Beowulf (2007)

Read this review @ Helium.com

Script: 8
Cinematography: 8
Acting: 7
Special Effects: 10
Swing: 7

Rating: 8/10

Truly great stories never die, and when it comes to the English language the story of Beowulf is among the greatest and most enduring stories we have. In fact, Beowulf is arguably an English heritage equivalent to The Odyssey. It is tale of mythic beasts and a legendary hero. And, like the myths of ancient Greece, it has been adapted many times, changed, re-imagined, butchered, and sewn up like new.

The latest cinematic treatment of Beowulf, penned by Neil Gaiman (Stardust, Mirrormask) and Roger Avary (Silent Hill) and directed by Robert Zemeckis (The Polar Express, Cast Away), takes no small number of liberties with the age old tale. However, where previous incarnations of Beowulf have attempted to politicize the plot, even make the monster Grendel into a sympathetic poster boy for society’s outcasts, this rendition stays close to the spirit of the original. That spirit, of course, being a really cool story about some really scary monsters and a bad-ass viking who sails in and gives them the proverbial “what for”.

The CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) of Beowulf is, in my opinion, unmatched by any previous film, including the groundbreaking Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Of course, as with The Polar Express, Zemeckis cheated a bit by mapping the faces and bodies of real live actors, but the achievement is still a remarkable one. However, there is still room for improvement. Certain characters’ faces, perhaps because the actors they are based on are so recognizable or because the animators tried too hard to match the face perfectly, slipped into the uncanny valley. When we finally see the face of Grendel’s mother, played by Angelina Jolie, it seems eerily plastic.

If you live within driving distance of a cinema that is showing Beowulf in 3D, make the trip. It’s worth it. The quality of the 3D is the best I’ve seen, and the movie was shot specifically with 3D presentation in mind. If you’re not able to see it in 3D, that might prove to be an annoyance to you. 3D is in its second infancy. It’s the brand new thing all over again, and directors can get away with gimmicky shots like spear-heads pointing out of the screen right between your eyes, and shots from ground level that exist only to show the plane of the ground receding into the distance. I’m not sure how that kind of camera work will translate in a 2D presentation.

The acting, while nothing to shout from the rooftops about, manages to be good enough to compliment a technically amazing film. I have no complaints about any of the performances, but similarly, none stood out as being especially good – not even Sir Anthony Hopkins managed to really impress.

Much ado has been made by concerned citizens about the amount of nudity in this “cartoon” film. First off, it’s not really a cartoon. It a live-action film that was skinned inCGI so as to eliminate the need for complicated makeup and even more complicated stunt shots. Better that the whole thing is CGI than have those embarrassing suspension-of-disbelief-shattering moments where live action switches to CGI while the hero does something humanly impossible. Secondly, there is no real nudity. Oh sure, there are a couple of bum shots, and a lot of Austin Powers style penis-covering, but never are any genitalia on display. Even Jolie’s much ballyhooed “nude scene” is a reasonably tasteful shot of her character’s body covered in a golden filmy substance. Only vague shapes are visible, no pornographic detail.

In fact, besides the story having a no-holds-barred, heroic strong-man plot, there are very important lessons concerning pride and lust, and the shame that is their ultimate reward. In short,Zemeckis’ Beowulf gets back to the core of the hero story: an outsider swooping in to the rescue, and a firm moral underpinning.