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.

In the original epic poem, why does Beowulf come back from defeating Grendel's mother carrying Grendel's head? It's an interesting question that has fired literary critics imaginations for a while, and when Robert Zemeckis set out to make his big screen adaptation of the poem, he went beyond merely adapting the text itself. Instead, he took those questions that critics had considered and ran with them dramatically.

So, what we end up having isn't so much an adaptation of Beowulf, but an adaptation of a master's thesis on Beowulf.

The movie received mixed to positive reviews when it came out. A lot of the negativity seemed connected to the movie's visual style. Expanding what he had done on The Polar Express, Zemeckis used motion capture and computer animation to get realistic-ish looking characters. The problem is that the characters exact right in the middle of the Uncanny Valley. They are too real to treat as cartoons, but not real enough to convince the mind that they are real, so there's a natural barrier that's created because the brain knows it's not real despite a somewhat realistic looking appearance. I was more okay with the look of the film upon its initial release, but less so now.

I understand, though, why Zemeckis was enamored with the technique. The freedom as a filmmaker to build the environments he wanted and place the camera wherever he wanted must have been quite enticing. The problem was the effort at getting photo-realistic effects, which end up falling short. A more cartoonish look might have been less jarring for the audience.

Moving on, though, the movie's approach to the material, as implied, is really smart. It's not just a monster movie, but an exploration of bravery, heroism, and the costs of power. It takes a different approach than the original poem, but that's fine by me. The seduction of power, and the literal seduction of Grendel's mother, is an interesting approach to take, and I think it works really well. Beowulf must sell his soul to achieve power, but when the bill comes due he doesn't lay down like Hrothgar did. He fights. He reclaims his honor and sense of bravery by having a spectacle infused fight with a dragon. It's a sop to modern movie convention, but it's still fun on its own while refusing to undermine the basic point of the story.

Performances, which you mainly need to judge by voices since the faces do have a plastic-like feel that they movie can't escape, are very good. I can see why Zemeckis wanted to cast Ray Winstone as Beowulf because he carries a gravelly voice that matches the vision of the character perfectly, but Winstone is, at the same time, not a body builder with 8 pack abs. Brendan Gleeson is wonderful as Wiglaf, the sad advisor, Anthony Hopkins is wise, sad, and guilt-ridden as Hrothgar, and Angelina Jolie is pure seduction as Grendel's mother. Special nod to Crispin Glover as Grendel, speaking Old English and evoking quite a bit of emotion as a monstrous creature with inside out ears.

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.

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.