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Beowulf
(2007)
The past (an Old English heroic epic poem) meets the future (digital
animation) in an entertaining fantasy film.
Denmark in the sixth century: King Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins) is
celebrating the construction of his new mead hall when it's suddenly
attacked by the monstrous giant Grendel (Crispin Glover), who kills
many of Hrothgar's subjects. Hrothgar offers half of his gold to any
hero who can slay Grendel. Every man who takes up the challenge dies.
Enter Beowulf (Ray Winstone), a boastful warrior who vows to slay
Grendel and bring peace to the kingdom once more. To achieve his
goals, he must contend not only with Grendel, but also with Grendel's
demonic mother (Angelina Jolie).
The classic poem is reinterpreted for the 21st century by
screenwriters Neil Gaiman (Stardust, MirrorMask) and Roger Avary
(Pulp Fiction, The Rules of Attraction). The film covers the
three major events in the life of the titular hero—the slaying of
Grendel, the encounter with Grendel's mother, and the slaying of a
dragon—while cleverly expanding on the source material to transform
it into a more complete and emotionally involving story while
maintaining its heroic epic qualities. In the poem, Beowulf is a one
dimensional archetypal hero, but here he becomes a more interesting
character with emotional conflicts and better definition as an
individual. There's also a fine sense of humor that keeps it from
becoming too grim.
The film's weakness is the choice made by director Robert Zemeckis
(best known for Back to the Future and Forrest Gump) to use motion
capture and digital animation to bring the
story to life, just as he did for 2004's The Polar Express. It
looks like a fancy video game rather than an epic film, and you may
well wonder where your game controller is at times. There are other
ways to do a film like this. For example, using live actors and real
sets enhanced by visual effects (Lord of the Rings), or using live
actors and digital backgrounds (300).
Call me old fashioned, but when I plunk myself down in a cinema seat,
I want to see something that looks like a film instead of an oversized
video game. As good as the animation may be, the motion capture
simply can't quite fully render facial expressions and complex motions
without looking fake. However, Gaiman and Avary's screenplay is
strong enough to mostly overcome the problems with the animation and
suck the audience into the story. It must also be noted that this
film would have been pushing an R rating if it had been filmed live
action, and the unreality of the animation may have allowed it to get
by with a PG-13 rating instead.
Production designer Doug Chiang (The Polar Express) and costume
designer Gabriella Pescucci (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The
Brothers Grimm) provide the film with a strong visual sensibility
that looks at once historical and fantastical. Longtime Zemeckis
collaborator Alan Silvestri contributes an epic sounding score, along
with some songs co-written by Glen Ballard that are hauntingly beautiful.
Because of the motion capture and animation, it's difficult to judge
the actors on anything except their voice work, which is of top
quality. Hopkins' rich voice is perfectly suited to Hrothgar,
Winstone is appropriately heroic while bringing some depth to the role
of Beowulf, Glover is strangely sympathetic as Grendel, and Jolie is
perfectly cast as a seductive demoness who can make a man lose his
powers of reason. The rest of the talented cast includes John
Malkovich as Hrothgar's sharp-tongued advisor Unferth, Brendan Gleeson
as Beowulf's friend and sidekick, Robin Wright Penn as Hrothgar's
queen, and Alison Lohman as Beowulf's mistress.
Literary purists might not approve of some of the changes wrought by
the screenwriters, but Beowulf the film is a good epic fantasy with
a conflicted hero, a sense of humor, and a wonderfully ambiguous
ending. Those qualities allow it to transcend the limitations of
motion capture and digital animation, and by the end the story will
win you over and you'll forget that it looks like a video game.
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All contents ©
2004-2009 Thoughtsonfilm.com |
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Director:
Robert
Zemeckis
Writer: Neil
Gaiman & Roger Avary
Starring: Ray
Winstone, Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Robin
Wright Penn,Crispin Glover, Brendan Gleeson, Alison Lohman
Distributor: Paramount
Pictures
Runtime: 113
min
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: November
16 ,2007
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