Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases

Updates:

Beowulf (2007)

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Time Out rating

Average user rating

66 reviews

Synopsis

In a legendary time of heroes, the mighty warrior Beowulf battles the demon Grendel and incurs the wrath of the beast's ruthlessly seductive mother. Their epic clash forges the timeless legend of Beowulf.

Movie review

From Time Out London

‘Bollocks! Give me a gobble, then!’ This sample dialogue is typical of the many miscalculations made in Robert Zemeckis’ tediously protracted, mis-judged and puerile animated adaptation of ‘Beowulf’. It’s evident from the script – by British-born graphic novelist Neil Gaiman and Tarantino’s one-time collaborator Roger Avary – that it wasn’t the power and beauty of the language of our great eponymous, anonymous eighth-century Old English epic encomium that attracted the filmmakers. Nor, indeed, was it the work’s insight into pre-Anglo-Saxon history, as Anthony Hopkins’ Welsh-accented kinsmen and the snowbound mountain castles of table-flat Denmark bear eloquent witness. But even as a mere convenient launchpad for some vertiginous, 3D-assisted, man-on-beast heroics located in the eternally-adolescent gothic/fantasy/horror comic-book tradition, it seems an irrelevance.

Part of the problem is the animation technology itself. In re-animating the actors’ performances, ‘enhanced motion capture’ (the technique Zemeckis adopted with ‘The Polar Express’) makes of them creepier spectres than the creatures by which they are often surrounded. Thus, however gloopy and cadaverous the 20ft Grendel (voiced by ‘crazy’ Crispin Glover) appears or how unexpected we find the swoops of the fire-breathing dragon (non-Equity) and how bizarre the serpents-tailed Goldfinger babe presented by his protean mother (Angelina Jolie), none of them can compete with the sheer, unsettling oddity of the humans, with their milky-blind eyes. This applies especially to our hero, Beowulf, beneath whose glistening, highly sexualised , often naked rejuvenated body and bulging, leather-bound musculature lies the just-detectable face and movements of dear old Ray Winstone. The final, kinetic aerial battle scenes are eye-poppingly spectacular – especially in the 3D IMAX-version under review – but they come way too late to save the film.

Author: Wally Hammond 2007-11-12 15:58:02

Time Out London Issue 1943: November 14-20 2007

Bookmark

User reviews of this film

Jim said...

Posted on Nov 29 2007 14:45 The 3D saved it... oh, and Angelina Jolie covered in gold. Good perfomances from Hoplins and Malkovich. Otherwise, a pretty dumb film.

Report as inappropriate
El-D-No said...

Posted on Nov 28 2007 23:51 I would like to see this at my local Imax in Bristol. Unfortunately the recently closed it down. Oh well, at least I don't have to travel into Bristol anymore!

Report as inappropriate
pip said...

Posted on Nov 26 2007 21:05 Excellent Movie! Saw this in Wimbledon in 3D. The film is a tad gory but I was fine. Lots of female nudity and man-butt, but it wasn't that bad. Can't wait to see it again at the almighty IMAX. Probably one of the best films of the year.

Report as inappropriate
steve hodge said...

Posted on Nov 26 2007 19:16 i saw the film at the imax in 3D today best film ive seen this year! you should go and see it in 3D!

Report as inappropriate
Gary said...

Posted on Nov 25 2007 19:02 Like 95% of movies out of hollywood these days either it has a number after it, a remake of another film,or CGI effects which are 1st class along with gore & dts sound . Seen it all before to be honest ...had a better night in sticking pine cones in my ****!!!

Report as inappropriate
Belinda said...

Posted on Nov 25 2007 15:46 Oh my GAAAWD. I took my two boys to watch this and a 12 is far too low. songs of wanking ripping bodies in half blood gore sex and horror. It should be a fifteen easy. we had to leave and my son had an uneasy night and slept with us. As an adult fantastic but leave the kids at home!

Report as inappropriate
conor downey said...

Posted on Nov 22 2007 17:15 very good film went to see it in 3D today best film of the year ! you should go and see it !

Report as inappropriate
JN said...

Posted on Nov 22 2007 14:47 12A was about right, 3D better than normal view, if you take younger kids under 12 thats you fault not the film, kids dont need cotton wool parenting coming up to there teens, playgound is worse. nice effects, story bit iffy, good cast

Report as inappropriate
Karen said...

Posted on Nov 22 2007 14:21 Love this film! Cant wait till the DVD comes out. I took my kids to see it (11 and 12) and whilst I agree with some comments (a bit gorey and scary) I thought it no worse than Harry Potter. Valdemort's sinister goings on are much worse. Both my children absolutely loved it my daughter said it was the best film she had ever seen! I hope the alarmist comments wont put people off, a great film with superb special effects, fantastic!

Report as inappropriate
DanA said...

Posted on Nov 22 2007 12:29 Must see film of the year! Superb dialog and Mannerisms by the main characters. 12A was about right. Plently of innudendo and strategically placed objects to minimise offence. There is more vulgar behavious in the play ground so cannot understand alot of critism about the rating. Well done, I'd like to see more if the likes of Hopkins are up for it. How about 007 with Sean Connery or Roger Moore as Daniel Craig's father. Brilliant!

Report as inappropriate
Illias said...

Posted on Nov 21 2007 20:59 great movie

Report as inappropriate
Roy said...

Posted on Nov 20 2007 15:26 Brilliant adaptation of the epic poem Neil Gaiman should be congratulated looking forwards to watching it on DVD without grizzling 5 year olds in the audience. passed with no custs by the BBFC so do we need a strict 12 rating again as this didn't need a 15 it needed an audience that didn't include 6 year olds

Report as inappropriate
Johnny said...

Posted on Nov 20 2007 14:51 Film dragged on a bit, found myself thinking how boring the cinema is these days. Maybe should have been a 15 but these parents need to stop wrapping their kiddies up in cotton wool. I'm sure they hear much worse at school. I was watching freddy kruger when i was 9, had no effect on me. Well actually i did dream about him once!

Report as inappropriate
Anna said...

Posted on Nov 19 2007 22:08 I saw the film today and enjoyed it. However, I did find the animation a bit odd. It also reminded me of Shrek, especially the princess. However, it was very gory and sensual and sexual. Definately should have been 15 rated. Very irresponsible to rate it 12. Could give some youngsters nightmares.

Report as inappropriate
mo said...

Posted on Nov 19 2007 19:44 beowulf was an ingenious step in cinema. they didnt mess around too much with th story an added agood insight into how great legends are sometimes jus overexagerated. a fatastic take on what i felt was a difficult story to tell in an entertaining manner. much better than sum of the overhyped summer flicks.

Report as inappropriate