Conan - Man of War

******* POSSIBLE SOUNDTRACK SPOILER ALERT? ********

CONAN GOES TO ELEVEN!
Metalhead opinions: I watched this the moment it came down. I knew exactly what it would be like judging from the reviews and info and having played “Brutal Legend” on the ps3 and thinking to myself the whole time “Conan would be soooooooooo much better if Manowar had scored it.” My dream has come true! To the point where i actually had tears in my eyes during some of the sequences.

The edits are incredible, seamless and in sync on par with any music video i’ve ever seen (narative style.)

The music choices were mostly perfect (i’m not a die hard Manowar fan but i knew everything on the soundtrack apart from the Nessun Dorma cover.) I’ve never been big on lyrics (the “music” usually the reason for me listening) but found myself intently listening to every lyric because TMBTM had obviously chosen the music cues to tie in with the plot.

The following day during my band rehearsal i started this up to show the first sequence to the other guys. We didn’t even end up turning on all the gear and playing anything, they were all as mesmerized as i was.

To TMBTM, you have the metalhead seal of approval for this one. That’s coming from 4 dudes who love metal but not big into Manowar and one die hard Manowar fan. Please do not take any offence at my finding this edit to be humorous. Half the reason i’m into metal is the inherit sense of humour that goes hand in hand with metal.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE INTO METAL TO APPRECIATE THIS EDIT (it will really help if you familiarize yourself with Manowar first and judge for yourself if you’ll enjoy 96 minutes of POWER.)
Think: Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”, the “weird bits” from Led Zeppelin’s “Song Remains The Same” but edited better or the sequences in Highlander where the Queen tracks are used as the score.
I can see how some of the crazy shred and drum solo sections in the laast 3rd of the film might be too much for anyone not into metal but for me it added to the hilarity. I’d be lying if i said i take Manowar seriously, they are a curiosity for me but this is the PERFECT visual companion for their music and i certainly enjoyed Conan more with this score, new pacing and minimal dialogue (i am not a fan of the original.)

In keeping with Nigel Tufnel
11/11
(My vocalist would rate it 21/11!)

*This rating was given before reviews were required*

*This rating was given before reviews were required*

*This rating was given before reviews were required*

Replacing the soundtrack of the definitive Sword and Sorcery movie with some of Manowar's best music was exactly what this and other universes need, and I can only thank the hell out of The Man Behind the Mask for pleasing the Gods of War.

A/V Quality: 10
-Visual Editing: 10

A lot of scenes were cut and rearranged in this edit specifically to keep in touch with the music, and it worked without a hitch. There were also some nice visual additions that include polishing and eighties-ing up the training montage and a special cameo from Anthony Hopkins.

-Audio Editing: 10

The entire soundtrack and most of the dialogue is cut to make room for more Manowar. One scene in which Thulsa Doom's speech is replaced by a spoken segment of the album Gods of War was a nice touch.

Narrative: 10

Conan: Man of War is essentially a 96 minute music video and yet I was still engrossed in the basic story. Conan's parents were still murdered by Thulsa Doom and Conan was still on his mission to get his revenge. It was pretty cool how little the journey itself changed.
If Conan the Barbarian were a rock opera, it would basically be this.

Enjoyment: 10

This isn't exactly a go-to edition of the fantastic Conan: the Barbarian, and it was never intended to be. Think of it as a kickass ode to a kickass movie with a load of kickass music rolled up in a ball of screaming sweating barbarian metal.