Beowulf movie review

We take a look at the latest computer generated Hollywood Blockbuster. And Angelina Jolie's breasts.

Beowulf, based on the Old English epic poem of the same name, follows the adventures of the protagonist, the unsurprisingly named Beowulf, as he tries to rid King Hrothgar's kingdom of the demon known as Grendel. Along the way, there’s plenty of death, shouting and action as Beowulf battles Grendel, his mother, and a dragon in one of the best action pieces seen in a long time.

The story of Beowulf has been told many times on film and each time it has failed to capture the mood, spirit and basic storyline of the original epic. Where those have failed, this one succeeds… at least partly. This latest version follows the original's story closer than the others; however, after the first act it starts to deviate. The basic story is still there, but further story elements have been added to give a bit more cohesion between the three acts of the film.

Although some of these plot elements are questionable, especially the whole “we-all-love-Angelina-Jolie-and-her-sexy-big-lips” story arc, it is understandable as to why the filmmakers went down this path. If the film was a literal translation of the poem, it would basically be one big speech, followed by a history lesson, followed by a quick battle and the death of each of the three villains in the film. The poem is great and worth reading, of course, but unfortunately Beowulf the poem directly transcribed to Beowulf the film without epic speeches/history lessons, simply put, wouldn’t last more than 60 minutes.

The film and its production values are simply amazing to watch. Some shots and angles would be impossible to shoot via normal methods and would have resulted in being a CG shot anyway, so it makes sense that the entire film is animated. Doing this gives the film a more graphic novel feel and overall works well, as you don’t have to worry about a monster not fitting in with the rest of the live action, or composites being slightly off.

The only problem with doing a film like this is that the protagonists get the majority of attention during the film, and lesser parts suffer. This can clearly be seen in the modelling and animation of these lesser characters and it seems to bring down the overall film a notch. There are some moments where the main characters look a bit doll-like, but these are fairly negligible.

So now, the question once again arises as to whether this is the next evolution in film making, as we first heard when The Spirits Within first got released. The short answer is ‘no’, however, the version in 3D (as in ‘real’ 3D, not just 3D animation) perhaps is. Many groundbreaking filmmakers are starting to head down this direction with their latest projects and it will be an interesting time ahead for all cinephiles when these films get released.

So is the film a lesson in Old English poetry? No. Is it the greatest film ever made? No. Is it entertaining? Yes. The film has its problems with pacing at times, and Beowulf purists will probably cringe at the changes made in the film, but if you can get over that, you will find an entertaining film well worth watching.