In high school English classes across the nation, students often dread the archaic style and antique ideas presented by the 1,400-year-old epic, Beowulf. However, director Robert Zemeckis? motion picture remake breathes life into the ancient text.
The 21st century version of Beowulf skews the old English poem written in 720 AD to modern heights. The many gripping scenes were amplified by the visionary 3D element of the thrilling film.
The film opens on a hall full of drunken men and the merrymaking of soldiers. Queen Wealthow (Robin Wright Penn) and King Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins) lounge in the cave while the singing and music echo down to the depths of the mountain, into a monster’s lair.
Enraged, the ferocious Grendel (Crispin Hellion Glover) attacks the hall and kills all but the king, queen, and their son, Unferth (John Malkovich). Soon, they rally for a man to kill Grendel.
Beowulf fits the bill of a hero perfectly. Played by Ray Winstone, the epic warrior travels to kill the monster, and then pursues Grendel’s seductive mother (Angelina Jolie). She produces a son as Beowulf is crowned king, known throughout the land for his triumph against Grendel.
Unfortunately, Beowulf’s son turns out to be a monster much like Grendel; the beast attacks the city and Beowulf is pitted against his son in a heroic battle. Beowulf makes a great sacrifice, cutting his own arm to reach the soft spot of the monster and dies lying next to his slain son.
While the plot made Beowulf into an ambitious Blockbuster, it tore away from the original text. The true story of Beowulf ends with Beowulf killing both Grendel and his mother, but the film deemed it necessary for Grendel’s mother to bear Beowulf a monstrous son to elongate the movie.
Most reviewers agree that the longer plot was unnecessary and completely opposite to the real story.
?You don?t need to wait for Angelina Jolie to rise from the vaporous depths naked and dripping liquid gold to know that this ‘Beowulf’ isn?t your high school teacher?s Old English epic poem,? Manohla Dargis, from the New York Times, said. ?Jolie plays the bad girl in ‘Beowulf,’ a wicked demon, the mother of all monsters who can switch from hag to fab in the wink of a serpentine eye.?
The seductive monster is almost entirely the invention of the screenwriters Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman along with director Robert Zemeckis.
The film also cleverly slipped in animated nudity, allowing a PG-13 rating that has confused many critics.
However, the vivid animation, following recent films with similar tactics (such as 2006’s 300), made Beowulf a stunning visual masterpiece, despite the faulty storyline and inconsistent characters.
Beowulf has been portrayed in films often and, sadly, the 2007 version was disappointing due to the poor characterization and half-fabricated plot. The title is about the only thing similar to the original poem in the modern movie.
Previous films, such as the 1999 Thirteenth Warrior, followed the plot more carefully, the most notable being Grendel’s mother, who remained the gruesome, snake-haired monster that was originally intended. Jolie is instead clothed in animated gold and mesmerizing in her beauty, probably in an attempt to cater to a larger and excitable audience.
Despite Beowulf‘s visual grandeur, the incorrect plot detracted from the overall quality. However, the exhilarating film’s animation and graphics picked up the slack of the mediocre plot. The movie will easily remain a success, due to the action sequences and the plot’s fresh twist.
To get the true story on Beowulf, read the poem in English class or go online and search for the real tale.
For more reviews on Beowulf, visit Rotten Tomatoes.
Beowulf may still be playing in some local theaters. For showtimes, visit Fandango.
