Beowulf (Zemeckis, 2007)

[X.]

As many here know, I'm not a fan of 3D. I feel it overwhelms the viewer, dulling the thinking part of our brain...overpowering it by the sheer force of images and sound. My assessment has a lot to do with the kind of 3D movies I had seen: namely, "Ghosts of the Abyss," "Harry Potter and Order of the Poop," and that T-Rex movie, whose name, mercifully, belies me.

However, "Beowulf" seems to have put a dent in my armor of steel. For all its technical wizardry, "Beowulf," I am happy to report, is still a *film,* not just another trippy theme park ride.

Robert Zemeckis has always been breaking new ground with visual effects, from "Back to the Future" to "Forrest Gump" to "Polar Express." But unlike retro-futurists like Jim Cameron, he has the advantage of Consistency: Zemeckis makes a movie every 2-3 years. Also, he is very accomplished in the art of storytelling and characterization -- his movies feature interesting stories and memorable characters. "Beowulf" is no exception.

I had the benefit of watching "Beowulf" at the wonderful IMAX 3D in Universal Studios, and the enriching advantage of being accompanied by a friend who actually knows and deeply understands its source material, the Anglo-Saxon poem about heroism from the 8th century. Based on the post-screening discussions, it is reasonable to assume that "Beowulf," written by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary, is, essentially, more Fantasy than Period Drama. I don't hold this aspect against the film, for unlike "300" (trust me, people who see "Beowulf" will enjoy making unfair comparisons to that fascist propaganda), while Zemeckis preserves the goofy tone of said genre, he also uses metaphor and subtext and satire without resorting to taking the jackhammer to our heads.

The film's protagonist, Beowulf, is hardly perfect: infact, the writers' and director's masterstroke is portraying him an arrogant prick so in love with himself that chanting his own name, with both hands raised up towards the heaven, becomes a favorite pastime. Beowulf is shown to be heroic yet vain; clever, but fundamentally naive. And Ray Winstone uses his voice to bring this character to life.

I wish to talk about so many characters, because Zemeckis takes time to give each and every character their due. But for brevity, I will single out Crispin Glover's Grandel, a monster so tortured and pathetic, that our hearts melt, despite the cruelty he inflicts on his victims.

"Beowulf" is the hardest PG-13 movie you'll see this year. The violence is brutal and the nudity -- ah yes, the nudity -- comes thick and heavy. I don't know how the latter aspect will be handled in the Land of Humid (Oddy's patent pending), but "Beowulf" features one of the most erotic scenes in cinema: Angelina Jolie, perfectly cast as the temptress, in an unforgettable act of seduction, administers on our hero the most obvious metaphor for a handjob in the history of mainstream Hollywood (it also comes complete with orgasm). Plus, she's naked *all the time* with strategically-placed body paint. It would be impossible to keep the narrative arc and censor her appearances. So, good luck, oh denizens of The Desert!

Alas, "Beowulf" has some derivatives in the last act, and though it cannot do justice to the richness of its source material -- for the most part -- it is a solid film that deftly balances showmanship and good storytelling.

[sulphurhead]

(on the subject of nudity) As shariq duly pointed out to me yesterday, they can't censor or cut Imax prints!

[ozzylogic]

Got my fingers crossed for that Sulphur

[madali]

Well, the male butts were censored, but not female ones.

[shariqq]

(on the subject of nudity) As shariq duly pointed out to me yesterday, they can't censor or cut Imax prints!

But I also learned that they can BLACK OUT the visuals letting the audio run.

Oh, and the censors here have wonderfully let show the digitized beauty of Angelina Jolie including full-frontal and backside. But all shots of male-nudity (arse shots) are blacked out.

Homophobic anyone?

[X.]

Homophobic anyone?

More like closet homosexuality.

Also, I'm not hearing people here talk about the movie itself!

[ozzylogic]

The movie itself was very very engrossing. I'd say it's partially due to the whole 3D Imax experience, as some of the effects were simply amazing.

And Grendel's mom (did she have a name?!) creeped me out.

[kaytee]

I get distracted by 3D, I prefer the normal screen anyday. I havent seen this yet, but with the intial reports this strong I guess I have no choice.

[ozzylogic]

According to Eberts review, it's a satire of the original poem it's based upon.

[fizz]

Beowulf is an uncommon sensory treat that combines the best of animation with the best of big scale motion pictures. It is both epic and focused. Perhaps my immense enjoyment of it had a lot to do with the fact that I witnessed the spectacle in all its 3D glory, though I doubt anyone watching it on conventional screens would find it any less riveting. A retelling of the classic 8th Century poem, the film benefits immensely by utilizing the services of fantasy comic book legend Neil Gaiman and cult screenwriter Roger Avery, who extrapolate and fuse their own interpretations of the elaborate source material with satire, grace, sensuality and unflinching brutality.

The film, lavishly entertaining as it is, doesn’t trade its visuals for character depth. As the king who is willing to generously reward the slayer of Grendel, the demonic creature that butchers the people of his kingdom, Anthony Hopkins comes across as a drunk fool who puts his faith and trust in the brave, hubris stricken warrior Beowulf (Ray Winstone). Both these roles require the right balance of character nobility and imperfection and these two central performances, for that is what they are in this animated film, are more than just serviceable. In its ability to transport the viewer to another time and place, the film is perhaps better served by its use of animation than any conventional film might have allowed. If there is a complaint to me made, it is in the way the film uses temptress Angelina Jolie to rather superficial effect.

Like he did previously with ‘Polar Express’, director Robert Zemeckis has a lot of fun with tracking shots, all of them executed in a way to inflict the right jolt when viewed in 3D. As a novelty, 3D’s effect has worn off on me, but it continues to provide much awe and amusement because it is used so well here. Also consider the possibilities of motion-capture technology, here used to give an actor of Winstone’s girth the body of an athlete. Could this be the filmmaking of the future? It is debatable, but it offers endless possibilities in the way it is able to combine the best of traditional filmmaking, using professional actors, without the limitations of scouting for live sets. For ‘Beowulf’, that proves a flawless combination.

Rating: 4.5/5

[ozzylogic]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/5DbePZddEuU&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/5DbePZddEuU&rel=1</a>

Halo + Beowulf

[madali]

Beowulf (Zemeckis, 2007)
IMDB Link

“Beowulf” was my first IMAX 3D experience, and I have to say I loved it.

That it to be more clear, I loved he IMAX 3D experience. I loved how engaging it can be, how refreshing it is to be visually surprised by something on screen again, how fun it can be to wince when a 3D arrow seems to come right at you. It is an experience that I think can be done a lot with, and I wish I could say is the future of cinema, but I think 3D was supposed to be the future of cinema like thirty years ago, and that never worked out. It is like listening to a holophonics recording, which sounds very real life and strange when listened to on a headphone. And you’re like, “Wow, this is the FUTURE!” and again you realize was actually done twenty years ago, and it never became successful.

What I am saying is that really cool technology exists, but like mp3 players, it is not the technology that is important, it is the presentation of the technology (that is, what Apple did the mp3 player). More enjoyable and realistic visuals can be exploited by studios to bring us another level of audio/visual experience, and movies like “Beowulf” work so well, because it is not a one-purpose movie. In and itself, “Beowulf” is fun to watch and is probably fun to watch on 2D also, so the 3D aspect of it adds another dimension to the experience, but is not the sole purpose of it.

I haven’t talked much about the movie itself, because to be completely honest, it did not excite me as much as the 3D visual experience of it. I’m extremely happy with it, because I think movies like this are taking us into new arenas of visual/audio experiences.

4/5

[sulphurhead]

I'll be hopefully watching this saturday night... can't wait