Beowulf

Review by William Barker

Adapted from an 8th Century poem from the British Isles, Beowulf is the 21st century interpretation of this riveting yarn.

Very much a fantasy movie, it's got a little bit of Lord of the Rings, a touch of 300 ("this is SPARTA!"), violence aplenty and enough nudity to make Pamela Anderson blanche. Oh... and it's a CGI film too.

Robert Zemeckis directs, and the film uses an animation style that records real actors movements and facial expressions (motion capture) and then translates them into computer graphics.

The effect is very cool. Not always realistic, but very cool nevertheless.

Using CGI allowed Zemeckis to create an incredibly impactful movie, with epic camera angles, grandiose vistas and some very clever set shots that help submerge the audience into the icy and unforgiving lands of medieval Denmark.

But first, the tale of Beowulf.

In 700 A.D. the Danish king Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins) has built a new mead (beer) hall, Heorot, in celebration of his kingdom's conquests. But there is something afoul living in a cave beyond the woods and past the marshes, something that has mysteriously plagued his people.

It is called Grendel, and it is a demon thrice the size of the tallest Dane!

After seeing the hideously malformed demon that is Grendel lay waste to the great hall, tearing men apart in gory detail complete with litres of blood, ichor, and a level of violence that shocked a few in the audience, Beowulf (Ray Winstone) sails into Denmark with his band of hardened demon slayers.

These 'Geatsmen ' Vikings come from Sweden, and with bold tales of how he has slain monsters and sea serpents, Beowulf agrees to help king Hrothgar rid his kingdom of the demon curse that is Grendel.

What ensues is some of the coolest imagery I've ever seen. From dragons, demons, serpents and more mythical beasts than you can shake a magical trident at, Beowulf is a ripping mix of action-packed medieval fantasy, castles, quests, grand feasts, and fair maidens intertwined with a piercing message about power and greed and their ability to corrupt.

The cast is sensational, and I really liked Ray Winstone's Beowulf. Sure, the voice acting is good but I think Winstone's implementation of the script is killer. His one word replies and gruff demeanour pay homage to the myth of the all powerful Beowulf which well and truly does the character justice.

There's also quite a bit of carnage in this film, and we went to the screening of the 3D IMAX version in Melbourne, which added even more to the experience. Tentacles extend, blood drips all over the screen and the branches of an evil forest seem to reach out and ensnare you!

If you get the chance, you should definitely see this in 3D. It rocks the b-wizzy (that's jive for Beowulf).

John Malkovich is also very good as Unferth, King Hrothgar's adviser who's drunken rant against Beowulf is memorable. Crispin Glover does an excellent job portraying the grotesque demon Grendel and Grendel's mother is played by Angelina Jolie. We see Grendel's mother briefly as a hideous sea creature in mottled reflections, but she shows herself to humans as a buxom babe. Nude. Always.

There's an entertaining sense of humour in some scenes of Beowulf (probably Roger Avery's influence on the script) which provides a nice counterpoint to all the brain-splattering violence.

There's some incredibly grandiose scenes in there too, such as Beowulf's fight with the golden dragon in the final act. This is arguably one of the best duels in motion picture history as man takes on beast in every element, culminating in an incredibly gut-wrenching scene of self mutilation.

I mentioned the prevalence of nudity earlier in this review, and both Beowulf and Grendel's mother (played by Angelina Jolie) get to show off their curves in a number of scenes, one of which is quite comical: Beowulf decides that because Grendel has no clothes, he too will fight in the nude.

I had a fantastic time watching Beowulf. It's a fairly long movie, almost 2 hours from start to end without previews, but the medieval setting works very well when presented with computer graphics.

I get the impression that some in the audience were a bit dismayed with the ending, but I thought the message it conveyed was timely.

As well as three or four pulse-pounding sequences that I can't wait to relive on DVD, there is the new pop culture catchcry: "I AM BEOWULF!!"

The guy is a dead-set Legend.

4.5 out of 5

Beowulf
Australian release: 29th November, 2007
Cast: Ray Winstone, Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins, Crispin Glover, John Malkovich
Director: Robert Zemeckis
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