Conan’s first trailer isn’t even trying …

… and that’s a bad way to start for a movie that’s got a lot to live up to.

Watch it here …

… or go here to see it in HD.

Not that there’s a lot to see. It’s more like a PowerPoint presentation overly reliant on some kind of mystical smoke filter than a trailer; there’s no actual footage from the film, though the “I live, I love, I slay, I am content” line is right out of creator Robert E. Howard’s character-defining Queen of the Black Coast story first published in 1934.

The movie comes out in August. Even though the Arnold Schwarzenegger films didn’t rely hardly at all on the source material, when someone says “Conan,” nearly everyone thinks Arnold. Jason Momoa actually looks more similar to the Conan from the stories than Arnold did, but Arnold’s charisma and confidence were as mighty as his muscles. To debut a trailer that barely features any imagery from the film suggests either misplaced confidence or an utter lack of it entirely.

I’m really rooting for Momoa and this movie. I just hope they try a little harder with the next trailer.