Beowulf
Tags: fantasy, murder, violence, cult, good versus evil, tragedy, revenge

Plot synopsis:
Movie opens up with a celebration in the Great Hall of Heorot, built by Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins), king of the Danes. The Danes are celebrating the completion of the Hall, and theyre really boozing it up and partying quite loudly. Booziest of all is Hrothgar himself quite inebriated, half-naked, slurring his words and barely able to keep his balance. He's somewhat repulsive and a bit of an embarrassment to his young wife, Queen Wealthow (Robin Wright Penn).The revelers begin to chant, pounding the ground in time with the chanting. The camera pulls away from the Hall, to the snowy hills surrounding the kingdom, where the chanting and thumping have died out and all is silent. Finally, we pull into a cave miles away, where the chanting and thumping are suddenly heard at an almost unbearably loud level. We hear something in the cave screaming in pain, as if the noise is too much for it to bear.Back to Heorot, where after-hours are still rocking full-blast. The large wooden entrance doors are blasted off their hinges, the halls torches blow out, and the hearth in the middle of the hall erupts in eerie blue flames. People start wigging, as we hear same the something from the cave screaming right outside Heorot's doorway. As the Danes gird their loins and take up arms, the creature enters.It's huge, about 15 feet tall and vaguely humanoid in appearance, but clearly not all human. Its misshapen, deformed, and appears to have, instead of ears, some highly sensitive pads that serve as hearing organs. The screaming of the Danes seems to hurt the creatures ears and, enraged, he begins to tear the revelers apart, literally.Eventually, the creature makes his way to Hrothgar, who, to his credit, didn't run away in a drunken panic, but held his ground. The King demands that the monster fight him, but the creature is unafraid. It simply takes a long almost quizzical look at Hrothgar and abruptly withdraws.Back at his cave, the monster is chastised by his mother for killing men. We don't see his mother, though we catch glimpses of her reflection in the caves pool. We cant tell exactly what she is, but we see enough to know that she isn't even remotely human.The dead are removed from Heorot and burned, and the Hall is sealed as a place of evil. Hrothgar confers with his majordomo Unferth (John Malkovich). We come to find that the creature is named Grendel (Crispin Glover), and that it has apparently plagued these Danes in the past. The King tells Unferth to put out the word that the man who slays Grendel will earn half of the kingdoms riches in return. The King pointedly states that they need a hero.We cut to a ship at sea, the mainsail bearing the likeness of a large wolf. The ship is navigating a brutal storm, and at the prow we see our hero, Beowulf (Ray Winstone), and his lieutenant and good friend, Wiglaf (Brendan Gleeson). They are unfazed by the extremely rough seas, and discuss with much bravado how they are on their way to take up Hrothgar's offer and slay Grendel, and how the glory of their deeds will live eternally.They land on Danish shores and are taken to Hrothgar, who greets Beowulf warmly, apparently having known his father. Beowulf asks that Heorot be reopened, and Hrothgar acquiesces, providing Beowulf and his crew with food, drink and lodging as they rest in preparation for their battle.In the revelry, Beowulf catches the eye of Queen Wealthow (and vice versa), although the two exchange nothing more than polite pleasantries. Unferth seems angered by Beowulf's presence, and calls him out. Seems that Unferth has heard a story about Beowulf being challenged to a swimming race and losing. How, Unferth asks, can Beowulf be expected to slay Grendel if he can't even outswim a human opponent in a simple race.After trading some insults with Unferth, Beowulf admits the tale is true, but explains why he lost the race. As Beowulf narrates, in flashback we see him swimming in the ocean against his opponent, only to be set upon by a giant sea monster. As his competitor swims to safety, Beowulf fights and kills the monster, and another, and another each in increasingly fantastic fashion. It is implied that this tale is somewhat exaggerated, though not altogether untrue. The flashback shows us something that Beowulf pointedly does not tell the Danes that after fighting the monsters underwater, Beowulf came across a siren/mermaid/water nymph. Shes breathtakingly beautiful, in an otherworldly sort of way, and Beowulf cant take his eyes off her.We snap back to the present (no mention of what finally happened with the mermaid), and Beowulf and Unferth are still hostile toward each other. Hrothgar breaks it up, retiring to his chambers while the Queen sings a song for the Geats (Beowulf and crew, a.k.a. folks from Sweden), though the song is clearly meant for Beowulf alone. When the Queen finally retires, and Hrothgar demands that she get in bed and produce an heir, Wealthow states that she could never lie with the King, knowing that you laid down with her. The King is duly shamed, though were not told exactly why.The Danes all pack it in, leaving Beowulf and crew in the Hall to prepare for Grendel. Beowulf notes that he will fight Grendel hand-to-hand, since no weapon seems to harm the monster anyway. Further with the machismo, Beowulf strips naked, planning to fight Grendel unclothed. The Geats start chanting Beowulf's name, and the noise reaches Grendel's cave and he screams in pain.Back to the Hall, the torches go out, blue flames burst out of the hearth, and something pounds at the reinforced doors. Grendel comes crashing through as before, killing Geats left and right until Beowulf comes into the battle, in all his nakedness. Beowulf is very strong and agile, and knows how to fight Grendel (suggesting that the sea monster story wasn't entirely a bunch of hooey), and they spar back and forth until Beowulf notices that Grendel reacts painfully to loud noises. He promptly jumps onto Grendel's back and hammers at the beast's sensitive earpads, which causes the monster extreme pain. As Grendel tries to retreat, his arm is caught in some chains, and Beowulf grabs hold, preventing Grendel from escaping just as the monster goes out the big main door. Grendel's arm is pinned between the door and the doorjamb, and Beowulf, after victoriously announcing his name to the monster, rips off Grendel's arm. Grendel flees to his cave.Beowulf holds up the arm in victory, claiming he's killed Grendel, and most of the Geats cheer his name in celebration. Wiglaf does not, being much more concerned and upset with the lives lost in the battle.Back in the cave, Grendel is dying. We hear his mother asking who did this to him, and Grendel says Beowulf before he dies. Grendel's mother sings a lullaby as she carries her boys body to an altar of sorts. As she places the body down, her voice starts to crack and she sobs before starting to scream with rage.Back in Heorot, Hrothgar is holding another celebration in honor of Beowulf. Unferth apologizes for doubting him, and Wealthow is even more smitten with their hero. The King gives Beowulf a golden horn, the standard of the Danish kingdom, as part of his reward. The horn is in the shape of a dragon, with a red jewel at the neck, and Hrothgar makes an off-hand remark about how hitting the neck is the only way to kill a dragon. Wiglaf is still upset, and goes down to the shore to prepare their ship for departure the next morning.Later, the Geats are all passed out in the Hall after their celebration, and we get a first-persons view of Grendel's mother as she flies into the Hall and tries to figure out which man is Beowulf. She correctly singles out the man who is the biggest and strongest, and appears to him in a dream as Wealthow, begging Beowulf to give her a son. Beowulf realizes he is dreaming and wakes up just as Wealthow's face starts to turn into something demonic. He looks around the Hall to see that all of his men (except Wiglaf, who was down at the shore) have been slaughtered, their bodies strung from the rafters.Later on, when people start to suspect that Grendel isn't really dead, Hrothgar explains that the Geats were killed by Grendel's mother, about whom the King seems to know a great deal. When pressed about who is Grendels father, the King is evasive. It is implicitly clear that Hrothgar himself was Grendel's father (explaining why Grendel didnt kill him earlier). Unferth gives Beowulf his family's sword to assist him in killing Grendel's mother.Beowulf and Wiglaf set out for the cave to kill Grendel's mother and avenge their men. Beowulf insists on going in alone, golden horn and Unferth's sword in tow. The cave is dark, but the horn magically glows to light the way. Beowulf finds an alcove filled with gold, as well as a lot of human bodies, and the altar holding Grendel's body. Suddenly, Grendel's mother's voice comes out of nowhere asking who Beowulf is, and we see her slowly rise out of the water, apparently having shape-shifted into human form. Beowulf is rightly transfixed, in a manner very similar to when he saw the mermaid in his sea monster story. Beowulf's seems to be easily susceptible to the charms of the mystical lady-creatures.She admires how handsome and strong he is. Beowulf tries to run her through with Unferth's sword, but it just passes through her like shes a ghost. She comes up to him and tempts him with the promise of a kingdom and eternal glory, only if he lay with her and give her another son to replace the one he took. She grabs hold of Unferth's blade and it melts like butter. It is apparent that she could slaughter Beowulf at any time. Beowulf doesnt fight her as she sidles closer to him and grabs Hrothgar's dragon horn. There's clearly some kind of connection there, as she says that her promise is valid as long as she has that horn. And Beowulf seems on the verge of yielding to her offer.Jump cut to Beowulf marching back into Heorot, tossing Grendel's head at the Kings feet. Beowulf claims that he not only made sure Grendel is dead, but killed his mother, too. He claims he lost the horn while fighting her, and left Unferth's sword in her body to make sure that she stayed dead. Hrothgar gives Beowulf a quizzical look, and suddenly exclaims that since he, Hrothgar, has no heirs, everything he has, including the kingship and Wealthow, will go to Beowulf when he dies. Hrothgar throws another party, then asks Beowulf for a private word.The King asks Beowulf to recount exactly what happened with Grendel's mother. Beowulf repeats the same blustery tale as before, but with a bit of wariness in his voice. The insinuation is that Beowulf isn't being truthful about what happened. When Beowulf refers to Grendel's mother as a hag, Hrothgar gives him a knowing gotcha! look and says Shes no hag, Beowulf. We both know that. But shes not my curse anymore; she's yours. Beowulf, realizing that the King knows exactly what happened, is visibly shaken, but says nothing. They rejoin the party, but Hrothgar excuses himself later and promptly jumps off the castle wall to his death. As Beowulf and Wealthow look down in horror, Unferth announces Beowulf as Denmark's new King.We cut to Beowulf's face, older and grayer, wearing the Danish crown, surveying his soldiers on a field of battle. His soldiers are slaughtering the opposing army, and Beowulf seems almost saddened by the news. It seems that Grendel's mother made good on her promise, as Beowulf has enjoyed unsurpassed success and glory over the past 50 years, and Beowulf feels as his achievements are all empty and dishonorable, gained from an unholy union with a monster, rather than on Beowulf's own skill and merit. Beowulf even dares one of the enemy soldiers to try and kill him, knowing yet disappointed that it won't happen (it doesn't).Wealthow is Beowulf's Queen, but he has taken up with a younger girl, Ursula (Alison Lohman), who truly seems to care for Beowulf. Their relationship is kept secret with the Queen, thought she knows about it anyway and doesn't say anything. In fact, Beowulf and Wealthow seem to be in a cold and loveless marriage, and she doesnt seem the least bit relieved or happy to learn that he came back from battle unharmed. When Ursula asks what happened in their marriage, Wealthow says "Too many secrets." One would think that she is just as disgusted with Beowulf for having sex with Grendel's mother as she was with Hrothgar.One night, Unferth comes to the King with a slave in tow. The slave holds out his hands to reveal Hrothgar's golden horn, which was found on the shore not too far from Grendel's cave. Beowulf is freaked out, as he realizes that this means that the deal with Grendel's mother is no longer in effect, and that trouble is sure to follow. Sure enough, one of the kingdoms outlying villages is attacked by a dragon one night, and almost all are killed. Unferth is spared so that he can pass on a message to the King that his son is waiting for him.Beowulf knows that this dragon must be the spawn of his liaison with Grendel's mother, and prepares to set out to fight him. He shares a tender moment with Wealthow where they admit that despite everything that's happened, they still love each other. Then he suits up with Wiglaf and they head out to the cave.Again, Beowulf insists on going in alone. He hears a male voice trying to decide who it should kill first, the Queen or Ursula. Grendel's mother appears, who tells Beowulf it is too late to make amends, take things back or renegotiate the deal. As she says this, a huge dragon appears in the caves darkened alcove and spews a blast of fire toward Beowulf. He dodges and escapes the cave just as the dragon flies out and heads toward Heorot. Beowulf grabs onto the dragon and tries to fight it mid-flight. Wiglaf follows on his horse. At some point, Beowulf gets a chain of some kind lashed around the dragon's neck. When Beowulf is on the back of the dragon, it nose dives into the ocean and plunges deep to the seabed. Beowulf is violently thrown off its back but luckily chances upon an old anchor with a heavy chain, grabs hold of it and jams it in the mighty jaws of the dragon just as it was about to surface above out of the ocean.Beowulf isn't very successful in slowing up the dragon, and it starts to lay fiery siege to the castle's perimeter. As it just so happens, both Wealthow and Ursula are talking on the castles rampart as the dragon approaches, and it makes a beeline for them. The dragon burns both of the ramparts exits, leaving the women trapped and with no place to hide.Beowulf find himself dangling on the chain, swinging right in front of the dragons neck, where Beowulf spots a large glowing red area, just like the red jewel in Hrothgar's horn. Beowulf stabs the red area, to find that it opens up into the dragons throat and also happens to give Beowulf a clear shot at the dragons heart. However, Beowulf cant reach the heart. Try as he might, he's always a few inches too far away. Knowing its only a matter of time before the dragon burns the women, Beowulf takes his sword and chops off most or his arm holing the chain. He loses his sword, but the partial separation of his arm from his torso gives him the extra few inches needed to grab the heart and rip it out.As Beowulf squeezes the heart until it bursts, the dragon starts to fall from the sky, down the cliffs of the castle, taking Beowulf with him it its death throes. Wiglaf arrives to save the women. At the shoreline at the bottom of the cliff, both Beowulf and the dragon are sprawled on the beach. The tide washes over them both, and Beowulf, barely conscious, sees the dead dragon melt away to reveal a human form, looking remarkably like a young Beowulf covered completely in Grendel's mother's golden film. The body is carried away by the tide just as Wiglaf arrives in search of the king.Beowulf knows hes about to die, and reveals that he made arrangements for Wiglaf to become the new king. He beseeches Wiglaf to let folks know that Beowulf never killed Grendel's mother (it seems Wiglaf might have always known the truth, but loyal lieutenant that he is, followed Beowulf's story anyway). Beowulf also asks that Wiglaf make up no other stories or inflate the truth in recounting what led up to the king's death. Finally at peace, Beowulf dies.He is given a Viking-like funeral, placed on a boat with sword in hand, and surrounded by offerings to the gods. The boat is set on fire and set out to sea. Wealthow and Ursula, grieving together, head back to the castle, as does everyone else, but King Wiglaf stays behind to watch, himself grieving at the loss of his friend.As he watches the ship engulfed by flames, he sees Grendel's mother appear still human and nude, but with demon wings and a serpent tail, descend onto the boat and give Beowulf a parting kiss. She descends into the water, and the boat then crumbles and sinks completely out of sight. Wiglaf seems to be unsurprised by her appearance.What he is surprised to see is Grendel's mother rising out of the water, much closer to the shore, looking straight at Wiglaf. And he looks down to see Hrothgar's horn wash upon the shore. He picks it up and takes a few steps into the surf, eyes fixed on Grendel's mother. She is looking at Wiglaf with the same sultry beckoning look that she gave Beowulf 50 years ago; Wiglaf seems just as transfixed as Beowulf was.As the two gaze at each other, we are left to wonder whether Wiglaf resisted her, or if he gave in just as Hrothgar and Beowulf did, and thus started the cycle of the curse all over again.The End

Review: I didn't expect a lot from 'Beowulf', for lots of reasons, most of which were to do with the casting: incorrigibly cockney Ray Winstone as a warrior from what's now southern Sweden; wacky John Malkovich as a cynical counselor; loony Crispin Glover as a flesh-rending monster, and weirdest of all, Angelina Jolie as the monster's mother...thaet waes wundorlic castyng, as the poet might have put it.
This is a 'Beowulf' where the story, although different from the poem, is actually very far from shabby.Without giving too much away, the main difference from the poem is that in the poem, there is no connection between the monster Grendel and his mother on one hand, and the dragon in the latter half of the poem on the other hand.
Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary do a professional job of tying it all together in a satisfying Hollywood way, without betraying the basic darkness and sadness of the story; it's not like Beowulf rides off into the sunset with Wiglaf at the end.
(One of the more eerie things about this film is that the cartoon Angelina Jolie looks marginally more realistic than the actress herself.)Despite an accent that's more Stockwell than Geatland, Ray Winstone does a fine, sombre job as the hero, although my wife thought that the animated Winstone looked more like Sean Bean.
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.
In fact, all the action scenes are stunning in 3D, particularly the climactic battle with a top-notch, fire belching monster of a dragon.The plot isn't much to write home about (although there's just a hint of a theological debate about the way Christianity has displaced the old mythic religions, which made me think for about 5 seconds).
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.
Everyone in the audience was given what looked like cheap-ass shades, but they did the job wonderfully and fitted snugly over my regular specs.As for the movie, the plot was tight and well scripted, the voice acting was great (Ray Winstone rocks), the action was breathtaking, some of the CGI was unbelievably gorgeous and the music and incidental sound was great!
The animators of Beowulf clearly had great fun working out new ways of making things jump out of the screen at the audience, but the effect becomes slightly wearisome after a minute or two.
If you have a choice, you might be better off seeing a regular 2D version.A final comment, Beowulf spends part of the movie naked, bet you can't watch it and not think of Austin Powers..
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).
The actors surprised me big time, Ray Winstone delivering actually one of his best performances in a long while, Angelina Jolie playing the slinky seductress to perfection and Anthony Hopkins being a joy to watch on screen.
Making the whole thing work and pay off would be a huge achievement.The follows the poem as warrior Beowulf and his men travel to Denmark to rid a kingdom of the monster Grendel.
The things involving Grendel and his Mother are great, the older thoughtful Beowulf offers good insight into the man and the climax, with a Dragon, is superb.The Motion-Capture is a main talking point and, thankfully, it is excellent.
Elsewhere regular Zemeckis collaborator Alan Silvestri delivers the goods again with another top notch score, it has the right amount of intensity and melancholy to fit the film.I'm actually happy that Beowulf passed my expectations.
Ray Winstone (Beowulf) is tremendously convincing, as is the generally under-rated Crispin Glover (Grendel - who, go figure, is no dragon, as other people said) - Sir Anthony Hopkins is very much royalty in his own right (King Hrothgar) and Robin Right Penn, Brendan Gleeson and John Malkovich excel in the little nuances that give supporting role characters their chances at the Oscars - unfortunately, Angelina Jolie's part is both a visual treat and at the same time an auditory shame - very few lines are spoken - it seems seeing her with zero garments was understood to be enough to satisfy the teenage crowds - well, I would certainly have liked for more character development but what the hell, can't really complain.
As far as anthropomorphic CGI goes all the main characters are instantly recognizable but not perfect (this is still an evolution over Zemecky's own "The Polar Express", mind you) and no matter how much the 3D effects try (and try they do, believe you me), they still seem like gimmicks - the first part of the movie and the cave scenes encompass the best 3D trickery on display - and this new fangled technology is truly superior to the previous red-blue glasses of yesteryear - and will probably leave you with a little less of a hangover afterward.
In this respect I found the choice of Ray Winston for the lead role of Beowulf particularly incongruous because no matter how much CGI is applied to the process of making a film as soon as I hear that voice what I actually see on the screen isn't a muscle-bound (anti-)hero but a fat cockney: Even if Ray Winston were to have a full body transplant (which is effectively what this film gives him) I'd still see a fat cockney on the screen and I'd spend the entire time wondering where he was hiding (or trying to guess who Unferth is, only to find - to my disappointment - that it's a particularly crap attempt to render John Malkovich's face).I'd say more-or-less the same the 3D element of the film which, though a nice bonus, I found most effective in the film's quieter moments such as the shot along the pebble-beach with the longboat in the distance.
I'd have enjoyed it more, and it would have had more artistic integrity, if Beowulf had a painted face, stick-on nose and a fright wig: At least it would have been an honest statement of intent.The nearest thing this film has to integrity (bearing in mind that Mel Gibson recently felt free enough to release a film entirely in Aramaic) is Grendel muttering some of his lines in Anglo Saxon, which would be alright were it not for the fact that no-one else in the film speaks in Anglo Saxon, so the effect of this device it to make it appear as if Grendel is speaking his own monster-language, not the same language as everyone else in the epic.In summary then: This film is a terrible adaptation, with graphics that will look dated by next year, and some awful scriptwriting.
It's really hard to understand what was being attempted with this film: genuine realism (then why recreate the actors in CGI?), complete fantasy immersion (then why are some scenes so tangible?), or (as I suspect) purely an exercise in what is possible with modern CGI.The pace of the story itself is about right with a good balance of character development and plot enhancement.
It's difficult to discredit the physical acting because although it is clear that the original actors did perform physically I suspect that much was lost in the CGI transformation.Unfortunately this movie's biggest flaw is the story itself.
Beowulf does present the key protagonists, and the first half of the film is fairly accurate but the second half is wildly aloof in its interpretation of the original text.That said, overall the film is beautiful and should be applauded for what has been achieved but for the time being you are left feeling that this technique of story telling should be confined to games.
Beowulf the movie is an adaptation of this classic, except with extremely poorly written dialog, an abundance of tit jokes, and everything else you would expect from a Hollywood film.
I tried to enjoy the movie and the horrible script that just recycled one-liner after one-liner "I am here to kill you Monsta indeed." Every line was a rip off from the now cliché Gerard Butler line "THIS IS SPARTA!!!" This movie took away everything that i loved from the poem and made it into something almost dirty it made this epic hero that stood not only the horrible monster Grendel but also his horrible mother, and then in his older days he still could beat up a dragon into something dirty.
The latest in line is Robert Zemeckis' "Beowulf".Ray Wintstone plays the eponymous character, who travels the high seas to answer the call of the drunk King Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins): to slay the demon Grendel (Crispin Glover), who has been terrorizing the town of Heorot.
Beowulf does so but incurs the wrath of the demon's mother (Angelina Jolie), who in turns seduces him into a curse that befell generations of leaders.Written for the screen by fantasy novel/comic book whiz Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary ("Pulp Fiction"), the film employs the same motion-capture 3-D animation he used in "Polar Express".
The special effects and sound of Beowulf are top notch and the best technology has to offer these days.Every breaking bone, every ripple in every face, and every flexing muscle look as good as CGI probably ever will at this time.
This action trinket starts off as great fun, thanks mostly to the novelty of 3-D, which is done very well here.But the motion capture technology deadens all of the performances and leaves all the characters looking like little dolls in a diorama.
(The two stories have much in common: Tolkein was a professor in Old and Middle English and was deeply familiar with the Beowulf poem).However as soon as the film starts one realises that the whole thing looks like a teenage video game.
Digital "motion capture" Beowulf looks more like a computer game than a movie.
There are silly moments, like for example Beowulf fighting completely naked against Grendel, or the ambiguous character of Unferth, but in the end this movie is entertaining.
Set in a magical era veiled by the mists of time, replete with heroes and monsters, adventure and valor, gold and glory, one exceptional man emerges to save an ancient Danish kingdom from annihilation by an ungodly creature.After destroying the overpowering demon Grendel, Beowulf (Ray Winstone) incurs the undying wrath of the beast's ruthlessly seductive mother (Angelina Jolie), who will use any means possible to ensure revenge.
And if you're a Beowulf purist, because I'm sure there is such a thing, be prepared to be disappointed as this film version of the story strays in very significant ways from the original text.
Of course their accents sucked but I didn't care as long as the movie got better.Then here comes Beowulf, the first true hero.
About an hour into the movie, nothing changing, the script keeps pointing out imaginary flaws in the character Beowulf, then the movie just plunges, completely flies off track that the original story was on.The rest of the movie I sat in agony as I watched one the greatest literary masterpieces get butchered, again and again.
Some may consider the plot a bit too typical for modern age Hollywood movies, but still the story holds up pretty well and stays interesting to the end.In sum: mighty fine high-tech entertainment based on the epic poem.
Robert Zemeckis's action sequences are breathtaking, and perfectly fitting for the epic nature of the story, and although I am in no way an advocate for entirely CGI films ("Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" anyone?), it seems this time they really did get it right.The adaptation from epic poem to epic film was no different, and Beowulf the film was going to need a stronger narrative backbone to work, which thankfully the script successfully gave it.
The basis of the movie is of course the epic of the hero Beowulf, a worthy endeavor, if the production company would actually stick to the friggin story.
Beowulf in my opinion would have been more entertaining if they would have made the movie with real people, and used the computers to enhance the film.
There is no doubt why no one could resist her charms.The movie was just an incredible experience with fine actors (Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, and a really believable Crispin Glover, as well as Winstone and Jolie), and an ending battle that will leave you breathless.
While Beowulf is just another Lord of the Rings wannabe, neither true to the source material nor actually a film - this is what the next few years hold.Overall the movie is great entertainment.
At times it feels like you're looking at the real thing, most notably Angelina Jolie's face in most of her scenes or Brendan Gleeson towards the end of the movie.I saw this movie in 2D and was extremely impressed by it, more so for the fast heavy beats (the music is awesome) that vibrated throughout the cinema and the excellent dialog that Beowulf delivers.
Beowulf later must face the monster's mother (Angelina Jolie) who is an even more terrifying and powerful monster (and Lara Croft look-alike).Competing for your attention are big battles involving heroic and sometimes naked warriors, oozing monsters and fire-breathing dragons, not to mention the over-usage of a semi-nude, digitally-enhanced, gold-covered female demon with a square-ish face reminiscent of bee-stung-lipped Jon Voight, all offering feasts for the eyes and not too much for the brain.Well, that's not completely true; the movie does have a weighty message regarding humanity's pride, lust, and greed, and the consequences that follow when indulging in temporal pleasure for temporal glory.
Zemeckis' clever misdirection emphasizes gore, butts, and boobs under the veil of the movie's unrealistic blend of animation and weird, live-action, motion-capture technology, also used in Zemeckis' previous film, "The Polar Express" -- another movie with interesting visuals, dead-looking 'actors', and a somewhat boring story.Not that "Beowulf" is totally boring.
"Beowulf" may draw comparisons to films like "300" and "The 13th Warrior", but only as a reminder that these movies do a better job of wowing us with the use of real people and stronger stories..
The makers of this film bank on the fact that most people who see it will have no idea of the true story of Beowulf and will never take the time to see how much of a botch this movie is.
If you go to this movie, go knowing that it has little to no reference to the actual poems, and after seeing it take the time to read the story as it was written.One final comment, to a person who was heard saying, "What a wonderful and original story!" Beowulf was written 100s of years ago.
Beowulf used the motion of the real actors are captured on computer and is then put in the computer animation to make a photo-realistic movie.
It looks like stuff is way to powerful to ever lose that glazed look that was spooky in "Express" and is rather distracting in this movie."Beowulf" is not a classic or a thriller or a very entertaining film.
This is a film you should see if you want to check out the amazing similarities between the actors and their animated characters, however if you want a good film, with action and a strong story.....take a trip to blockbuster and rent the original Beowulf!
So all in all, I think that although Beowulf might not have the most emotionally involving story or the most relatable characters, it's still quite entertaining and exciting today and you should have a very good time watching it.
I've never read the original Beowulf story but movie is incredibly entertaining.
With such an epic narrative, enjoyable action scenes, cool monsters, a naked digital Angelina Jolie, and a CG rendering of the main character's ass for those who like that sort of thing (thankfully Beowulf looks nothing like Ray Winstone), there surely is something for everyone..
"Beowulf" is an animated 2007 film version of the epos featuring Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie and Robin Wright Penn.
Okay, so he exaggerates his past exploits and has a weakness for babes, what else is new?I should add here that, not only is this a beautiful film to look at, animated or not, it also has an excellent epic Viking-ish score by Alan Silvestri, highlighted by the main title ("What We Need Is A Hero") and the two versions of "A Hero Comes Home" (the first is the shorter version sung by Robin Wright-Penn whereas the second, sung by Idina Menzel, plays during the end credits).***SPOILER ALERT*** The rest of this review explores the meanings behind the story and gives away important plot elementsI'll be honest with you, although I was entertained the first time I saw "Beowulf" I came away from it thinking "Huh?" This version makes King Hrothgar the father of Grendel, and Beowulf the father of the dragon, making it absurd in a what-were-they-thinking way, but also creative.
Other than a couple of interesting scenes, the movie could have easily been done better with live actors.As for the story, it lacks a character to root for.
You probably know a few things about Beowulf  firstly, that it is based on an Anglo-Saxon epic and involves monster-slaying, mead-drinking and a hero who lusts for power; secondly, that the movie is 'performance capture' animated, and is available in 3-D; and finally, that it features a stiletto-heeled, lizard-tailed, mostly naked Angelina Jolie, looking better than she has in years.