Writer: Neil Gaiman, Roger Avary
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Ray Winstone, Robin Wright Penn, Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Crispin Glover
Rating: Unrated
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: February 26, 2008
I had been looking forward to reviewing Beowulf from the moment I heard it was set to be released on film. I’m a lover of classic literature. The story of Beowulf, has always been one of the most intriguing pieces of literature I’ve ever had the chance to read. The epic poem, of considerable length and originally written in Old English, is believed to be from between the 8th and 11th centuries. That alone should make the tale of Beowulf enough of a classic. Yet, there is depth and vision in the story, depicting authors with amazing creativity and imagination even in times where such things might still be considered somewhat improper.
It was with this mindset that I set out to watch Beowulf both at the theater and again, when it came out on DVD. I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this to review and keep in my collection. While I do slightly enjoy this adaptation of the beloved story, this is only a surface emotion, due to the issues that arose during its adaptation and other small errors I simply am unable to overlook. Still, I feel that most critics are too harsh on Beowulf, so I must insist that you understand, my review of this shows that the film is average but not negative.
Release Information:
Beowulf premiered in Hollywood on November 5, 2007. Since then its gone worldwide. The film had its opening weekend nationwide, during the weekend of November 18, 2007. The film was ranked #1 during the weekend in both the U.S. and Canada. Earlier this year, estimates show the film has made over $82 million in North America and over $195 million dollars worldwide.
Beowulf is available in a unrated Director’s Cut (which is used for this review), the standard, rated DVD, and the HD Director’s Cut. All of them were available for purchase at nationwide retailers when Paramount released the DVD on February 26, 2008. Beowulf in its Unrated Director’s Cut form is $18.99 as is the regular edition. The HD is more expensive at $24.95. All of these prices are at Amazon.
The Beowulf Plot
Beowulf on film is somewhat different than the actual story. This is part of what I didn’t like about it. I hate when filmmakers take liberties when adapting written works. Still, if you ignore the fact that Beowulf is based on literature, the story is decent. That is part of why I have conflicting feelings about this movie.
The film adaptation of Beowulf begins when the King, Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins), is having a celebration for his kingdom. People are drinking, there are orgies going on. You know…times are enjoyable. That is until this messed up, deformed, mass of Crispin Glover named Grendel (Crispin Glover…duh!) shows up…and damn is he pissed off. Not sure why he’s pissed, but he is. It could be because of his looks, because if I looked like Grendel, I’d be peevish, too.
So Grendel kills a bunch of people. He screws up the party. Nobody can kill him back, so that creates a problem. The hall gets shut down. The kingdom stops partying. No more drunken orgies. It’s terrible. So, the King puts out a call. All heroes who can kill Grendel need apply. Enter Beowulf (Ray Winstone) and his tribe of merry men. Well, I don’t know how merry they are, but they are a tribe nonetheless. So Beowulf fights Grendel and he kills him. Then the real fun begins.
Grendel has a mommy. His mommy isn’t happy that anyone killed her baby. Considering, mommy aka Angelina Jolie is a demon, and not a friendly one at that, she poses a major threat to the kingdom. So, the king tells Beowulf that he needs to kill Grendel’s mother, too. The seductive demon gives Beowulf what he believes is a better offer than the king. Of course, he follows his crotch and greed. He makes the deal with the devil…which is never a good idea.
I’m sure you can get an idea of where this story is going. The acting is pretty good. The CGI looks a lot like the actors. It’s spooky, but cool. Overall, the direction and acting are decent, but the fact that this version strays from the original story is really going to determine if you will have mixed feelings like I do, if you will love it, or if you will hate it.
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability: 
Acting:
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
Beowulf had exceptional visual quality. Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, this is about as good as it gets for a CGI made flick. Very few if any visible visual errors were present. The sharpness and contrast were solid. The colors were dark, but thats how they were intended to be. Overall, the transfer was better than I though it’d be considering it looked pretty cool up on the big screen at the theater. I just wasn’t sure how it’d transfer to DVD.
The audio quality is as good as the visual quality. Here, we are looking at Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. This mix handles the sound effects well. Everything comes through crisp and clear. It’s an excellent mix and really adds to the darkness of the entire film.
Visual:
Audio:
Bonus Features:
Beowulf has a few different special features, but none of them offer glimpses of Angelina Jolie. So, if you’re a fan of hers, you’re bound to be disappointed. There is the token making of feature, “A Hero’s Journey: The Making of Beowulf“. There is a feature on the design of the monsters called, “Beast of Burden”. There is a feature on the origins of the story behind the movie called “The Origins of Beowulf“.
Other features on this DVD include a look at the characters in “Creating the Ultimate Beowulf“, deleted scenes, a look into the 3D used in the movie as well as the design for it, and the theatrical trailer. Overall, its a nice set of bonuses if you can get past the lack of hotness Jolie provides.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
Beowulf has some incredibly enjoyable moments. By the same token, there are some parts of this adaptation that I simply detest. Overall, I have mixed feelings on Beowulf. I like it enough to keep it in my collection, but it’s definitely not my favorite movie, especially considering how many great films I had the chance to see in 2007. Ultimately, you need to rent before buying. While the positives (for me) outweigh the negatives, this simply won’t be a movie for everyone.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: Beowulf, Paramount, DVD Review, Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins, Ray Winstone, Crispin Glover, John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn
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Written by Shayne - Visit Website
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