I saw a free preview screening a couple nights ago. (Surprisingly, passes for the preview screening were plentiful. I remember last year when they were giving out free passes for Resident Evil: Afterlife and people were lining up 3 hours beforehand. This time, I get there half an hour early and there's only 5 other people waiting.)
I give it a C+. Of all the big summer movies this year, I'd rank it 4th (below Captain America, Thor, & X-Men but slightly above Rise of the Planet of the Apes & Transformers).
Jason Momoa does a great job playing a kick-ass, stoic barbarian.
I really liked Rachel Nichols (the green chick from Star Trek (2009)) as the leading lady. She needs to be in more things. She's just fun.
This movie isn't necessary in 3-D, but then, most aren't. (The only worthwhile 3-D movies I've ever seen are Avatar, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, & Tron Legacy.) In some places in fact, it's far too gruesome, like in Conan's birth scene. Bloody, naked newborns are not high on my list of things to see in 3-D.
But as the movie gets progressively less bloody, I find it ultimately settles into a very fun romp.
I'd certainly recommend this one over either of the Arnold Schwarzenegger Conan movies. Those both bore me to sleep.
Random thought: The prologue for this film is narrated by Morgan Freeman. Why didn't they get James Earl Jones?
