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Movie Review

BEOWULF

An epic fantasy with a somewhat Lord of the Rings feel...
By: Abbie Bernstein, Columnist
Date: Friday, November 16, 2007

Beowulf (voiced by Ray Winstone) and Wiglaf (voiced by Brendan Gleeson) in BEOWULF (2007).

©Paramount Pictures

Mania Rating
Grade:  B+
  • Reviewed Format: Theatrical Release
  • Rated: PG-13
  • Stars: Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn, Angelina Jolie, Crispin Glover, John Malkovich, Brendan Gleeson, Alison Lohman
  • Writers: Neil Gaiman & Roger Avary
  • Director: Robert Zemeckis
  • Distributor: Paramount Pictures
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BEOWULF

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Movie Review

Columnist

For those of us who grew up on storybooks, let it be known that Beowulf captures the feel of reading a good one. Not that the movie is for children, but rather that director Robert Zemeckis, writers Neil Gaiman & Roger Avary and their highly talented company of designers and technicians have crafted something that seems mythical and mysterious, invoking a kind of innocence and dread.
 
The much-vaunted motion-capture process still cuts both ways, though the ambitions of Beowulf ultimately make this filmmaking technique the right choice here. Right now, there’s no other way to put the deformed giant Grendel and normal-sized humans in the same reality without seams showing, and Grendel here is a figure worthy of Clive Barker, as pitiably disturbing as he is frightening to see.
 
Beowulf is the oldest known tale in (old) English, about a hero who comes to save Danish King Hrothgar’s hall from the ravages of the monster Grendel, then going after Grendel’s mother in her lair for good measure. Screenwriter Avary has discussed how certain discrepancies in the original legend inspired him to fill in the blanks in the way that he does here, which does make for a cracking good story. We have a young, ferocious Beowulf (Ray Winstone) who is truly up to facing anything except his own ambitions, an old king (Anthony Hopkins) wracked by secret shame, a queen (Robin Wright Penn) torn between desire, duty and disgust – and of course the tortured Grendel (Crispin Glover) and his mother, who we know looks very different alone with her son than she does to human eyes, when she appears as a beautiful woman (Angelina Jolie).
 
Although this last is a pivotal plot point, it’s not nearly as prominent in the proceedings as the trailers might suggest. While Beowulf doesn’t have the sweep and heart of Lord of the Rings – first of all, what does?, and second, the technicians still haven’t fully solved the character eye issues that come with motion-capture imagery – there is a sense of scope and magic and awe here. The 3D is really breathtaking – mountains across a lake look as though they are truly across a vast, moving body of water and a dragon is as wonderfully realized as a dragon can be – and there’s also a feeling of texture and history. The scenery looks cold, the mead hall has the heft and spareness and majesty of something ancient and there’s even a sense of mischief here, as in a pricelessly bawdy drinking song.
 
Once in awhile, mischief gets the better of the filmmakers – it wasn’t really necessary to preserve the PG-13 rating by means of strategically placing objects across the bottom of the frame in a male nude sequence. But Zemeckis and the writers are generally deft on their feet, not making the situation too portentous or attempting to invite too many conclusions.
 
The film also has a strong cast, who are visibly giving powerful, committed performances. Despite being given different physical attributes than he has in three-dimensional life, Winstone is recognizably himself, and no one could ask for a more fierce and dangerous yet reflective protagonist, the stuff of folklore but still human. Hopkins as the hearty yet haunted king is the epitome of an old Norse warrior and Brendan Gleeson is a standout as Beowulf’s loyal lieutenant. As for Glover’s Grendel, it’s safe to say nobody’s ever done anything quite like this before. He gives hope that some horror filmmakers will see the potential in this form and use it to their ends.
 
Beowulf is trying to do something new with film as a medium, and that aspect of it is interesting, but it generally feels satisfying as a new telling of an eerie story we remember from days of old.

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Showing 1 - 10 of 12 Comments, Page: 1 2
Comments
#1 - metalwater  [Nov 16 2007, 1:38 am CST]
This looks too creepy for me. I heard one critic describe the look of the human characters as something resembling real life drowning victims.
#2 - gauleyboy420  [Nov 16 2007, 11:30 am CST]
Cool review, I know the motion capture technology is new, but it looks great. I'll see this this weekend.
#3 - Quatchkopf  [Nov 16 2007, 11:52 am CST]
This looks like its going to be an OK movie. Also I pick up accents on a drop of a dime and I think the way uncle Anthony says Monster and the way Jolie says it makes me laugh,
#4 - highdough  [Nov 16 2007, 12:17 pm CST]
I saw it last night. Good, but not great. My wife and I both thought it seemed long, although I was surprised that it's less than 2 hours. The 3D is quite cool, although I kind of stopped noticing it halfway through. I have to say, though, at this point, I'm not a huge fan of the motion capture technology. I really didn't connect with the characters as much as I would have with real people, so there was little emotional impact. There were some scenes that having real actors would have been impossible (the climactic scene at the end, for instance), and it did give a different feel than a real setting and actors would have, but in the end, I have to say I didn't really like the animation. Not yet, anyway.
#5 - gauleyboy420  [Nov 16 2007, 12:41 pm CST]
It seems to me that if you stopped noticing it, then it is very successful. That is the point of CGI, not to impress the viewer with the animation, but to make the animation secondary, unnoticeable.

highdough,So your telling me that Zemekis has done his job.

Sweet looking forward to this flick even more.
#6 - WISEGUY562  [Nov 16 2007, 2:32 pm CST]
Just saw it. Amittedly I'm easy to please with this genre, but I thought it was really well done. It would've been easy for them to go overboard with spectacle because of the CGI, instead I felt it was treated with the respect this tale deserves. It did make me think of LOTR briefly, with the dread and somewhat somber feel. The 3D is great, there's even a preview for Journey to the Center of the Earth(a live action film) in 3D. The last thing for me is the motion capture process, still needs some fine tuning, but for me I think that's nitpicking.
#7 - joeybaloney  [Nov 16 2007, 2:34 pm CST]
Holy Crap! Crispin Glover as Grendal! I had no idea. I was already looking forward to this. Now I might have to leave work early!
#8 - highdough  [Nov 16 2007, 2:48 pm CST]
gauleyboy420,

I didn't say that I stopped noticing the CGI. I stopped noticing the 3D. I was always very aware of the CGI. Sometimes far too aware. The 3D really hits you at first, but I guess you get used to it after a while.

Again, the CGI did bother me throughout the film because I never really felt any real emotion from the characters as I would real actors.
#9 - metalwater  [Nov 17 2007, 3:02 pm CST]
Beowulf made $10,056,000 on Friday, so it should make over 30 million dollars this weekend. I'm shocked, as i was certain that it would bomb...but I guess it really is a popular book in high schools.
#10 - Quatchkopf  [Nov 17 2007, 4:58 pm CST]
I had never heard of this story until a few years ago. We never got to read that in highschool. We had to read stupid books like Tale of 2 cities or Of Mice and Men or the stupid Outsiders.
Showing 1 - 10 of 12 Comments, Page: 1 2
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