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Beowulf
(2007)
 
In a time nearly devoid of new and original ideas,
it's refreshing to see an age-old tale revitalized in a wholly
new and original way. The epic poem Beowulf has
been the bane of high school English classes for hundreds of
years, but the new animated film, directed by Polar Express helmsman
Robert Zemeckis, builds not only on the tried-and-true story,
but the foundations of digital animation as a form of storytelling.
Similar to the epic poem, Beowulf recounts the exploits of the great Norse hero Beowulf (Ray Winstone) as he rids a kingdom of the terrible monster Grendel (Crispin Glover). Unlike the Olde English source, however, the film humanizes Beowulf and King Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins) in a way that adds volumes to the story. Additionally, by placing the film in its historical context (the rise of Christianity), we are able to experience a whole new level of depth that every droning English professor only wishes he could get through the heads of his uninterested students.
From the very opening of the film, in which Hrothgar's advisor
Unferth (John Malkovich) questions whether they should pray to "the new Roman
'Christ' god" as well as Odin and his pantheon for protection, Beowulf exists
in a real time and place. As the years pass, formerly pagan characters,
most notably Unferth himself, begin to wear crosses around their
necks, showing the quick conversion of Europe in the sixth century.
On a more subtle note, screenwriters Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary
frame the whole plot in a post-Christian manner, as opposed to
the barbaric epic format. While the literary Beowulf suffered
for his overwhelming pride, in the film, the Christian notion
of temptation is his curse, as well as that of Hrothgar. Both
men fall victim to the sexual wiles of Grendel's mother (Angelina
Jolie) and both beget from her their respective monstrous progeny.
It's this additional layer to both Hrothgar and Beowulf's characters that makes the film so much more accessible than even the most gentle translation of the poem ever was. It's easy for us to care about them as characters, and they're more than one-dimensional heroes fighting monsters; they're human. Unfortunately, the animation, even with it's groundbreaking motion capture technology, doesn't provide the same level of realism. Many characters, even the main players, appear wooden, like elaborate puppets, and their faces don't do justice to the performances the notable cast delivers. There's still a long way to go before a digital representation of an actor will actually replace them, and part of me feels that the film would have been exponentially better had they chosen to go with a live-action format.
But Zemeckis and company had their reasons. First off, a digital format makes
it much easier to create three dimensional effects, and viewers lucky enough
to catch a 3D screening will surely love the novelty. For anyone (like myself)
who saw in classic 2D, there a number of scenes and shots that don't translate
well between formats and the lack of glasses and spears in your face is sure
to be distracting. Extra-dimensionality aside, the film looks great, and Zemeckis
pushes it to its limits, not only in terms of complexity and graphic quality
but in content as well. The film contains quite a bit of graphic gore and no
small bit of nudity, including a fully naked Jolie dripping with liquid gold
(nipples and all), and I predict this move will usher in more mature and less
child-centric animated films. Were these elements to have been presented in real-life,
the film would easily have earned itself an R rating, but the use of animation
instead has opened up a new audience to more adult themes and elements and I
welcome the progress. As much as I may enjoy talking animals, it's about time
to see something a bit more my style done in the newest and fanciest technology.
So if you've been avoiding Beowulf either because it's just some animated kids movie, or because you still have nightmares about writing a book report on something you don't understand, put your hesitation aside and give it a try. It's not the best film to grace cinema screens this fall, but it's a great time, and the adaptation is first-rate. This isn't a family outing to be sure, but it's worth a go for teens and adults. After all, this ain't your 9th grade teacher's Beowulf.
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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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