April 2nd - B is for Beowulf (Director’s Cut)
I’ll say right off that it’s very bloody. I could only get a hold of the Director’s Cut, so that really didn't help. I understand that the original story wasn't anything for children, but this version doesn't leave much to the imagination. Well, except for the great series of camera angles which never fail to hide most of the nudity. I don’t know the original story well enough to say if they did it correctly or not, but to a first time viewer, it seemed to complete its story.
The visuals are pretty good for most of the movie, and at the best of times are incredibly realistic, and at the worst times it makes it look as if the people are chimpanzees. The horse animation is especially atrocious. The inconsistency of the picture did throw me off a little bit, but it did a good job for the story it was trying to tell.
SO, in conclusion, an interesting film with enough gore to give it some realism, and enough fantasy to make up for where it’s not. Except for those horses. 3 out of 5 stars!
Beowulf picture from IMDB
Star picture from Google Images
I don't know the film, but I certainly know the original poem. Yes, I was an English major. As I recall, the most interesting characters are two monsters -- Grendel and (even more ferocious) Grendel's Mother. I wonder how they were handled in the film, if at all. As a Roger Corman veteran, I'm always interested in monster movies. You might want to check out my Beverly in Movieland site for my memories of making b-movie flicks. Yes, I'm part of the A to Z Challenge.
ReplyDeleteWell, the movie does focus on Grendel and Grendel's Mother, but more so on Beowulf and the life he leads because of them. The movie is also highly sexualized, especially Grendel's Mother (played by Angelina Jolie), which was the part I wasn't sure played along with the poem.
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