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 (4)
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In the age of heroes comes the mightiest warrior of them all, Beowulf. After destroying the overpowering demon Grendel, he incurs the undying wrath of the beast's ruthlessly seductive mother, who will use any means possible to ensure revenge. The ensuing epic battle resonates throughout the ages, immortalizing the name of Beowulf. (Paramount Pictures)
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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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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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In terms of the script, Beowulf is surprisingly a very atypical and bold piece of work that is strangely unfocused (100% Gaiman's work) and enriches the heroic epic with the theme of bravado in the face of the awareness of one's own vulnerability. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean it's a well-written screenplay. Avary and Gaiman were dealt a "go wild!" card by Zemeckis during rewrites, saying that if a minute of film was going to cost a mega, let it be seen. Yet they failed to get two thirds of the film out of one pub and instead demonstrate their screenwriting freedom through one-liners like "My mighty lust limb can transport you to paradise, to ectasy, and back". A certain deliberate woodenness and naivety inherent in the myths, then, is the sort of thing that perhaps a classic filmstrip wouldn't pull off as well as a full-CGI one, which we naturally tend to see as a kind of stylization, though Zemeckis doesn't attempt much of one. Then again, the problem (see my review of The Polar Express) is that digital technology will always age rapidly, and today Beowulf already looks worse than interactive titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 or Witcher 3.
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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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A naively simple story with a classic narrative that relies solely on its breathtaking visuals. Fortunately, they work, and although there will certainly be naysayers who claim that “it’s not proper”, technology is once again a step further, and perfection is only a little – or rather a few years – away. Zemeckis may not be a very skillful director, but he is not afraid to experiment, pursue his own vision, and play with the material. And even though this banal bloody fairytale is easily forgettable due to its flat plot, the heroic music and captivating visuals won't fade from memory so easily. The question then remains, to what extent is this a relevant “film” argument.
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Gallery (51)
Photo © Warner Bros. Pictures
![Beowulf - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/160/087/160087182_50b048.png)
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