I am (not) Beowulf!
If you've any interest in seein this film, and you are near a digital theatre that has it in 3.D, see it that way. It truly is a unique and breath-taking experience. The movie is finally written a directed, i smell best adapted screenplay nomination. Do they take liberties with the story? of course. There is an entirely made up sense of paternity and "sins of the father" in the movie that doesn't exist in the ninth century epic. However, look at it this way: the sense of the honourable and heroic in that era was much different than it is today. There was a time when being the mightiest warrior who was glorious in battle and who would die for any cause, no matter how foolish, was seen as noble, and noteworthy in itself. In this day and age in the western culture, most instances of that is viewed as a sorry waste of a life. why not learn from the mistakes of others and move on? well, that is the updated model of honour in this beowulf: that the mistakes of our youth haunt us, and it is honourable (and therefore necessary) to redeem and correct those mistakes.
anyone who goes into this film hoping to see a macho, chest drumming 300 will be disappointed. Beowulf only has two true action scenes (and a third wonderfully disturbing attack by grendel sans music and done in a flickering horror show. it is less action scene and more lurid slaughter). the heart of the movie is the development of beowulf as a man who is striving for greatness through his own sense of inflated bravado as well as his willingness to do whatever it takes to be rememebered for all eternity (a post-modern sense predestination i suppose). anyone who sees the very final scene of the movie and wonders what brenden gleeson's character decides to do truly misses the point, for the movie does in fact, lead up to, and cumulates, with that moment.
As you can see, i found the movie to be far better than i would hope, and it's simultaneously a nice adaption of the poem as well as an entertaining modern film. anyone who has read gardner's "grendel" will see a few nods to that in the depiction of the beast himself, as well as an implied, metaphorical kinship between the troll and the dragon that is expanded upon in the film. I know that the major change in beowulf's interaction with Grendel's mother will cause many purists to howl with outrage, but i think it works, and it's something that is played out and maintained consistently and effectively through out the movie.
from a pure fantasy fan boy aspect, the dragon is awesome visually, and the fight between him and beowulf is epic and fantastic.
ps. anyone who questions beowulf fighting in the nude as some cheap titilation, sorry, it's in the original poem...have fun!
anyone who goes into this film hoping to see a macho, chest drumming 300 will be disappointed. Beowulf only has two true action scenes (and a third wonderfully disturbing attack by grendel sans music and done in a flickering horror show. it is less action scene and more lurid slaughter). the heart of the movie is the development of beowulf as a man who is striving for greatness through his own sense of inflated bravado as well as his willingness to do whatever it takes to be rememebered for all eternity (a post-modern sense predestination i suppose). anyone who sees the very final scene of the movie and wonders what brenden gleeson's character decides to do truly misses the point, for the movie does in fact, lead up to, and cumulates, with that moment.
As you can see, i found the movie to be far better than i would hope, and it's simultaneously a nice adaption of the poem as well as an entertaining modern film. anyone who has read gardner's "grendel" will see a few nods to that in the depiction of the beast himself, as well as an implied, metaphorical kinship between the troll and the dragon that is expanded upon in the film. I know that the major change in beowulf's interaction with Grendel's mother will cause many purists to howl with outrage, but i think it works, and it's something that is played out and maintained consistently and effectively through out the movie.
from a pure fantasy fan boy aspect, the dragon is awesome visually, and the fight between him and beowulf is epic and fantastic.
ps. anyone who questions beowulf fighting in the nude as some cheap titilation, sorry, it's in the original poem...have fun!