Beowulf
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Movie Reviews of Beowulf
Movie Review: "I've come to kill your monster!"
Summary: 5 Stars
BEOWULF isn't exactly subtle. In the annals of barbaric Sword & Sorcery, subtlety doesn't much enter into the picture. BEOWULF is over-the-top, gruesome, and violent. And that's just the way we like our Beowulf. The story, written by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary and adapted from the ancient, anonymous epic poem, begins in 507A.D. as a kingdom in Denmark is beset by the giant demon Grendel. Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins), the beleaguered old monarch, sends out the word far and wide, calling for a hero to vanquish Grendel. Then comes Beowulf of Geatland (Sweden), brawny, fearless, and indomitable, who, in the midst of his swaggering and name boasting, manages to slay the demon. So, it seems, the curse is lifted and it's all good and gravy in the land of the Danes. But no one knew about Grendel's vengeful mother...or, as Beowulf vehemently asks: "Must I hack down a whole family tree of demons?!" Well, yes.
As a guy, it's hard not to like this flick. It's action packed, with monsters and beautiful women and lots of testosterone-generating activity. And it's all animated. With today's sophisticated technology and the bar being constantly raised, we've all come to expect a certain standard of quality. Yet, even as jaded as I am, there's no denying that the animation in BEOWULF is worth marveling at. It's a mindboggling, painstaking work of cinema, and it does right with this oldest of adventure stories.
Robert Zemeckis, who brought us the fabulous-looking but soulless Christmas fable The Polar Express (Widescreen Edition), brings the same dazzling CGI animation to BEOWULF. In fact, his "performance capture" technology - which is basically a live action performance that's been digitally captured and enchanced by CGI - is even more realistic now and, in BEOWULF, wonderfully evokes a sense of grandeur and myth and a feel for time and place. I don't know too much about the process, but, man, do I like it. And this technique is simply perfect for this sort of larger-than-life storytelling as Grendel, his monstrous but seductive mother, and other mythical creatures are brought to vivid life. Oh, there are still moments when we're reminded that this technology still hasn't been perfected, as the camera catches a character engaged in a weird facial expression (for some reason, Queen Wealthow has a lot of these) or in the middle of some awkward movement. But these are infrequent moments. Instead, a lot of the scenes are simply breathtaking.
On a side note, it shouldn't be a surprise that the story of Beowulf, with its grand, melodramatic themes, has even carved its way into the world of opera. The film mines several of these elements: power, in the vigor of youth and in the weight of the crown; ambition and temptation; loss and tragedy, redemption and regret. Love's in there, too, somewhere. So, in the midst of the carnage and chest-thumping, there are actually moments of introspection.
As the bold and bombastic hero, Ray Winstone brings it - the commanding presence, the cool confidence, the fire. In real life a doughy 5'10" fella, Ray would've found it very challenging to physically play the warrior's warrior. But, thanks to "performance capture" we get to enjoy watching a mighty-thewed 6'6" Beowulf and have Ray's amazing voice and acting talent shine thru. Initially, I did feel that Beowulf was being depicted as too much a one-note character, all glory, no depth. But his character did begin showing layers following his confrontation with Grendel's mother in the cave.
With a larger than life lead character, it's sometimes iffy for the supporting actors to make their mark. But veteran big time actors Anthony Hopkins and John Malkovich do add texture to the film, while Robin Wright-Penn, whom I haven't seen in a while, turns in a surprisingly good performance as Queen Wealthow. Crispin Glover adds depth to Grendel, a tortured soul, and even makes you feel sorry for the monster, even if you can't really understand what the hell he's saying (apparently, it's in Old English). Angelina Jolie steals the show as Grendel's mother, who just 2 seconds ago shoved Jessica Rabbit and COOL WORLD's Holli Would off their perches as the hottest animated girls. I happen to find her accent very alluring.
Ultimately, BEOWULF is a truimph in sweeping spectacle with just a touch of character study, and that's as it should be. This film is brutal and rowdy and visually compelling and will appeal to the barbarian at heart. This is Beowulf slaying monsters and downing mead, not Beowulf doing the crossword and sipping tea. Before Conan, before John Carter of Mars or Elric of Melnibone, before the Lord of the Rings, Beowulf made his mark. Now I'm not saying he inspired Conan and company, but Beowulf's story has been around for a thousand years and has been rooted in our public consciousness for so long that, well, you know what, maybe he did.
Movie Review: "Always, a hero comes home"
Summary: 5 Stars
"Beowulf" is the most ambitious and awe-inspiring fantasy film to emerge in the considerable wake of The Lord of the Rings - The Motion Picture Trilogy -barring 300 which isn't entirely fantasy. It's a very adult animated movie that pushes the PG-13 rating to it's breaking point with overt sexual references, brutal violence, and abundant nudity. It is also the most impressive bit of computer animation I've ever had the pleasure of viewing and hopefully you didn't miss it on the big screen.
"Beowulf" is, of course, based on the poem of the same name and has been filmed several times before, most recently with Gerard Butler in the lead role in Beowulf & Grendel. Like so many modern film interpretations of classic myths, that film minimized the supernatural fantasy aspects and tried to make the story more realistic (see: boring). This adaptation will have none of that as we are treated to an etheral she-demon, toothy sea monsters, an utterly grotesque troll, and the most impressive dragon since Dragonslayer over two decades ago. Along with animation that often leaves you gaping in awe at the film's beauty and the extreme onscreen carnage, there is little for me not to love about this adaption.
The performances are well done all around. The CG was animated over the actions of onscreen actors including Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, and Anthony Hopkins. While a bit is certainly lost in the translation with a few characters' faces seeming rather stiff at times, the end result is more than a little bit impressive. So many films mix CG and live action nowadays that viewers have had to learn to ignore the obvious line between the two, but in making this an entirely CG affair, the look remains seamless throughout and it's easier to get lost in the first rate action sequences. The only thing really lacking storywise is emotional depth in the love story between Beowulf and his queen. But that is a tiny complaint in an ocean of awesome.
The story is a suprisingly emotional spin on the stone classic which pits the heroic-yet-fallible warrior, Beowulf, against monsters that are products of -if not representations of- human weakness. The monster Grendel is a wretched and pitiful creature whose eardrums are outside of his head, making the sounds of the villagers' merrymaking painful and driving him berserk. King Hrothgar puts out a reward which Beowulf arrives to collect and as the plot thickens the classic story receives a new perspective that drives the drama to a new, rather ironic level. The end result is a nicely foreshadowed sequence of events that leads to Beowulf being crowned as king. But just as each of the beasts the hero faces have a vital weakness so does he, and the day of reckoning for his dalliances does come.
The music is as epic and memorable as the story itself and the visuals -as stated and restated- are top notch. The new spin on the old story gives a fresh perspective on a literary classic, as though the poem is but a third-person recounting of the events we witness in the film passed down and altered by time. Clever. I'd love to see more classic mythological stories get this kind of treatment. The director's cut DVD features some extra gore and that's about it, but it's good enough for me to recommend that version. It also comes with a small comic book, some interesting "making of" stuff, and some other typical bonus materials, mostly dealing with casting and story conception. The production art that's shown is very cool and the trailer for "Iron Man " is on there too. Nothing earth-shattering, but certainly adequate.
Animation should not be just for kids, and neither should this film genre. This is the sort of film that shows just how far CG has come in such a short time. I can't wait to see what animation will look like a decade form now. How "Beowulf" got away without an "R" rating in the theaters is a mystery to me, but I'm just thrilled that it slipped through because I wouldn't change a thing. Except for maybe the fist-sized dragon heart; that was just silly. Check this out if you profess any sort of interest in fnatasy or animation.
Movie Review: Two Danish Inventions, for Tim Lee
Summary: 5 Stars
We saw this in 3-D and afterwards, the strangely disembodied and exaggerated bodily movements of the "motion captured" actors had us walking out of the theater in a Martha Graham-style line of weirdly extended arms, twisty necks that seem always to be craning up towards the moon, and slow extensions of the legs, trying to emulate Angelina Jolie's long slinky walk along the edge of the underground pool full of jewels from which she swam, in her admirable bare feet that were oddly shaped exactly like a pair of flesh colored high heels.
One of our party, Tim, deduced that the ancient Danes must have invented not only high heels but also what he called the "sarcastic clap." You know, when all of the interest is centered on one party making a grandiose speech or striking a vain attitude, and then, from a corner where you least expect it, you hear the sound of one person clapping extremely slowly--one clap at a time--as they stride forward towards the unctuous one, clapping sarcastically Tim says, though I would perhaps call it the "ironic clap." Done well this is always the highlight of any movie that employs it, and we've all seen quite a few. Well, the screenwriters of BEOWULF must love this device for the "sarcastic clap" gets used three times--a record in any movie, be it animated or live action! John Malkovich was born to enact the "sarcastic clap" and he does so perfectly in this film.
As for the scenes in which Robin Wright Penn and Alison Lohman stand side by side, wife and mistress, mourning over where did they go wrong with their man, to me they proved that like so many of us, Beowulf's screenwriters got many of their dramatic effects from the musical CHESS, written by Tim Rice and Bjorn and Benny from ABBA. All ABBA fans remember the song "I Know Him So Well," a duet for wife and mistress in which each boasts how she was the one to know the guy the best, and each then is forced to admit, he didn't really care for either of us! Very sad, and Whtiney Houston has a duet version with her own mother, which I always thought creepy for some reason.
"Looking back I could have played it differently
Won a few more moments who can tell?
But it took time to understand the man;
Now at least I know I know him well."
Movie Review: If you see one film this year on the big screen, let this one be it
Summary: 5 Stars
Definitely look for "Beowulf" in 3D and IMAX, if you can. It's even worth the extra $2.50 for a pair of 3D glasses. (Pass them off to your friend who keeps losing their shades afterwards) The animation is so real, you're going to be ducking weapons, dragons, etc. Prior to this year, the last 3D movie I'd seen was "Space Balls" and I was singularly not impressed. Of course, the technology has improved since then. Honestly, 3D is now so good people with serious visual challenges can see and appreciate the effects.
Why does one story get told over and over? Revisited, retranslated, and reissued. Truth is, Hollywood often keeps redoing stories til they reach the zenith of the tale's capability. If director Robert Zemeckis hasn't gotten there with this version, I'm not sure where they can take it. He's certainly improved on his 3D effect since "Polar Express." (Which I still liked very much and saw twice in IMAX)
Most of us have encountered the tale before in an English class or two. It's an anonymous poem taking place in about 500 AD, young Beowulf (Ray Winstone) comes to King Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins) who his father owes a debt to and offers to settle that debt by killing Grendel (Crispin Glover), the monster who has plagued Hrothgar's hall. Of course, there's always more to the story--and that's what makes things interesting.
Neil Gaiman did an admirable job bringing the screenplay to life. The only other author I'd consider writing this tale for film would be John Gardner, who wrote "Grendel" in the 1970's; however, Gardner regrettably died almost 25 years ago.
The cast was stellar. Anthony Hopkins can play just about any king or faded hero and make them real. Angelina Jolie was at her wicked best as the temptress of kings and heroes. Crispin Glover just broke my heart.
The soundtrack was even good. Too much music overscores the action. The music rose at appropriate places and fell when we needed to hear something being said.
All in all, I'd give this effort a solid 5 stars. It'll be a long time before anyone can rise to this cast and crew. And please do go see this show at the theatre at the best screen you can find.
Movie Review: Beowulf - The Story Of Never Ending Desire
Summary: 5 Stars
Recently watched this movie called Beowulf, this movie is based on the epic poem written by some anonymous poet. If looked from the superficial point of view it's the hero fighting with the dragon and other enemies but if we go deeper into this movie we will see that this movie is talking about the vicious circle of endless desire.
The one who start conquering the small desire come to a point where he also faces the mother of all the desires. Beowulf in the man who is in everybody, he is young, he is energetic, enthusiastic, confident, powerful and he is the one who has come fresh from God and this is how everybody comes from God and one day he starts going beyond the desire and in doing so he kills many sons of mother desire.
And in doing so he actually gives the ultimate challenge to the mother of desire but when Beowulf faces her, he starts losing his strength and control because this desire seems to be the ultimate and gives many promises to him and also she appears as the most beautiful woman which depicts that sex is the last and the mother of all the desire and the one who is ready to go beyond sex, he is ready to go beyond desire.
Whenever he listens to this mother desire, she gives birth to more desires resulting in destruction and failure of his kingdom and control.
When I was watching this movie this message came within me that the desire returns in many forms, the mind try to survive in every possible way and this is what is happening to man that every time he listens to the desire, to the mind, he falls again and again creating hell for himself but the moment he starts going beyond the desire the master, the king starts returning creating heaven for himself.
Man has a choice to be a Beowulf and fall or he can be a Buddha and rise....
Love
Siddhartha