Walking into the theater, I expected Beowulf to be a great disappointment. I figured director Robert Zemeckis (Forest Gump, Monster House) had finally gone to far with special effects, the parts true to the song too stupid, and the action as nothing new. About halfway through the movie, I found myself with no desire to leave and eager for more.
Beowulf, based on the Anglo-Saxon poem, follows its title character (voiced by Sexy Beast star Ray Winstone) as he comes from across the stormy seas to kill the mighty monster Grendel (Michael Crispin) from terrorizing King Hrothgar’s (Anthony Hopkins, Silence of the Lambs) great drinking hall. Hrothgar offers his treasure and wife as a prize for killing Grendel, which makes Beowulf all the more eager to kill the beast. It isn’t long before the two men realize Grendel was not the worst of their worries as Grendel’s mother (voiced by Angelina Jolie, from Tomb Raider and Mr. and Mrs. Smith) returns to wreck havoc.
The version I watched was the 3D movie, because the one-dimensional plot needed all the help it could get. The movie is completely computer-generated with the characters looking similar to their real live counter-parts, which raises the question of why? Admittingly, Winstone is far from the six-pack abs, Viking Fabio he is drawn as (sorry ladies, no google search worth while). Jolie’s demon is as attractive, just like Jolie, and gets around the rating issues as it’s rated PG-13 for computer-generated nudity. Parts of the movie look like Shrek characters, but for the most part, they are convincing, espically in the faces. I didn’t realize it was completely CGI until the movie started, and felt fooled in the convincing previews.
The writing of the plot is half satirical. Beowulf enters, yelling “ROW!” while his Viking ship bounces in the high waves. When someone brings up he is a coward because he didn’t finish a swimming match one time, he replies he wasn’t able to because, near the end, he was attacked by “sea monsters.” We get the full imagination of the most outrageous killing of sea monsters, humorous in the extent of carnage he throws in. Upon hearing Grendel fights in the nude, with no armor and skin no blade can cut, Beowulf strips down nude and leaves his sword, saying he will fight the beast as equals, creating an Austin Powers of fight scenes, where every elbow, cup, wood, and piece of debris is well placed.
Beowulf's title character reminds me of the hero in Feast (inside reference not explained to avoid spoilers), where he most obviously proclaims, half mocking himself, half mocking the movie, "I'm the guy that's going to save y'all's ass!" In the same way, Beowulf confidently (or cockily) introduces himself, "I'm Beowulf. I'm here to kill your monster."
Another scene describes the Monty Python-like humor as wench warns a woeing soldier, “I cannot hear the beast coming,” to which the soldier replies, “you’ll hear me.”
There are only two action scenes, but they are a blend of humor and great fights. The only part missing is for the egotistical hero to say “oh, &#$%” whenever the fight brings humorous obstacles, such as nude wrestling with ugly beasts or dragon-fishing. Although it may be slow in between, with predictable drama regarding Beowulf and Hrothgar, the two actions scenes make the movie worth while with the convincing graphics, unexpected humor of drunk Vikings acting brave, and the surprising well-developed action.
The movie knows it doesn’t have much as a drama or soap opera of Viking heroes and more than makes up for it. The 3D element makes up the digital gimmick, as the extra depth it implies makes the movie look more real-life down to the dragon.
In the end, I found it a movie everyone could enjoy. Action fans can love the action, while people that usually laugh at action movies will see the humor others don’t and laugh with (not at) this movie. It has broad appeal, great action, humor, and some of the finest achievements in CGI.
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