Beowulf

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Notable Characters:
Ray Winstone – Beowulf
Anthony Hopkins – Hrothgar
Angelina Jolie – Grendel’s Mother
Brendan Gleeson – Wiglaf

Plot (contains spoilers): Hrothgar and his people have been plagued by Grendel, a monster who brings destruction whenever something is going down in the great hall, and are looking to the gods for deliverance. Mighty warrior Beowulf and his gang arrive on the scene to bring that deliverance. As Hrothgar and his people sleep, Beowulf and company start making a racket prompting the entrance of Grendel and a bloody fight. When morning comes, Beowulf is praised for his valor and revels in it while the rest of his party morns the death of their friends. Soon after Beowulf learns that the threat is not yet over as he needs to dispatch of Grendel’s mother. Beowulf makes his way up the mountain, enters the cave, and meets Grendel’s mother, a demon that has taken the form of a beautiful woman. She promises to give him all that his heart desires if he leaves behind a golden horn and gives her a son. Being young and seeking only his wishes, Beowulf obliges. When he returns to the castle he claims to have been involved in a great battle and has dispatched the demon. Upon hearing the news, Hrothgar feels compelled to confess that a long time ago he was in Beowulf position and his choice led to the birth of Grendel and a life of misery. Now free he chooses to end it all and jumps from the tower. Now many years later Beowulf is a great king, known throughout the world, yet he is empty. Like Hrothgar before him, his son, birthed by a demon from long ago, terrorizes his kingdom. This time instead of being a deformed giant like Grendel, his son can take the shape of a massive dragon. Wanting to end the curse, Beowulf engages the dragon and rips out his heart. Unfortunately the contest leaves both fallen. Beowulf’s noble and long-time friend, Wiglaf, is there to see him to the end. He is also there to see Beowulf’s body taken by the demon and there is enticed to keep the cycle going.

Reasons why I didn’t like it:
• I usually don’t like open-ended endings and it wasn’t any different in this one. I know that in my plot section I kind put it in a way that showed definite direction but I would imagine that others would disagree with my take on the ending.
• Kind of wished that it had been live action instead of animation.

Reasons why I liked it:
• I only kind of wished it were live action because overall I enjoyed the animation. I thought that the animation really helped in getting into the movie as a fantasy epic.
• The story was awesome. There were a lot of aspects of the story that I liked but I loved the emptiness of Beowulf. I loved that the story revolved around this cycle of great men getting all their hearts desired in their youth only to end up old, weathered, and empty. I felt it spoke volumes to the nature of mankind.

Final Notes:
Good movie. Though it is rated PG-13, I would be wary to bring my adolescent to the movie. I never read the poem but the story was exciting and deep and I only guess that the movie does good to the original.

Young's Review

My review for 'Beowulf' almost did not get published. James and I saw two different films, and I was not sure it would be fair to compare the two. I screened the film in 3-D on an Imax screen, and he did not. It is like comparing apples to oranges.

This was my first experience with the 3-D Imax format, and it was incredible. 'Beowulf' is the most visually amazing film I have ever seen. The animation is top-notch, the entire cast is strong and the story is thought provoking and moving.

In ancient Denmark, King Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins) is hailed by his subjects as a wonderful king. All the merriment stops, however, when the mighty beast Grendel raids the town and leaves a pile of bodies behind. No one is able to stop Grendel and Hrothgar is forced to put out a large reward to anyone who can slay the beast.

Enter Beowulf (Ray Winstone) and his army. He takes down Grendel in an epic, bloody fight and is hailed as a hero by Hrothgar and admired from afar by the queen (Robin Wright Penn). Little does he know his problems are just beginning. Grendel's mom (Angelina Jolie) is more than a little irked about her son's death, and lures Beowulf to her lair for a talk. From there, Beowulf's (and the rest of the kingdom's) world is never the same.

The fact that the film is so visually stunning should come as no surprise when one considers it is directed by Robert Zemeckis, who is responsible for the classic 'The Polar Express'. Zemeckis has certainly gotten the motion capture animation down to a science. It is startling how much the characters look like the real actors.

In fact, the animation is so good that I feel the 'PG-13' rating the film carries is too light. The violence is graphic and there are several scenes in which Jolie's character is shown nude. This movie is not appropriate for children. I guess the ratings people did not give it an 'R' because it is a cartoon, but the action is so real you forget all about it being animated.

The rating is the only qualm I have with the film. Zemeckis creates a magical fantasy world that is easy to get lost in. The performances of Winstone and Wright Penn are awesome. Winstone is the perfect choice for the lead role. He brings many different emtions to life in Beowulf, from self-confidence to insecurity. Wright Penn captures the inner turmoil the queen faces in falling for Beowulf while still being married to Hrothgar.

Hopkins, Jolie (and John Malkovich as Unferth) are all wonderful actors, and they are great choices here. The film would not have worked without such a strong supporting cast.

The open-ended nature of the final scene might be frustrating for some viewers, but I feel it fit well with the rest of the story. I highly recommend seeing this movie in Imax 3-D. I cannot imagine it being nearly as good visually on a regular screen. The bottom line , though, is that the story transcends the animation, as does the performance of the cast. This is a great film all the way around.