation was good, and the audio really gave the subwoofer a workout. If you go into this movie expecting it be a little bad and bloody, you might have a good time. Nevertheless, seeing this version makes me appreciate the original even more.

Comments

[HereIsTheRemote]

I agree with Rodney about the dialog getting lost in the audio mix. I either had to turn up the volume to hear the dialog and get blown out by the explosions or adjust my center channel volume to max (11). I wish I thought about the subtitles

This is a movie where you want to park your brain and emotions in order to enjoy it. The movie is dark and depressing. I found it easier to empathize with the villain (Stephen Lang of Avatar and Terra Nova) than with any other character. The original Conan has a bit of a sense of humor which allows it to be far more enjoyable.