Conan the Barbarian (2011 in 3D) directed by Marcus Nispel

Marcus Nispel

This 3D version, based on the Conan mythology created by Robert E. Howard, has little to do with the 1982 version starring Arnold Scwartzneggar. It stars Jason Momoa in the titular role.

Jason Momoa

The film opens with a narrative recounting how the legendary Acheronian necromancers ruled their empire with an overwhelming and brutal evil. They wielded power with the aid of a special mask that was created from the skulls of dead kings and empowered by the pure blood sacrifice of their daughters.

When the barbarian tribes were finally able, they rose up and defeated the sorcerers. They destroy the empire and break the mask into several pieces. Each tribe kept one piece in order to prevent the evil from rising once more. One of the tribes was the Cimmerians.
Thousands of years later the Cimmerians are now led by Corin (Ron Perlman). He is a blacksmith and father of Conan. When Conan’s mother was about to give birth she was alongside her husband in battle. She died while giving birth, thus Conan was born in battle and would therefore be destined to become a warrior.
When Conan reaches adolescence, his warrior tendencies begin to show. In a contest to prove that one is ready to be sent into battle, he wins out over the other older boys. Not long after, while Corin is showing Conan how to master the sword, Khalar Zym (Stephen Lang), a vicious warlord, attacks the village seeking the last piece of the Mask of Acheron in order to revive his dead wife. Accused of being a sorceress, she was burned at the stake. He also has a burning desire to rule over all of Hyborea. After locating the final piece of the mask, he murders the whole village but leaves Conan as the only survivor. Conan vows to take vengeance on Khalar Zym.
20 years later, Conan with the help of a friend, raids a slave camp and brings them to safety. He recognizes one of the soldiers that were with Zym when his village had been raided and destroyed. The soldier was chasing a common thief. With cunning, Conan forces the soldier to reveal that Zym is seeking a pure-blood descendant of the Acheronian sorcerers to unleash the power of the mask. Zym, along with his sorceress daughter Marique (Rose McGowen) attack a monastery.  The head monk tells Tamara (Rachel Nichols) to flee back to her home village. As she flees, Zym’s men chase and capture her. Conan rescues her and together they proceed to eventually vanquish Zym and his daughter Marique.