Beowulf (2007)

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Directed by Robert Zemeckis.

Starring Brendan Gleeson, Crispin Glover, Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn, Anthony Hopkins, Ray Winstone, Alison Lohman.

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Inspired by the epic Old English poem of the same name, director Robert Zemeckis's digitally rendered film follows the Scandinavian hero Beowulf (Ray Winstone) as he fights to protect the Danes from a ferocious beast named Grendel (Crispin Glover). Though at first Grendel seems invincible, Beowulf eventually manages to defeat him in a desperate battle to the death. Devastated by her son's violent demise at the hands of Beowulf, Grendel's mother (Angelina Jolie) sets out in search of revenge. Later, Beowulf faces the biggest challenge of his life when he attempts to slay a powerful dragon. Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn, Alison Lohman, John Malkovich, and Brendan Gleeson co-star in an epic fantasy adventure penned by Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Beowulf quick review
by mike_moody in Moody's Movie Blog

disliked it.

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"I was kicking myself for not catching Beowulf in 3-D as soon as the movie’s titles started flowing across the screen. The Cinemark in my hometown of Brownsville wasn’t offering the 3-D experience director Robert Zemeckis had in mind when creating this animated take on the ancient long-form poem. It’s too bad, since the 3-D gimmick probably would have made this awkward and unlikeable movie worth watching. Unlike the Lord of the Rings trilogy or even the Harry Potter flicks, little in Beowulf is thrilling, visually arresting or awe inspiring. The filmmakers’ take on the mostly shapeless classic story is dull, one-note and sometimes laughable. The animation and art design is unremarkable and often ugly, especially when the human characters look and move like dead, manipulated meat puppets. There are two scenes — only two — that I found potentially engrossing and fun to look at, but that’s a sad tally for a movie marketed as a rousing holiday s ... " [More]

Beowulf (2007)
by JJ79 in JJ79 Blog

hasn't rated it.

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"Released: November 16, 2007Director: Robert Zemeckis*****Why? What would possess Robert Zemeckis to think an ancient epic poem would make a good movie? Is it the action or the ability to introduce a new generation to literature? Is it the image capture technology which worked in The Polar Express to bring an air of whismy to an otherwise mature story? Is it that Beowulf vs. Grendel is such an ingrained part of society he thought there was a built in audience? Why? The story of Beowulf should be familiar, if not in this context, then in others. Kingdom menaced by ugly creature. Brave warriors fail to protect said kingdom. New hero comes to kingdom. Hero defeats monster and a host of others. Hero dies. And there we have the story in a nutshell. Not the deepest of plots, granted, but not the worst either. If this movie hadn't needed more production time than 10 months, I would have been cynical and said it was a reaction to the hit 300 in early 2007. They're both based ... " [More]

Beowulf
by Mully in Mully Blog

loved it.

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"Remember that scene from Lord of the Rings where Legolas fights that elephant ? Now picture that scene being two hours long and Legolas fighting naked, and you'll get an idea of what 'Beowulf' is like. This is one of the most ridiculously over-the-top movies I've ever seen. I loved it ! " [More]

Beowulf (2007, USA, Robert Zeme ...
by CinemaRian in CinemaRian Blog

hasn't rated it.

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"Beowulf is sort of movie I would have loved at age eleven or twelve, but that's a problem, because it's not suppose to be a kid's movie. It wants to, I think, straddle the line between a standard sword-and-sorcery action picture and a deeper, Lord of the Rings-type experience, and fails at both. It would not have been all that bad had it not been for Robert Zemeckis' choice to shoot the film with motion capture technology, which is dead on arrival. For the uninitiated, motion capture is a process by which actors wear sensors on their bodies and faces. A computer then processes the images to give the animated characters realistic physical responses. Or that's the idea. What actually happens is that computer comes up with a poor animated duplicate of the actor that falls into weird grey area between photography and animation. The characters are too real for us to totally believe that they are in a fantasy world, but are too fake for us to believe that they are real people. As ... " [More]

Far Away, So Close
by usesoap in usesoap Blog

liked it.

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"One of my first “real” concert-going experiences (no offense, Power Station!) was witnessing U2 at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia during its “Joshua Tree” tour.Even though lead singer Bono was hobbled in an arm sling, the experience led to a passionate love affair with concert-going. I had since caught the band on two more occasions, but as their popularity (and egos) exploded, so did their stage shows. Their music and its messages (and U2 is nothing if not a band interested in sharing its beliefs to the masses) were consumed in a spectacle grand enough to embarrass a Cirque du Soleil clown.So after multiple attempts in trying to recapture that initial magical evening, I walked away from subsequent U2 concerts and I still hadn’t found what I was looking for.After witnessing “U23D,” now playing at the Dover Mall, all is forgiven.The film allowed me to experience the band in ways that could not have been replicated even with backstage passes &nd ... " [More]

Beowulf 8, Angelina 10
by kickstandsup in kickstandsup Blog

hasn't rated it.

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"Did not realize this was an animated/GC movie and I really wish I would have seen it in 3D, but saw in 2D.Movie was good and kept my attention. It was graphic and bloody, not a movie for kids, but there were about 10 in the theatre that had to be less than 10 years old. Hello!!!Best part of the movie was Angelina Jolie. She was the hottest cartoon character I have seen, but her kids are out of control! I am glad I saw it at the dollar movie. For me, it was not worth full price, but is better in a theatre than on a small tv. " [More]

Roger Avary Arrested
by Karina in Karina on SpoutBlog

hasn't rated it.

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"Roger Avary, who won an Oscar for co-writing Pulp Fiction with Quentin Tarantino, and who also collaborated on the script for Beowulf with Neil Gaiman, was booked on charges of vehicular manslaughter and felony drunken driving, after crashing into a telephone pole late last night in Ojai, CA. According to reports, a friend of Avary’s was fatally injured in the crash, while Avary’s wife was thrown from the car but survived. Avary himself was apparently not injured. More info here. The tabloid sites are clouding this story with speculation pretty rapidly as the morning progresses, but I’m posting it here because I know several people who used to participate in the forums on Avary’s website, which was something of a destination in the early days of film-bloggery, so I figured it would be of interest. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » karina " [More]

Roger Avary Arrested
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

The Best Mainstream Movies of 2007
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

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"Here is my follow-up to last month’s question of what mainstream movie will feature on the most top ten movie lists. And the winner is … Ratatouille. Oh wait, didn’t I disqualify that one for being too obvious? No? Well, I should have. Yes, according to Movie City News’ Big Ass Chart (aka Scorecard) of critics’ top tens, the Pixar movie made it on to 51 best-of lists, making it the best-grossing best movie of the year. But maybe it wasn’t the most mainstream, if you define mainstream as studio-produced fare. Under that qualification Zodiac was the best mainstream movie of 2007, having been made jointly by Warner Bros. and Paramount and showing up on 70 best-of lists. Other Warner successes include Michael Clayton, which featured on 54 lists, Sweeney Todd, which received 44 mentions, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which showed up on one list, and Letters From Iwo Jima, which showed up a little late on one list. As far as those mainstream movies I predicted would feature ... " [More]

Immortal Tale
by CinemaLeviathan in CinemaLeviathan Blog

loved it.

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"As one of the oldest tales, this story still lives on and evokes emotion from modern day audiences! The first, of many to come, Digital 3D films to hit the screens from Paramount and DreamWorks, Beowulf surprises the audience with eye-popping special effects and 3D moments hidden within the storyline. Grendel is terribly horrific, as the original tale intended, and forces the beads of sweat to form as he reeks fatal havoc on the townspeople. Beowulf is the classic arch-hero, both strong and wise, and the audience feels comforted after his arrival following the first attack in the Mead Hall. Beowulf's tragedy is spawned from his victory over Grendel, just as the previous King's tragic ending started, and he must face a whole new creature torturing the town, Grendel's mother. Needless to say, this story hosts one of the most primal thematic morals of all time, and resonates to this day. The VFX department behind this film really delivered what the trailer promises, and mo ... " [More]

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Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

is neutral about it.

Grandiose in scope, Robert Zemeckis' Beowulf is a cinematic feast that demands the audience's attention, thanks to its groundbreaking special effects - and in its theatrical form, an exceptional 3-D unlike any other - yet despite all of this, the film fails to resonate beyond the gee whiz knee jerk reaction. There's no doubt that the filmmakers tried their best to realize this dream of an adult fantasy epic - inside and out, the picture seeps sexuality when it's not concerned with ripping limbs or delving into the complex heart of a CG performer. The problem is that for this tale of ultimate heroism to work, one has to actually like the hero. Whether the seed is buried within the source material or the adaptation (provided by heavyweights Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman), the this version of Beowulf is just not the kind of guy that appeals to audiences - he's a liar and an egomaniac, yet crowds are supposed to cheer for him when he steps up to the plate and actually does something extraordinary instead of just bragging about it? When it comes down to it, all the breathtaking action and impossible imagery in the world doesn't amount to much if the moviegoer isn't invested in the characters. The uneven motion capture effects that run the gamut from photo-realistic to shoddy videogame stiffness do little to help this, even if they are a step up from the director's previous CG experiment, the freakish Polar Express. Technically, the film showcases a stunning color palette and exceptional sound design that do add to make a unique cinematic experience - it's just too bad that the emotionally empty content hardly lives up to its expensive candy coating. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Tags: epic , Cool , fantastic , Great , hysterical
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