Beowulf is a good fantasy film, although not memorable

Rating: 7/10 (21 November 2007)

It is unsurprising that the the most impressive feature of the Beowulf are the visuals. Ushering in 3-D technology to the masses, Beowulf's entire marketing campaign has been based off the 3-D gimmick and Robert Zemeckis' motion-capture technology. However despite relying on its gimmick, Beowulf is a solid fantasy film that knows where it stands and knows what to give to its audience.
Zemeckis is confident enough in his motion-capture technology that he "films" Beowulf much like he would any other. The characters are shot with specific ideas to greater effect, such as with Grendel's mother. Her full appearance isn't revealed until halfway through the film, and up to that point we only get reflections of her skin in the water and shots of her "hands" as she cradles her son. Although the revelation of her appearance has been long spoiled in the ads, it is an effective use of suspense over what the creature may be. Zemeckis even goes far enough in the film to include nearly unnoticeable touches like silent facial expressions and reactions on his characters. Like real acting, faces in a good film can tell the story without saying words. As a result many of the conversations and scenes between characters feel as real as a live-action film.
One of those performances is Ray Winstone's, who provides a very steady leading man as Beowulf himself. An interesting aspect of the film is how it plays with the idea of a hero. It begins with Winstone as the most cliché of great warriors, a man with many speeches and war stories. Over time as he becomes an old man however, all of his glory is stripped away. While the entire world sees him as that great hero, he himself knows now he is not. The film does its best to turn the folklore hero notion inside out. Beowulf's arc is also at times is surprisingly tender, something I didn't expect in such a blockbuster. It's also straight out of Shakespeare or folk myths, though that's not surprising considering the source poem dates back to 11th century Old English.
The most fun character in the film is Grendel. Creepy, disgusting, and insane, he's a killing machine and provides a jolt from the beginning. Grendel's first scene is as frightening and shocking as any moment in the horror genre this year. Grendel's mother(all right, played by Angelina Jolie) is also a strong villain as an equal and probable superior to the great Beowulf. It's clear the biggest portion of the budget went into Jolie's transformation, but it is a success as her signature look is properly captured.
Beowulf is not perfect, some of heroic feats come off a bit silly and and occasionally the dialog is hammy. Robin Wright-Penn as the Queen also doesn't add much to the film, it seems like Zemeckis was considering a feminist statement with the way her character is poorly treated early on, but he doesn't go anywhere with it. Finally, although Zemeckis' visuals are overall extremely impressive, the setting and background sights of the kingdom leave something to be desired. I wished the film spent a little more time outside the drinking hall.
What Beowulf succeeds most in doing, is entertaining the audience. The storyline is fast-paced and engaging, and the battle scenes are pure fun. I can't ask for more. But don't ask me to remember this film in a couple years.