Movie Thoughts: Beowulf

[orangerful]

Beowulf (Unrated Director's Cut)

Well, now that I can SEE the box cover, I know why I was so shocked by the "intense footage" of Beowulf last night.  Netflix sent me the Director's Cut, which I was wary of having not seen the theatrical cut. 

I suppose, at its core, Beowulf was just an experiment, another chance for Zemeckis and co. to play with the motion capture fully animated film making. 

I'll be honest - I've never read Beowulf.  It wasn't assigned reading in school.  The closest I have come to the story is watching 'Eaters of the Dead', the film version of the MIchael Crichton novel that tried to imagine "what if Beowulf was actually a true story?".  I have to say, I found that a bit more interesting than the straight forward telling of the story. 

Yes, the animation and style were mesmerizing.  In the end though, I was bored.  There are really no twists or turns in Beowulf.  It wasn't going to catch me by surprise (though the amount of naked man-butt did!  what the heck!). 

In the end,  I was left with sort of a "eh?" feeling.  The movie was just okay.  It was a cool idea.  I'm curious to see where this kind of movie making goes.  I'm sure it looks gorgeous on HD.  But just because you can bring the pretty does not mean you should slack on the characterization.  And really, Beowulf is not a likable character.  He's kind of a moron. 

So, less disturbing than Polar Express, but it left no impression on me. 

Originally posted on orangerful.vox.com

Comments

[jellibean.livejournal.com]

In the original epic poem, Beowulf and Grendel's Mom don't have sex and give birth to the dragon that kills him in the end.

That change is why I refuse to see Beowulf.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

It was really stupid because in the movie it is very clear that the previous king made the same damn mistake. So to have Beowulf do it is just dumb. And why would Anthony Hopkins' son be a freak like Grendel but Beowulf has a golden dragon?? Hm. I know its an old story, doesn't mean they couldn't inject some modern thinking into it somewhere!

[ekaterin24.livejournal.com]

Beowulf didn't have much of a personality in the original poem, either. He was just Standard Heroic Guy, the prototype for a superhero only with less color and personality.

Whaddaya want, it was the first major literature from a bunch of people who painted themselves blue and ran around in furs at a time when the Greeks and Romans had libraries full of literature.

By the time you get to Chaucer the characterization in English lit is *much* more colorful. And you actually get a lot of humor and significant female-human characters (yay, Wife of Bath!)

(Yes, in case you have to ask by this point, I was an English major in college.)

PS Beowulf *had sex* with Grendel's mother?? Put in purely for shock value, I'm sure. Bleah.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

I know, but I was expecting a bit more from Neil Gaiman since he did write the script (or at least half of it...there's another name next to his in the credits).

Yeah, Beowulf falls for the whole "don't kill me, have sex with me, and you can be king" line. Honestly, men never learn.

[bittertwee.livejournal.com]

Ha- I don't think you have to feel bad that you never read Beowulf. My guess is that not a lot of people have, even if they were supposed to read it for school. And is it even assigned anymore? I mean, we're both humanities types, and somehow we both managed to avoid it.

I actually started reading the Seamus Heaney translation a few years ago, and I was surprised that it did grab me at first. (I like how they called it the "bilingual edition." You know, for all those people fluent in both Modern and Old English). But then I put it down about a third of the way through and I haven't picked it up again.

And I'm with you on the too much focus on the visual thing. I saw Spiderwick the other day and my friend and I thought it was fine, but nothing great. Then the next week we saw Princess Bride in a theater and were reminded of what a great fantasy movie you can make with NO cgi.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

yeah, my mom has the Heaney translation and I'm sure I should read it some day but...yeah, really not interested haha.

jellibean had to read it in school and she's younger than us! So apparently they still force it upon students in Tennessee. *shrug*

Lots of these directors seems to be confusing special fx with plot.