Gayowulf...

Rating: 5/10 (22 November 2007)

To start off, I have a few spoilers in this review which are well marked so don't be afraid of me throwing in anything important without warning. I was very neutral about Beowulf when I went to see the film. I was skeptical when I saw the trailer, however, a lot of positive reviews had made me think it might be pretty good. I saw the 3D version which was about the best thing about it. Where to begin? Beowulf was completely in CGI, which was a huge surprise to me when I actually sat down to see it. The animation was very well done for the exception of a few of the characters. The 3D effects were at some parts very enjoyable, and others it was pretty much a joke. I imagine watching this at home and wondering why there is a spear head that takes up the entire screen, then remembering this movie was tailored for 3D. The only really horrible moment to me in the animation was the scene with Grendel's mother, and Beowulf. Beowulf looks fine on his own, however, Grendel's mother looks so much more realistic that it makes for an awkward clash in contrast. This was honestly the only moment a normal person could complain about as far as animation goes.
Onto the plot and characters... I really don't like Beowulf in this movie. He's pretty much portrayed as a boastful liar which makes for a horrible hero if you ask me. Everyone has flaws, but to have a character where his only sense of heroism is in physical prowess is difficult to identify with. Anthony Hopkins character really fit well into this movie as well as most of the other protagonists. The only problem was I felt like they all wore their personalities way out there so you could get to know them very quickly because there was absolutely no story telling in this film at all. To appreciate a film you don't have to like all, or any of the characters but it really does help. The plot was pretty weak I felt. It was more of a troubled love story, and less of an epic story of a hero which seems to me to fit the title better. In a movie just full of action this kind of thing really doesn't matter because its more like filler for scenes with no action. Unfortunately for Beowulf there was not enough action to carry this empty plot and make a decent film out of it. The setting didn't change much at all, it was basically taking place around a small village. I will give them that at the end of the movie it really transformed from small and pathetic to pretty vast.
The directing was excellent if you ask me. The action sequences flowed very nicely, and I really did enjoy the soundtrack written for this movie. There were some amazing shots of Beowulf performing slices on sea monsters and a dragon. Overall a well shot film and I can see why they went CGI.
Overall Beowulf felt very empty. I felt like I watched a whole lot of nothing happen on the screen. There were only 2 significant action sequences, and a few very brief mentions of action. The plot was very bland and I felt like there was not much that actually happened throughout the whole movie, and the resolution if you can call it that when the credits rolled made me want to punch someone. The soundtrack from the beginning to the end was spot on. I feel like this is a great movie for 3D, however, I feel like 3D can really cheapen a film. Look at Friday the 13th part 3 that film was pretty ridiculous. Beowulf is worth a single watch in 3D because there are some good moments, however I don't imagine this ever appearing on my DVD shelf. There were quite a few laughable moments (**SPOILERS** the butt naked fight scene, him bursting through a sea monsters head screaming "BEOWULF!!!!!!", and my favorite was when he cut his own arm off and it didn't even seem to work out that well. Personally I would untwist myself or something so I could manage to kill the dragon and land on that bridge...**END OF SPOILERS**) 5/10