The 2011 film adaptations of Conan the Barbarian starring Jason Momoa as the vengeful Cimmerian was far from being a classic and quickly vanished from theaters. It struggled on many levels as a film. Acting, storytelling, cinematography, sound, and special effects all missed their mark yet for fans of the original Robert E. Howard pulps this movie succeeded at tapping the nerve that has attracted so many to the character. It was bloody, fierce, and full of gratuitous sex and violence, summing the character up in a simple bio, “I live, I love, I slay… I am content.”
Unlike the earlier, more polished, film versions of Conan that starred the muscle-bound Arnold Schwarzenegger who gave the character as much barbaric swagger as a He-Man cartoon, this movie, through all its crudeness, somehow just “got it.” The makers understood the true nature of the character and consequently made a film that, as bad as it was, was still enjoyable to fans who have longed to see Conan finally unleashed.
Reviews of the film reveal two types of Conan fans: Those who are fans of the original source material and those whose only familiarity with the character came from the Swarzeneggar flicks. The latter seem offended by the ferocity of the newer film, objecting that it betrays the watered-down Conan that they grew up with.
Imagine that!
This is nothing new. Audiences that only knew Batman through their experience growing up during the 1966 Batmania had a hard time adjusting to the darker yet more accurate versions of the character that came later.
Hollywood has a way of redefining comic book characters to enhance what they perceive as their marketability often sacrificing the virtues that made the character special in the first place.
This summer’s retooling of Superman may be the boldest attempt to reshape the most iconic superhero of all times. If Man of Steel is successful will it blot out or demean the Superman that has stood for truth, justice and the American way for the last seventy-four years? I am anxious to see if Kal-El is ever actually called or referred to as Superman in the film.
Will it be up to the fans of the original source material to preserve the legacy of Superman?
Probably.
And that’s a good thing because fans get it right. Fans know what makes characters special and even with limited resources they are able to capitalize on those attributes to create memorable films that capture the true essence of the subject.
The following is a list of great examples of fan films that succeed:
Wonder Woman
Grayson
Judge Minty
Y: The Last Man Rising
ElfQuest: A Fan Imagining
Lobo ParaMilitary Christmas Special
Superman Classic
The Rocketeer Animation
At CO2 Comics we have our own favorite fan film. A blast from the past, completed in 1982 by Bob Karwoski, Larry Ruggiero and the infamous Bob Schreck:
The Incredible HULK Meets the Ever Lovin’ Blue Eyed THING
The THING costume created by Yours Truly conjures a truer version of a Jack Kirby/Joe Sinnott THING than any of the recent Hollywood films.
You decide
Thanks to advances in CGI, film adaptions of comic characters have gotten a lot better but directors are always in danger of putting the cart before the horse and becoming dependent on effects to carry a film rather than the character. Green Lantern proved that CGI does not a superhero film make.
So Hollywood, pay attention to the fans. If you want a beloved superhero film, stay true to the character. But if all else fails, call it a parody and make a porno!
Who cares? The original character is already screwed.
Making Comics Because We Want to,
Gerry Giovinco
