Beowulf & Grendel
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Movie Reviews of Beowulf & Grendel
Movie Review: Strange and beautiful
Summary: 5 Stars
When I first learned of Beowulf and Grendel, I wanted to see it for its star, Gerard Butler. I then heard of director Sturla Gunnersson's commitment to it, and I had attended the fine new Elliot Goldenthal/Julie Taymor opera, Grendel, inspired by the John Gardner novel that portrays Grendel an outcast. Well, the movie has convinced me! Strange and beautiful, it has become one of my favorites.
The film opens to the stark majesty of the craggy Icelandic coast. This chapter, captioned "A Hate is Born," quickly unfolds to a sickening scene as the child Grendel (played by the real-life son of actor Ingvar Eggert Sigurasson, the adult Grendel) suffers a horrific atrocity. His life is then spared out of compassion by Hrothgar, his attacker and King of the Danes. This good deed does not atone and, years later, when the prosperous King constructs a mead hall for his people to enjoy, the adult troll takes murderous revenge. The King's men have drunk their mead and are sleeping, defenseless against Grendel's strength and rage.
We next meet our hero, Beowulf, who has washed up on desolate Fish Beach a shipwreck victim. It is implied that this soggy event gives birth to the legend that he can swim the oceans, and is also a great introduction to Gerard Butler's Beowulf, wryly played as brave and committed, but downplaying his heroic reputation. Beowulf acts out of a sense of duty when he embarks with his gang to defend Hrothgar and the Danes against the evil troll. In due course, Beowulf uncovers another side to the matter.
Gerard Butler shines in this movie. Larger-than-life by nature, Mr. Butler gives us a Beowulf that is physical, thoughtful and a bit of a loner. Stellan Skarsgard's messy Hrothgar plays against Butler with ease as a drunken, grief-struck king who fluctuates between insanity, nobility and political cover-up. Ingvar Sigurasson's portrayal of Grendel is marvelous: terrifying, yet sweet and humorous when he imitates the fanatical Celtic priest; joyous and defiant at his empowerment; and despairing when his time has come to an end. Sarah Polley, as Selma the witch, underplays as a woman bearing the terrible burden of seeing "how people die." She is lovely as a bitter survivor. Her character also provides insight into Grendel's condition. And the soundtrack is breathtaking, like the movie -- bright, beautiful, cold and primitive.
This DVD also includes excerpts from the documentary entitled Wrath of Gods, about the making of Beowulf and Grendel. Watch these segments. You might find the harsh conditions that the players endured to make this movie, such as driving horizontal rain and wind gusts that knocked out car windows, more difficult to swallow than the existence of the terrifying Sea Witch!
Movie Review: Hilarious
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie is great because it is a great laugh. I have bought it for so many friends for birthdays and holidays that this itself becomes funny.
The insertion of Sarah Polley as a witch who did not appear in the actual original Beowulf tale/epic poem is itself genius. She, unlike the rest of the actors, has a flat American accent (in ancient Scandinavia) and recites her lines with the same rhythm every sentence: dull and emotionless. A great scene (SPOILER WARNING!) occurs when Beowulf (smitten, obviously) comes to visit her in her dank cave set apart from the village. He's curious about Grendel, the troll, of course, and has come to seek her magickal advice. She responds in defense of Grendel, again in her flat acting-less style, and then *FLASHBACK!* to her asleep in her cave, and suddenly, who should come bumbling in? Good ol' Grendel, whose huge bulk he maneuvers through the tiny entrance. He makes his way over to her, lying on her stomach, pulls away her blanket and skirt, and proceeds to impregnate her. The *FLASHBACK!* ends, Beowulf, entranced, reaches forward to kiss her. She pulls back, and says, drolly, "Don't forget: I know how you die." And then, they too, have sex. It's a wonderful script. Brilliant timing. Brilliantly bad acting.
The second best thing about this movie is Grendel himself. He does not speak, of course, but mumbles unintelligibly to himself (the best noises being his sex noises, which are SOOO awkward and uncomfortable). It's entertaining to watch him bowling with human skulls just because of his self-directing gurgling speech, his cartwheels, and his squeals of joy. It's also fun to watch him mock the lone Christian in the land (a foreign priest), who, on a bet, spends the night outside with his rosary, praying in Latin, to prove his God will protect him from the monster. Grendel creeps up behind and mimics his Latin mutterings, which is classic. Also, Grendel is very stupid: once, while in the King's hall, his arm becomes entangled in a piece of rope hanging from the ceiling. While he could cut the rope, Grendel chooses not to, and instead chops off his own arm.
I particularly love the cursing in this movie--it's just great because, here I am, watching an Old English epic poem playing on the screen, and so I'm expecting Old English dialogue, so forth, and am rewarded with the constant line of "f***ing troll!" This alone sets me in hysterics.
This should be a cult classic. It really should. I recommend it to everyone. Also, it's so self-serious that you can tell it's not even intentionally a spoof (shame). But don't expect to ACTUALLY think it's a good movie. It's only great because it's SO bad.
Movie Review: You gotta love the classics!
Summary: 5 Stars
Beowulf
Finally, someone does a respectable interpretation of one of the most important pieces of Western European literature! If you can get past Beowulf's witch Selma's respective Scottish and American accents, as well as some modern turns of phrase in the Danish dialogue, then raise your flagon of beer up high, for the rest of the film will be clear sailing. Those who had to read this epic in school (and who didn't??), and those who actually read it in Middle English for enjoyment in college (like myself . . . ) will be grateful to know that the film is pretty faithful to the book. Ok, there is the witch, but they weren't really that uncommon back then. Most of them pretty much were outcasts who lived on the fringes of a community anyhow--although few were probably as desirable as Selma. There is also some revisionism going on, most particularly with Grendel-and it is here that director Gunnarsson can't be praised enough. Through Grendel we have the conflux of monster/hero, myth, truth, and the legend that gets made from truth, even while the truth is unfolding at the moment--watch the bard in the movie and you'll see. There is also some nice historical background that mattes the picture-you can see how the blood oath/vengeance shaped much of that culture for the time; the first inroads Christianity was making into Scandinavia; and some references to parallel historical threads, namely Clovis of the Franks. My only criticism is of not including the final part of Beowulf's life. It would have been nice to have seen this part because it is in a way more political and true to life--an exceptional charismatic figure holds a kingdom together by force of will and then the kingdom disintegrates upon his death; that and there was a good dragon fight as well, but that's another story for another time. The extras respectable. I liked the one deleted scene of the Christian priest ranting at the Danes as he's sailing into their community to Christianize them. A final thank you should go to Anchor Bay for continually turning out some fine DVDs of some of the most obscure past films past and some great mainstream films that somehow would have fallen through the cracks of being released.
Movie Review: Selma (Sarah Polley) can bewitch you with her forwardness and charm
Summary: 5 Stars
The story is now nearly two thousand years old. We are use to the written version that was solidified centuries later. This story in the original tradition places a different slant on the tale while holding close to the original. If told verbatim this would be a twenty minute movie so some of the information was filled in from inference. The ending has been changed to pose a new question and allow for a possible sequel.
The Dane King Hrothgar (Stellan Skarsgård) crosses paths with a troll (instead of some Harry Potter or Shreck type creature this is more of a Neanderthal) who had the audacity to steal a fish. That is a killing offence. Unfortunately after the troll is dispatched Hrothgar realizes he left a trollet behind. Through an act of kindness or for some other reason he lets the little Grendel (Hringur Ingvarsson) survive. Now grown up Grendel (Ingvar E. Sigurdsson. Actually two actors) as required by tradition takes revenge on Danes.
With out knowing the facts the Geet hero Beowulf (Gerard Butler,) (twelve years later, even though they are a day's sail away) hears about King Hrothgar plight and takes his men to the rescue. There he meets a distraught King, a mad monk, a witchy woman and an illusive and cunning Grendel.
One thing that gives the film worth is that Grendel may be strong but mortal and Beowulf is not as strong as 30 men; this makes the tale more like something that could have really happened and turned into a myth.
You will enjoy the real scenery and the refreshing absence of all that mind warping CGI.
Beowulf: A New Verse Translation (Bilingual Edition)
Movie Review: An Excellent Movie... In Its Own Right
Summary: 5 Stars
"Beowulf and Grendel" is a terrific movie, taken by itself without judging it against the Old English poem. I am an English graduate student with a special interest in Old English, so I am quite familar with the epic. There are many points where the movie deviates from its source material (the inclusion of the character Selma, the omission of the final battle with the dragon, et cetera). Beyond these concrete differences, there are some less obvious, and deeper differences. This movie has an agenda, and is uncomfortable with the simple good and simple evil presented in the poem. Grendel is given justification, and he is presented as a humane (and almost human) character, who is just as deserving of our pity as Gollum is in the Lord of the Rings.
Beowulf begins to question the motives of Hrothgar, and becomes somewhat disillusioned with the hero myths that begin to surround him. In short, this movie is Beowulf for the modern era, as we expect complex characters with varying degrees of motivation and ambiguity. Enjoy this movie for what it is, and not for what it lacks. If anything, this film may make viewers want to read the epic poem, and that can only be a good thing.
As a side note, this movie actually contains *quite* a bit of profanity. I am unsure why this is added; it may be to eliminate some of the distance between modern viewers and the early medieval period, or it may simply be an attempt to convey the rugged and harsh conditions of the period.