Beowulf: A Lot of Butts and Guts

Rating: 8/10 (21 November 2007)

The movie version of the epic "Beowulf" has been released, and it's actually pretty good. For those not familiar with the plot of the ancient Old English poem, it involves the exploits of the hero Beowulf (voiced by Ray Winstone) and his fights against the demon Grendel (Crispin Glover), Grendel's mother (Angelina Jolie), and a dragon. The animation in the movie is fantastic. The design of the Gothic castles and snowy backgrounds looks great. The fight scenes are very intense and well-animated, especially the climactic battle with the dragon. "Beowulf" uses a CGI-animation style similar to "The Polar Express", creating lifelike character models and emotions. However, although the main characters are lavishly designed, the characters in crowds or in the background look very dull and robotic. The film's script, co-written by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avery, is very well-written, and adds depth to the rather two-dimensional story. The film gives explanations to Grendel and the dragon's attacks, and their origins. The movie touches on themes of identity, true heroism, weakness, and the price of immortality. It also adds humanity to the characters, showcasing Beowulf's arrogance and lust for power, the jealousy of the king's adviser Unferth, and Grendel's pitiable self-hatred, among others. This retelling of the legend differs from the source material in many ways, for the better and the worse. Quite a few changes have been made to the plot. Deviations from the original work include some of the dialogue, the portrayal of King Hrothgar as a drunken party animal, the amount of time that takes place before Beowulf's battle with the dragon and the relationship between Beowulf and Grendel's mother. Though these differences may bother some purists, the changes to the plot really help add to the story, sort of like "The Lord of Rings" movies. Overall, the film is a great adaptation of the tale of Beowulf. With a great cast, excellent animation, very cool fight scenes, and a few well-made changes to the plot, this action-packed adventure is not to be missed. A quick word of warning: "Beowulf" should not be rated PG-13. It barely manages to keep within this rating because it is animated, but it should be rated R for the gratuitous blood, gore, violence, and nudity. Many scenes, especially ones involving Grendel, are pretty gross, so be warned if you're squeamish.