Beowulf

The first risk about this version of "Beowulf" is to see it as one of Zemeckis eccentricities. A technique used for a sort of childish game without limits. The second view discovers the purpose of the game - to propose the right essence of poem. The fluidity and dramatism of plot. The bitter flavor of confrontations. And the seed of the victory. Impressive, shocking in few scenes, it is a precise exploration of a world who becomes less familiar. Because, behind shadows and animation, violence and nudity, the message of "Beowulf" becomes more clear. And usefull. And, maybe, this is the most important thing in its case.

It seems we have a new cinematic fad coming into fashion... the genre of mythological action. It began with '300' (a film I really enjoyed), and the first that stands to benefit from 300's success is Beowulf. Beowulf is the newest film from Robert Zemeckis. Zemeckis implements many of the same visual themes of his last project, the heart warming Polar Express, with varied success.

Beowulf tells the story of the kingdom of King Hrothgar (a delightfully campy Anthony Hopkins)which is currently being terrorized by a monster named Grendel (Crispin Glover). Help comes in the form of mighty Beowulf (Ray Winstone), who arrives with an army of 14 men and his right hand man, Wiglaf (Brendan Gleeson). It his his job to slay the monster. However, he must also deal with Grendel's mother (Angelina Jolie). Beowulf is opposed by Unferth (John Malkovich), and has also been paying close attention to the king's wife, Wealthow (Robin Wright Penn).

Perhaps the most surprising element of the film is its sly, wink and a nod, sense of humor. This can be viewed two ways. The first view is one of enjoyment and laughter. However, it is hard to comply when we are asked to feel or identify with these characters after so many scenes presenting them as mere caricatures.

As expected, Beowulf is visually stunning. I'd argue it is the one category where this film bests 'Polar Express'. The 3-D photography is shockingly good. It is a film I wouldn't want to imagine in the traditional two dimension format. I strongly advise anyone who is going to see this to view the film in 3-D. Without it, the film would be borderline un enjoyable. The highlight is by far the final battle scene,which just begs you to forget the film's past misdeeds. Close, but no dice.

Based on a legendary and mythical poem and filmed using the Motion Picture technique by Robert Zemeckis with a well-known casting, such as Ray Winstone, Angelina Jolie, Crispin Glover, John Malkovich, Bernard Gleeson, Charlotte Salt, Sebastian Roché and Anthony Hopkins. In a medieval land this bloody story of the battle of a Norse warrior against a great troll assassin named Grendel takes place. In contrast to the arrival of Christianity, this is the story of the ultimate hero who confronts a monstrous troll that wreaks havoc on the mead hall of the Danish king Hrothgar (Sir Anthony Hopkins). The latter offers a hefty reward for the death of Grendel (Crispin Glover), so there comes Beowulf (Ray Winstone), a boastful Geat warrior, victorious in his own right. The monster, Grendel, is not a creature of mythical powers, but a being of flesh and blood with immense flesh but of shapeless mass, he has furious blood and is driven by revenge. That is until the arrival of Beowulf, a mysterious mercenary who offers help to Hrothgar, the ruler of the kingdom, in hunting down Grendel. Out of loyalty to King Hrothgar, the highly respected Lord of the Danes, Beowulf leads a troop of warriors to rid a village of the marauding monster. But swinging his sword against a large, stinking beast is not such a simple act. The warrior Beowulf must fight and defeat the monster Grendel, who terrorizes Denmark, and then Grendel's evil mother, whom he begins to kill out of revenge. The story takes place in barbaric Northern Europe, where the reign of many gods is giving way to one: the invader from the south, Christ, here represented by a Catholic priest! Evil breeds pain! Survival is ruthless! Face your demons! I will kill your monster! Pride is the curse!

Revenge, loyalty and mercy are powerfully intertwined in this spectacular Nordic adventure. Beowulf (2007) is a launch pad of dizzying 3D images, about the heroics of man against beasts, set in a besieged land, in which Beowulf must fight against the horrible creature Grendel, a carnivorous being that is killing all living in the kingdom; all of this being set in the eternally adolescent tradition of horror and gothic fantasy comic books. This is a fantastic story of blood, beer and sweat, which removes the mask of the hero-myth, leaving a raw and tangled story. By recreating the actors' performances, 'motion capture', the technique Zemeckis used for 'Polar Express', was improved. This Zemeckis production begins with a true sense of awe and surprise and develops through continuous fights until a fight against a giant dragon. The film contains a lot of action, wonderful cinematography, impressive fights and a bit of blood and nudity. Stunning battle scenes illuminate the full-blown adventure with a host of engaging combat action scenes, in which heads and limbs are cut off here and there and everywhere, while other body parts are cut open.

Beowulf was a poem written in England, but set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature. Beowulf is considered an epic poem since the main character is a hero who travels great distances to demonstrate his strength against impossible odds against demons and supernatural beasts. It has been variously dated to between the 8th and early 11th centuries. It is an epic poem told in historical perspective; a story of epic events and great characters from a heroic past. Although its author is unknown, its themes and themes have their roots in Germanic heroic poetry, in the Anglo-Saxon tradition recited and cultivated by ancient English poets. The poem is divided between Beowulf's battles with Grendel and with a dragon and he also confronts Grendel's mother. According to the classic poem, the main protagonist, Beowulf, is a hero of the Geats, he comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, whose great hall, Heorot, is plagued by the monster Grendel. Beowulf kills Grendel with his bare hands with a sword, once used by giants, which Beowulf found in Grendel's mother's lair.

It contains an evocative and breathtaking musical score by Alan Slvestri , Zemeckis's regular, As well as a brilliant and picturesque cinematography by Robert Presley. The film was compellingly directed by Robert Zemeckis (Polar Express , Castaway, What lies beneath, Forrest Gump , Back to the Future I, II, III, Allied) . Rating: 6/10.

I have read Beowulf a couple of times. It's great northern European mythology, and mandatory reading when you are young in my opinion (Along with Norse, Greek and Roman Mythology as well). And though the movie wants to re-write some of the epic, you will need to separate the Hollywood version from the beautiful measure of the original works. Being a work of CGI, you will also have to allow for the flaws of pure CGI work. Very stylized and beautifully colored, it is an epic adventure that elevated Zemeckis' previous work "The Polar Express" to a new level. Polar was beautifully modeled after Chris Van Allsburg illustrations for his book, but Zemeckis' adaptation to the story went a little over the top when it became a musical. Even though most of Beowulf's story line is answered here, it did make me pause and wonder:

Why didn't Robert Zemeckis just direct this thing in real life instead of virtual?

With the capabilities of dropping in CGI into real life action, this telling of the story could have had so much more of an impact if the expressions were more poignant. Look what he did with "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"? Zemeckis is fully capable of it. Also, to add to this, when you have CGI characters like Jacksons Gollum and King Kong to compare notes with, the modeling here just isn't up to snuff. I felt the entire movie came off like a gigantic "cut-scene" to a video game than a full featured animated project. I can only give this a little better than a good, hence the exclamation. I do this sadly. You really should see this in a theater, bigger than life. The dragon is excellent, the ugly v/s the beautiful is wild, the sequencing is uneven, though at the end it takes you on a great ride. Oh, and for you people that want to go see Angela Jolie nekkid? IT'S CGI!!! I've seen harder stuff on Fox networks! Seeing my wife and I saw this as a matinée, the crowd was on the sparse side and there was literally no kids present. I couldn't get a solid feeling from the audience though most people as they left seemed genuinely happy with their experience. I'm sure it was PG13'd because of the sequences with Angela, otherwise it would be a solid PG. I wouldn't suggest this for a kid under 8.

When going into the theatre to see this I in two minds - it was my first 3D movie and I had heard good things, however I wasn't particularly taken by the concept or the trailers. I was unsure what to expect, however I ended up leaving the cinema extremely satisfied with the film, and tellingly, unable to stop discussing it long after the ride home.

Visually it is an absolute treat, Zemeckis uses 3D superbly, some of the camera angles and sequences are as great an art as the photo-realistic animation. Occasionally the odd shot appears where the impression is that it was set up solely to emphasise the 3D (e.g. starting at the end of a branch and panning out) and whilst this doesn't add to the film it is actually a pleasant reminder of the novelty of 3D.

There are only two areas that let Beowulf down aesthetically: the eyes and the mouth. The eyes were static throughout and it is the little details that make the difference when trying to make something as uber-realistic as this, such as the fact that the pupils didn't react to light. As for the lips - they're just not quite there yet - sometimes the speech didn't seem to be quite right.

The characters are expertly introduced and developed, most notably Anthony Hopkins character, Hrothgar and the tension between his wife. Grendell and his mother are wonderfully creepy and seductive, and bizarrely enough almost encourage sympathy.

For me the most disappointing part of the film was actually Ray Winstone as the titular character - he was fantastic when talking in a low growl, however the film really suffers when he shouts in full cockney accent. "I will kill your monstah!". I half expected Grendell's head to be smashed between a car and it's door. John Malkovitch is a saving grace with his none-more-sinister voice and interesting faith sub-plot.

The rating for this film has been hotly discussed and in my opinion I do not think it is suitable for children under the age of 12. Grendell would have truly terrified me as a child. The violence, as well as bawdiness, does not make it a family film for young children although having said that the lewd references do provide good humour and balances out the movie.

So, overall, this was worthy of an 8. Breathtaking animation, incredible action (especially the finale featuring an excellent dragon) and a generally brilliant cast. Beowulf throws down the gauntlet to film-makers to show what can be done with 3D and is an indication of the potential. It's not all the way there yet, but it's a damn good start.