Directed by:
Robert ZemeckisCinematography:
Robert PresleyComposer:
Alan SilvestriCast:
Ray Winstone, Angelina Jolie, Brendan Gleeson, Crispin Glover, Anthony Hopkins, Alison Lohman, John Malkovich, Sebastian Roché, Robin Wright (more)VOD (1)
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A hero steps forth, proclaiming his fame and his name. Beowulf! Slayer of monsters. Defender of the realm. He will kill the voracious beast ravaging the Viking land. He will claim gold and kingdom as his reward. But will his unchecked ambition ultimately demand a terrible toll of him? Ray Winstone, plays the heroic title role, and Angelina Jolie portrays the seductive mother of monsters in this epic tale set in a time of demons and dragons, warriors and temptresses. The lusty camaraderie. The battle with grotesque Grendel. The fiery death duel with the dragon. All here. All in a revolutionary new "performance capture" vision from filmmaker Robert Zemeckis. Hail, Beowulf, bravest of the brave! (Roadshow Entertainment)
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Reviews (10)
Just like the hero Beowulf, despite his bravery, is ultimately a toy in the hands of unpredictable fate, the transfer of his story to the big screen is a toy for Robert Zemeckis and his team. A toy that is enticing for the audience, and almost irresistible for some, yet is unattainable for most. The creators played with it for so long that it became usable only for their own enjoyment. The race in the sea, the battle with the dragon, and the camera flyover from the king's hall to Grendel are scenes that will stay in my mind for months, but the story itself was shamefully lost in their midst. After all, Beowulf is an ancient legend that has inspired many famous works of fantasy. So why does it rely almost exclusively on speeches full of pathos or vulgar outbursts (meaning rough for the period) in the first half? I don't know if I would want to see the determined warrior in a live-action version, as such blunders would be even more pronounced. Additionally, despite the "filter" of animation, the actors are truly excellent, Ray Winstone has charisma to spare, and even Alison Lohman, despite having limited screen time, manages to brighten up the fading ending with her traditional gentle beauty. I still trust Zemeckis. I just can't shake the fear that he will never succeed in delivering a perfectly combined story with revolutionary animation.
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Sure, if Zemeckis had conceived of it as a feature film, he would have saved himself a lot of work and money, but he chose a more thorny path because he has always been Mr. Playful and I admire people like him. So I won't bemoan the fact that the young queen of Wealhthéow looks very stupid with her deadpan expression (to the point of being an eyesore), that the movements of the galloping horses lack their natural grace, and that the representation of emotions in the human face through pixels leaves a lot to be desired. After all, this is an animated film, why analyse every twitch of a facial muscle? Besides, Beowulf is mainly adorned with other things: a story that draws you in and doesn't let go, a compelling mythology, lots of blood, as well as heroic, even poetic music, when Wealthéow plays his lute. And what’s more important, the cluster of pixels managed to evoke the atmosphere of the cold Nordic lands, no matter what anyone says. Once upon a time, years ago, I admired the amazing animated intro and the cut scenes on the legendary game “Diablo 2”, which the guys from Blizzard have always mastered perfectly, and dreamed how interesting and daring it would be to make a whole movie in this spirit. Zemeckis came out with something like that and he made me happy.
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An excellent retelling of the poem of Beowulf. Zemeckis is a great director who is engaging and can keep the pace of the story going, but the new technologies have proven to be more negative than positive. It is hard to enjoy a battle scene while under attack by flagrant digital artificiality. Unfortunately, it is also clear that the movie was made for IMAX, and the long fly-bys and spears in the face are more intrusive than interesting. But maybe if we wait a few years for special effects teams to create new textures, “enliven" their eyes, and fix all the mistakes, we'll be pleasantly surprised. P.S. Silvestri's music is excellent.
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Beowulf is visually stunning in all respects, with great music by Alan Silvestri, whether spectacular or dark, in Angelina Jolie’s cave. Also, the atmosphere of the film is so thick that it could be cut with a knife and the violence, sex and the overall maturity of the film are major pluses. These aspects make Beowulf an original and much livelier animated movie than the childish Polar Express. But there is one big but... these digital pictures just don’t have heart, no matter how hard they try. And at the moments when there is no Anthony Hopkins, Angelina or some monster, there’s nothing to watch. If Robert Zemeckis mastered the heart of digital animation, he might make better movies than Pixar. But he still has a lot to learn.
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The effort is commendable, and it's definitely a plus that it's a 3D animated film where the characters look quite realistic, but that alone isn't a factor that would impress me greatly. I remember not liking it even in the movie theater, and after a second viewing, I can only confirm that. There are great action scenes, but even those don't really elevate it overall.
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Gallery (53)
Photo © Warner Bros. Pictures
![Beowulf - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/160/087/160087189_2398ea.png)
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