Beowulf & Grendel Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES
The Hero. The Monster. The Myth.
Heads Will Roll
Beneath The Legend Lies The Tale.
The blood-soaked tale of a Norse warrior's battle against the great and murderous troll, Grendel. Heads will roll. Out of allegiance to the King Hrothgar, the much respected Lord of the Danes, Beowulf leads a troop of warriors across the sea to rid a village of the marauding monster. The monster, Grendel, is not a creature of mythic powers, but one of flesh and blood - immense flesh and raging blood, driven by a vengeance from being wronged, while Beowulf, a victorious soldier in his own right, has become increasingly troubled by the hero-myth rising up around his exploits. Beowulf's willingness to kill on behalf of Hrothgar wavers when it becomes clear that the King is more responsible for the troll's rampages than was first apparent. As a soldier, Beowulf is unaccustomed to hesitating. His relationship with the mesmerizing witch, Selma, creates deeper confusion. Swinging his sword at a great, stinking beast is no longer such a simple act. The story is set in barbarous Northern Europe where the reign of the many-gods is giving way to one - the southern invader, Christ. Beowulf is a man caught between sides in this great shift, his simple code transforming and falling apart before his eyes. Vengeance, loyalty and mercy powerfully entwine. A story of blood and beer and sweat, which strips away the mask of the hero-myth, leaving a raw and tangled tale.
| Hringur Ingvarsson | Young Grendel |
| Spencer Wilding | Grendel's Father |
| Stellan Skarsgård | Hrothgar |
| Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson | Grendel |
| Gunnar Eyjólfsson | Aeschere |
| Gerard Butler | Beowulf |
| Philip Whitchurch | Fisherman |
| Ronan Vibert | Thorkel |
| Rory McCann | Breca |
| Tony Curran | Hondscioh |
| Martin Delaney | Thorfinn |
| Mark Lewis | King Hygelac |
| Elva Ósk Ólafsdóttir | Sea Hag |
| Ólafur Darri Ólafsson | Unferth |
| Steinunn Ólína Þorsteinsdóttir | Wealtheow |
| Sturla Gunnarsson |
6.10 out of 10 (6158 votes)
Visitor Reviews
There is no possible updating of a classic
posted on 18 Aug 2009The scenery is flabbergasting and awe-inspiring. Beautiful mountains and fjords, vertiginous seascape and landscape, little winter and snow. It is not a film about the cold north but the heroic pagan mystery of this northern climes. Pagan with some beings coming from we do not know where, though the troll is explained very clearly from the very start as being the son of a man who was killed in some atrocious way by some Danes, just because he was coming from somewhere else and he "stole" a fish. The son then escapes and survives in nature alone. He becomes a wild child that does not speak any human language and is only looking for his vengeance on the Danish chief who had his father killed and who spared the child's life out of some human feeling. Beowulf is the one who is going to get that "troll", and the story is very close to the English Beowulf, though they try once again to make things look natural, normal. It kills in many ways the meaning and the power of some symbols, and you will never know that Beowulf used a sword from the giants who were on earth before human beings, and that this sword is decorated with runes and interlacing runic tangles. The fact that he has to resort to this sword he finds in the hoard of the mother of this Grendel, some kind of unexplained amphibious monster, appears to be a simple accident, while it is an essential and meaningful element: these monsters are the descendants of the giants that dominated the world before human beings. Some future is told by a witch but she uses bones instead of using the famous runes. The most important addition to this film, as compared to the original story, is this witch who was more or less raped once by Grendel and who got a son from him. Does this element give any humanity to the tale? I do not think so. Does it emphasizes the pagan side of the tale? Maybe but we have to say the repetitive christenings are at least counterbalancing this pagan element. The last interesting side of the film is the realistic rendition of the habitat of these northern human beings and that is neither comfortable, nor in anyway clean or well-ordered. It sure is the story of humanity emerging out of old phases of animal or pre-human existence, but this emergence is identified too much with the Christianization of Scandinavia. In one word is a good film of action though it is rather naïve as for the real anthropological or even archaeological dimension of the story, and it is rather too far from the Anglo-Saxon poem to be considered as a fair adaptation of the first part of this poem. We are missing the dragon of the second part and the death of the hero.Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne, University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, CEGID
A perhaps nuanced view of the movie?
posted on 18 Aug 2009My motive for seeing this film was mostly curiosity. I read it long ago (in a past almost as dim and distant as the times of the Geats), as a requirement for Grad English, and I wanted to know what a more modern sensibility would make of it. On the whole, I thought the film-maker was confused by it, and was forced by his twenty-first-century prejudices to turn it into something it wasn't. What he did, in fact, was feminize it.If this had been the result of real artistic vision, it might have worked, but it wasn't; it was done by the book, in a Sensitivity 101 fashion, and inconsistently, so that the result wasn't either mythic or modern. Or not the way the film-makers hoped, anyway. Instead of being a synthesis, it was an uneasy mix.Oh, it was moderately entertaining to a modern man and woman, the scenery was magnificent and the cinematography splendid - almost a given, these days. The acting, with one important exception, was very good. I'm glad I saw that and not... what was the other one? Snow dogs in Peril? Oh, 'Eight Below'. 'Beowulf and Grendel' was actually about something, and not just 'based on actual events' - the usual witless excuse for a dull and meandering story.What was Beowulf about? Originally - think about this - the tellers and hearers of this tale lived the dullest and most dangerous existence possible. They were pioneers, always on the jagged edge of starvation, faced with endless toil and unremitting vigilance, just to survive against an unremittingly hostile environment. They must have longed for a single villain, an enemy they could strike at and defeat, once and for all. Thus, Grendel. Grendel is all their fear and drudgery rolled into one. And Beowulf. He is them, all rolled into one, their collective courage and strength.It might be possible to adapt this to modern ideals, but it has to be re-imagined, which likely means changing time and place to, let's say, the recent old-west, the populace to sodbusters, the Grendel-menace to an unbeatable black-hat gunslinger and the hero to the man in buckskin. You can't just graft modern attitudes onto ancient warriors and pretend you've done something new and significant.The addition of the witch, Selma, played by my countrywoman Sarah Polley, is the worst of the modernist grafts. She plays the part almost without affect, as if all her actions were the product of cool rational thought, and didn't matter very much, anyway. I picture the director ranting at her in Icelandic, while a very polite translator murmurs, "more intense, please". I hate to bad-mouth one of the more intelligent actresses of our time, and one most loyal to her Canadian Roots, but she really dropped the ball on this one, and it affects the whole movie's credibility. If she'd been crazier, dirtier, more savage, more a part of the threatening Other, the role might have worked. Since she chose to preserve the proprieties of a modern girl --don't flip out, even when a troll is ravishing you -- she sinks the whole enterprise.Final comment: handsome, amusing, entertaining, but highly flawed.
The Beowulf Poet would not watch this movie.
posted on 14 Aug 2009This movie has many redeeming qualities but managed to have enough ludicrous diversions from the Anglo-Saxon poem to receive an indisputable "thumbs down". Let's start with the good aspects: the clothing was great, Heorot looked authentic; the actors were skillfully selected; Grendel's stature and acting was very convincing; Grendel's mother and the scenes with her were perfect; the horses (ponies) were historically correct; the boat (hring-stefna) and the scenes with the icebergs were amazing. Now let's peruse the plethora of negative aspects: Hrothgar was a drunken moron, unlike the Hrothgar presented in the poem; Grendel is a sympathetic hero who cuts his own arm off and tosses Beowulf around like a rag-doll; The Christian missionary is a weak moron-not that there were not weak Christian morons in the northern islands in the 10th and 11th centuries, but the portrayal of this character comes across as ironically "preachy"; God is a joke, which contradicts the entire poem's tone. The premise to this movie is an absurd speculative theory that the pagan oral story/poem "Beowulf" was "Christianized" by a tampering Christian author. This is, well, absurd. On the contrary many critics feel that the Christian elements in the poem are so thoroughly entwined in the poem's actors, dialogue and plot that the poem would fall apart without them. The need that progressive story and film writers feel to rewrite this epic poem is changing the way modern readers of this poem interpret this work. Please, Peter Jackson could you take two years of your life and produce a Beowulf movie that is free from 21st century literary criticism!
Interesting film
posted on 15 Jul 2009Engrossing tale of an adventure by Beowuff and his companions at the dawn of the Christian age in Northern Europe. The film takes place in an impressive location in Iceland. The setting plus elements of the supernatural gives credibility to the story. Unfortunately, the dialogue in Contemporary English does disappoint. The film uses a Christian missionary as comic relief, but the struggle between pagan and Christian values would have been more interesting. And, I couldn't see the significance of the witch (Sarah Polley) other than as a romantic interest. Nonetheless, the viewer is treated to a contrast between the pagan Danes and their primitive opponent (Grendel) who had a higher code of chivalry than the Danish colonizers. Beowuff is the prototype of the heroic medieval knight. But, he becomes disillusioned about the Danes that he is rescuing, and he is powerless to prevent the subsequent deaths. I think that the clearest message from the film is that humans tend to demonize their opponents. This is as true today as in mythical times.Interesting film, but does not have the depth of the literary Beowuff.
Beowulf - A Warrior With A Heart
posted on 11 Jul 2009I drove 7 hours into London, Canada with two friends to see this movie because we were afraid it wouldn't release in the U.S. It was worth every mile and every minute of the trip. In fact, we sat through two viewings of the movie. This is an awesome movie with spectacular landscapes. At the heart of the story is Beowulf, the famous undefeated warrior of legend come to the rescue. He soon discovers that there is much more to the story and the enemy (Grendel) than he ever knew. I loved the way the director developed the characters and used a touch of humor to give relief to the very dark tale. Beowulf is soon at a loss on how to deal with Grendel. I loved Beowulf's line, "Why won't he fight me?" He has no frame of reference for this type of situation and it really causes him to rethink his mission. This movie stays with you long after you have left the theater. Excellent performances by all of the actors. GREAT MOVIE!! It should have received more widespread distribution.
Tale Told by the Campfire---
posted on 23 Jun 2009The movie titles over the ancient map with demons in the sea; the music of strings and drums sets the tone of otherworldlyness; tribal tales told round the campfire - and the dark beyond where terrors dwell. Into this world of fable and myth we are told the tale of the hero Beowulf. Is what we see and hear true - or along with other ancient stories, an entertainment to pass the time as we enjoy our drinks before sleep, as those ancient peoples did? It has been over 60 years since I had to read Beowulf in Senior English. All that I remember is it was a hero tale and I was glad to finish it. But it did have a great hero.I think the whole film is like a dream - not real, but fantasy. We see Beowulf (Gerard Butler) emerging from the ice cold waters which would kill in minutes, to say G'day to a fisherman. He is not cold - he is just wondering where he is.In the opening moments we are introduced to the backstory of what happened to Grendel(Ingvar Sigurdsson), a troll, and why he is murdering the Danes. The sea behind Grendel as this unfolds, with the huge ancient primeval rocks and the waves are awe inspiring, giving meaning to the quote "what is man that you are mindful of him?" Back in Geatland, Beowulf hears of the Danes troubles and decides to take his warriors to rid his friend, King Hrothgar(Stellan Skarsgard) of the menace. The meeting with the king and the next days, show him to be a drunken weakling. And there is something not right.Selma (Sarah Polley), a witch, sees with clear eyes, maybe because she is considered "the other" a nonperson who would be killed except for the troll. For some reason he protects her. This is a secret, along with others, that Beowulf will begin to uncover, until he has become aware that all is not as it seems. Is he doing good? or evil? The final denouement of Grendal is gruesome but the final honor paid by Beowulf to him is sad and dignified.Comments: Of the cast, Butler is perfect as the conflicted warrior, big, strong and questioning.I was most disappointed in Skarsgard. After reading so many comments praising his performance maybe I expected more. I thought he overdid some of his scenes and other lines just threw away. He just did not make me feel anything for this wimpy king.Sigurdsson was okay but again, I was expecting to feel more for him after reading soooo much praise for his performance.Sarah Polley is the one I thought was spot on. Now this is where I canna understand the dissing she has had over her Selma. I GOT it and thought it was most telling that no one mentions the horror that her character must have endured by the time Beowulf meets her. She asks him, when he mentions that both there peoples were annihilated by the same tribe, "but did they make you a whore?" I thought Polley played her as a survivor, and did it well.The priest - was he supposed to be going mad? That is the way I felt.The Iceland horses - I loved watching the riders. Did you notice that their gait makes the rider almost completely motionless? No bouncing around. The Tennessee Walker, that people ride in the US who have to be riding all day, has the same gate. The horse does the moving, the rider is still. I thought the shot of all of the Geats riding towards the waterfall was great. No laughing from me.The language. Come on!!! This is so tame I hardly noticed it - I was expecting something like "GoodFellas" with every other word a curse word. Sorry, I was underwhelmed - seemed just about right for a bunch of men doing the dirty work of killing for the citizens.Beowulfs comment on seeing the glacier "We're in a different world here" and his final words "Sleep Grendel" brought tears to my eyes.A wonderful trip indeed into "a different world." A myth - told round the campfire. And the monsters are still out there in the dark.This was a review of the DVD. Rating 9/10
Beowulf and Grendel: a touching and masterful epic
posted on 11 Jun 2009A film beyond any other film I have seen in the past few years, Beowulf and Grendel is a masterpiece of restraint, skill, authenticity, artistic beauty and storytelling at its purest. I have just finished watching this and after 100 minutes of audio and video bliss, I cannot help but post about it. Filmed for the most part in Iceland, with an Icelandic and English cast, this film retells the most famous and ancient of written texts of the English language.Beowulf and Grendel is not an adaptation for the cinema, but an interpretation or an extrapolation of the original medieval text. It is overflowing with beauty and a deep respect for the 1500-year old piece of skaldic poetry. Every image is a work of art and the screenplay respects to the dot the original epic, whilst allowing a large amount of artistic license. I suppose it may annoy the purists as Jackson annoyed the Tolkienistas, but I really doubt anyone would be too upset by this film.Unlike the medieval saga of Beowulf, Beowulf and Grendel takes a neutral and deeply philosophical stance on the tale and demonstrates how a culture of violence and revenge is inevitably doomed to destruction through blood feud and vendetta. This is clearly one of the underlying themes of all Icelandic Sagas, but nowhere else is it portrayed with such clarity as in this film adaptation of the Saga.The film starts before the written text and looks at the early childhood of Grendel, at the slaying of his father at the hands of Hrothgar's men and at the birth of hatred that will thereafter forever run through his veins. Following this introduction the film follows the screenplay whilst using much of the prose material in various tangents such as Beowulf's swimming wager with his companion. The screenplay then runs its course whilst employing good humour (not comedy!) and a somewhat more informal approach than the medieval text. As many of you may already know Beowulf is a skaldic poem, an unusual variety of poem that existed during the early middle ages (commonly and wrongly known as the "Dark Ages") in the Teutonic tribes of modern day Germany, Scandinavia and the British Isles. These poems were the ultimate form of storytelling, having developed from campfire tales to vastly elaborate, highly formulaic poetry of several thousand verses. Beowulf and Grendel holds itself very closely to this and occasionally does draw onto the actual verses in narration and during a few of the feasts.Where Beowulf and Grendel (2005) differs enormously from the "original" Beowulf (please note the quotation marks) is in its Christian content. Naturally, it is very difficult to talk about Christian content in Beowulf since it is clearly a pre-Christian, pagan text. The themes contained in the medieval text are of pagan origin: kinship, revenge, the acquisition of wealth, honour and death in battle to mention but a few. As the roots of the tale of Beowulf developed in Scandinavia, the story switched from being a purely oral delivery to being a written text. Naturally, at this time, only the Christian clergy knew how to read and write, so despite the fact that the alleged events had happened 3 to 800 years (depending on which historian you talk with) before the actual Christianisation of the British Isles or Scandinavia, the story took on a distinctive Christian twist. Yet another example of the misappropriation of pagan myth in Christian doctrine. The film wants nothing to do with this, looking through the flowery Christian messages and deep into the blatantly pagan content.It would of course be unfair to say that it is purely a pagan story line since there is clearly a Christian element to it, the Celtic missionary, but he simply serves to demonstrate (in my opinion) the underhanded methods used by the early Church to convert the "heathens". These heathens who naturally (and this is a historical fact!) understood perfectly well the implications of the "White Christ" and merely saw him as "yet another deity to add to their pantheon" (to quote my post-roman history professor, Stephen Church). The image of Hrothgar wearing Mjolnir, the Hammer of Thor, on a pendant right above the crucifix the Celtic priest had given him is a perfect example of the early Germanic/Viking opinion of this new divine invader.As you can probably detect, I am extremely excited by this film. I have been expecting its release for almost two years now, along with Das Nibelungenlied (a.k.a. The Sword of Xanten). I find it equally exciting to see a Scandinavian/North European cast and film crew.I suppose that if I was to place an element of criticism in this review-ette, I would simply say that it would have been interesting to have the actors speak in Gamle Dansk and other Teutonic tongues. Passion of the Christ did this for Arameic, it would have been feasible to do it for this film.With this very weak criticism (more of a personal, vested interest than anything else), I exhort you all to watch this film.
Sturla Gunnarsson's "Beowulf & Grendel" is a Must-See
posted on 09 Jun 2009I was fortunate to see Sturla Gunnarsson's "Beowulf & Grendel" at the Toronto International Film Festival. This film is MUCH MORE than the long epic poem we read in high school! It is a film infused with humor, heart, suspense, and qualities of character and motivation which make it memorable indeed! Yes, there is violence, but that is the nature of the beast, so to speak. The story tells of people living in rather primitive circumstances (compared to modern Western standards) and war is a way of life. Without going into the story, it can safely be said that the introduction of the hero Beowulf (wonderfully played by Gerard Butler) leads to a tale of honor, friendship, loyalty, bravery, horror, and retribution. The musical score, sets, costumes, armor and weaponry, and especially the landscape (filmed entirely in Iceland!) add to the splendor of this movie. I have recommended B&G to our friends, and we hope it is widely distributed.
Great Epic worth a few viewings
posted on 01 Jun 2009I just got back from a viewing of B&G at the Palm Springs international film festival. I've been following it on the net for a few years now and finally got the pleasure of viewing it.While many people may bash this film for not following the original, I would say thats a plus. While i'm a fan of the epic poem. It does lack detail and character motivations in key scenes. B&G is an interpretation of the epic poem that tries to explain the motivation behind Grendel.*****possible spoilers**** Grendel is a human-like creature who is not that much different from any human who enters a blood feud with the king of the danes. I found this interpretation of Grendel to be fascinating. The director and actor are able to inject some sympathy into the characters plight and not fall victim to making him a meer monster. In fact as you watch the film you feel more pity for him than the warriors he kills.I enjoyed the fact that the films fight scenes weren't just 20 1/2 second clips slapped together. You were actually able to see what was going on.The visceral nature of Iceland lends a reality to the film that makes it all the more believable. The characters are standing in freezing muck and climbing cold, wet shale rock. I felt that background led a believability to the film that others with 3 times the budget don't achieve.Lastly, during the Q&A session with Sturla (the director) 1 Beowulf expert, (I say that because he said he'd been teaching the poem in his classes for over 25 years) stood up and told the director that B&G was the truest representation of the poem on film to date. Another English teacher said that she felt film was amazingly accurate to the poem and well made.I have to agree. If you get the chance go see it.
what a disappointment!
posted on 30 May 2009Being a Beowulf fan, and having three teen daughters who think Gerry Butler is "hot," we waited over a year before this movie was shown in our area. The first shocker was that most of the audience was older than me: a Gerry Butler fan club of past-middle aged women in Viking hats salivating on their Butler action dolls. Will the fat lady please sing so this show can end? To interpret Beowulf as a know-nothing who has to learn about integrity (and the sins of his friend Hrothgar) from the misunderstood and noble Grendel is just plain blasphemy. Making Hrothgar a ruthless idiot and his wife a long-suffering (can she roll her eyes just one more time?) care-giver of his majesty's reputation is pitiful.To make a heathen witch the truth-teller in a story that was written clearly to underscore the Christianization of Scandinavia is scandalous; however, the biggest transgression from the original tale is the battle where Grendel cuts off his own arm. Please! The scenery of Iceland was the one redeeming aspect of this movie.
Monster and Human - which is which?
posted on 26 May 2009This retelling of the ancient poem is less conventional than I thought before seeing it. Instead of rather simple story where the hero comes, looks around and, finally, wins, I was presented with an epic (and tragical) tale of loyalty, honour, vengeance, intolerance and stupidity, and surprisingly, of compassion. (Quite an irony that it was shown rather by pagan characters). To put it short, do NOT go to see this movie if: - you do not like to think - you can't stand blood and violence, and a bit of expressive language - you can't understand why sheep in Animal Farm were wrong If you fail to identify yourself with the above categories, enjoy it.
The Movie Was Terrible. Anyone Who Has Read "Beowulf" Knows That
posted on 12 May 2009Anyone who has read Beowulf and throughly studied, knows that the movie was a poor depiction of the great epic. I'm to tell you how the movie went...and how it was supposed to be. Don't get me wrong, adaptations can't be perfect, but there is no need to drastically alter the storyline for a turn for the worst.Movie: Grendals dad killed by Hrothgar. Grendal takes father's head and seeks revenge years later by attacking the mead hall. Hrothgar can't stop it so he calls upon the Geat warriors to help. They show up and wait for Grendal several nights. We a Christian priest baptizing people, Beowulf meets the witch and we see Beowulf's doubts and Hrothgar's problems. They go to the cave, one warrior smashes the head of Grendal's dad. Grendal's enraged and comes back and roughs up the Geats and loses his arm via a rope.Epic Poem: Grendal didn't have a dad. Witch never mentioned. Beowulf is superhuman and rips off Grendel's arm. Beowulf never had self doubt.The story was originally told to inspire warriors to be stronger men. Grendal was never created to be sympathized with. He is a descendant of Cain. 100% pure evil. Do yourself a favor, buy the book.
Scenery was good
posted on 12 May 2009Beowulf and Grendel is one of the world's greatest stories. The anonymous author of this epic poem explored the grand issues of good and evil, heroism, destiny etc. While I didn't expect the movie to reach that level I was hoping for something a little more inspired than what I got. A wronged troll, a sensitive hero, a beautiful and wise witch . . . the real evil in this production was not Grendel, but the screenplay. I liked the fact that there were no special effects. The memory of Peter Jackson's King Kong lingers like a canker sore. But in the place of special effects, the director needed to draw on other tools to create the sense of mystery and magic that this tale demands. Evidently he didn't have any other tools. Most of the time what we see is not a great hero battling overwhelming evil but a bunch of grubby actors brandishing pretend swords and spouting some of the worst dialogue I have ever heard as they stumble around the countryside. (The scenery is really the only awe inspiring thing about this movie.) "Grendel must be a pretty tough prick to climb this mountain on a full stomach." Yikes! Actually Grendel does have moments in this movie where you can almost believe he is an ogre and not a refugee from the professional wrestling circus, but Beowulf is just too pretty and too 'sensitive'. I hate how Robert Zemeckis butchered his character. As was noted by another contributor, the director missed the whole point of the freakin' story when he changed the climactic battle scene. Zemeckis' Beowulf is more spectator than warrior. I can't agree with the other contributor who compared this screenplay to the late John Gardner's treatment of the story in his book Grendel. I read that book many years ago and liked it despite his heavy-handed moralizing. I would argue that this Grendel owes more to Disney than Gardner. A much better adaptation of the Beowulf story was the 13th Warrior with Antonio Banderas. That movie had it flaws too, but it was a lot more fun and actually had some interesting characters.
Epic as rough noise
posted on 10 May 2009The ninth century Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf recounts the exploits of a hero of the Danes who saves them from a monster, Grendel, and the creature's vengeful mother, and then, decades later, dies fighting a dragon. This is an oral epic like Homer, which means it was composed and recomposed by oral bards among an illiterate but highly verbal people and "passed on" (actually constantly varied and renewed) in that way for many generations, and only later, when the tradition was waning, was written down. Epics, especially oral ones, have something in common. They are the embodiment of the primary values of the nation and culture they come from and represent. Their purpose is not just to entertain, but also to instruct, to inspire, to move, to instill pride in and knowledge of traditions and history. In a sense they tell stories everybody knows – everybody of the nation or culture – but they also preserve the values, the traditions, and the history and legend of the tribe. We don't know much about those traditions found in Beowulf, but in Iceland they do, and this movie was made in Iceland by an Icelandic director, Sturla Gunnarsson, who lives in Canada. Anglo-Saxon poetry is alliterative, haunting, sad, and in a language utterly unlike modern English, completely strange. Here's how the poem begins, with translations for each line. (You will have to look elsewhere, because the format of this website does not allow foreign languages.) Which has been translated: LO, praise of the prowess of people-kings of spear-armed Danes, in days long sped, we have heard, and what honor the athelings won! Oft Scyld the Scefing from squadroned foes, from many a tribe, the mead-bench tore, awing the earls. Since erst he lay friendless, a foundling, fate repaid him: for he waxed under welkin, in wealth he throve, till before him the folk, both far and near, who house by the whale-path, heard his mandate, gave him gifts: a good king he! Along comes a movie, which doesn't have much US distribution but is currently showing in New York (July 2006). And I'm told there was a version with Christopher Lambert, but I have not seen it. There are many translations but one by a poet of distinction recently done is that of the Irish poet Seamus Heaney. Here are a couple of short passages from Heaney's version: You have won renown: you are known to all men far and near, now and forever. Your sway is wide as the wind's It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning. For every one of us, living in this world means waiting for our end. Let whoever can win glory before death. When a warrior is gone, That will be his best and only bulwark. This atmosphere that comes in the poem, even from a few lines, the importance of fame, of reputation, a deep fatalism, a sense of the power of nature and overwhelming sadness, are typical of Beowulf and of Anglo-Saxon poetry. But whether you get any of that from the movie I don't know. What you do get is plenty of cussing, of F-words and S-words, spoken even by King Hrothgar and Beowulf himself, and body functions, and sexual intercourse – with a monster, who, for reasons best known to the filmmakers, is referred to as a "troll." Perhaps in Iceland a "troll" can be a giant, but in English the word has more often been used for a dwarf. Grendel isn't a dwarf. In the poem you don't see him clearly. He has scales. He's a monster. In the movie he's a big man who babbles incomprehensibly and has big muscles. He's like the Hulk. It's rather unfortunate that Sarah Polley plays a witch, one who has intercourse literally with both troll and man. Everybody else has some sort of rustic English accent, but she speaks mall American. That doesn't work, and neither does her presence. In the time of the Angles and the Saxons, the mead hall was a place for carousing, but also a semi holy place. Men got drunk and swore oaths, which they were bound to for life. The mead hall scenes are huge in Beowulf, but they just look like moments from any minor historical mélange here in this movie. Hrothgar's hall's structure is realistically represented from the outside, though. The snowy Icelandic landscape has an austere beauty that is one of the best things about this movie. Ingvar Sigurdsson as Grendel is impressive; but it would still be more evocative of the story and the poem not to see him clearly. Gerard Butler is dashing as Beowulf. But the way he talks! Stellan Skarsgård as King Hrothgar appears very beaten down; in the poem he is, indeed, depressed and presumably drunken, but somehow that is nobler in the mind than on the screen. Whereas there's a lot of history -- epics are repositories of history -- in Beowulf the poem, in the movie things and people aren't explained very much. You get a rough idea, but explanation is almost totally omitted, even though every once in a while somebody in a boat speaks a few lines of poetry carrying the story forwrd. The music by Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson is astonishing and powerful, though it isn't the sad, slow music of the Anglos-Saxon poem. This is of course an action movie. But there isn't quite enough action. It made me think of the wonderful example of dramatic narrative on film, which is so succinct and gripping and atmospheric, and which evokes an archaic time among Scandanavian peoples: Nils Gaup's 1987 Pathfinder/Ofelas, a Norwegian-Finnish production shot in the snow. Smashing. Find it and watch it.
Yawn!
posted on 04 May 2009If you're like me then you hate it when people say "the book was better then the movie." If you are like me then stop reading this comment now. The pitch for this movie must of been something like this... "Lets take the last twenty minutes of the Return of the King, you know the part of the movie when the audience stops caring and just wishes that the movie will end, and stretch it into a full length feature film." Now I'm not one to just watch movies for senseless violence, but for an epic adventure movie based on the greatest hero of Celtic mythology it should be at least a lot more exciting. The first three minutes of the movie and the last fifteen to twenty minutes contain all the action. The remaining 83 minutes are spent talking, and riding horses, and talking, and some sex, and talking, and sailing, and oh yeah, taaaalking! Please stop the talking! Why won't they stop!?! So I'd recommend this film to those who enjoy a slow movies such as tortoises, snails, sloths, Joe Lieberman, and some species of fish. Their is good news however another Beowulf film is slated for released in November 2007, hopefully its an improvement.
Boring and worthless P.O.S.
posted on 28 Apr 2009OMG. Words cannot describe just how awful this movie is. It's boring to the point of tears. The scenes don't feel like they fit together at all, just a mismatch of crappy dialog snippets. And there is no action/gore to be found in this supposed fantasy epic. The acting is poor, especially in the case of Grandel (after a while all those moans and grunts sound ridiculously silly, like they were trying to play his inability to speak into a joke) and Sarah Polley. She's way better than this tripe, and it shows with her stone dead performance (and did I really need to see that premature ejaculation scene?). And to top it all off, this film commits the worst crime in the cinematic world... it takes a cool idea (from the epic poem) and does absolutely nothing with it. I can see why this hasn't gotten a wide release in this country... it should have a warning attached to it that states "Do not operate heavy machinery after viewing this movie, may cause drowsiness and loss of I.Q."Avoid it at all costs.
A decent film but not really that great
posted on 12 Apr 2009Hi,I would stick by the rating of 6.5 given. I certainly would not say it is a "MUST SEE" film for everybody.The storyline is fine and the performances are good but I expected this to be an Adventure with lots of BIG battles etc.( a visual spectacle). It is nothing like it. The battles are very small scoped and nothing in them stands as awesome.I would be say it is a OK film that you can see in your spare time. Don't expect anything visually spectacular.Moreover the Storyline is weak and the end of the film does not invoke any kind of a response or feelings in you.
It had everything!
posted on 10 Apr 2009I saw the movie on Wed and Friday at the Toronto Film Festival and really enjoyed it! In the beginning, it seemed simple- a hero Beowolf, who was a great fighter that was sent to kill an evil person But as the movie progressed and you learned more about Grendal, it was amazing to see the subtle changes in Beowolf's character! He was not so quick to ridicule Grendal (when they decided to urinate on his cave because had Grendal urinated on their door!) or decide that violence and retaliation was always the best answer (when the one character smashed the skull of Grendal's father in retaliation for killing his friends) As you watched each side retaliate over and over, you wondered when anyone was going to learn that this cycle would never end- unless someones behavior changed By the end, Beowolf had gained respect for the creature and even pitied him for the wrong that had been done to him and his father. When Beowolf honored Grendal by burying him and putting his sword in the earth, I was cryingI thoroughly enjoyed the fact that the movie was humorous too-when Grendal hits Beowolf with a rock right between the eyes, I couldn't stop laughing! It was great that the movie had no computer graphics and just consisted of pure interaction between the charactersI also enjoyed the Pagan Christian conflict within the movie because it mirrored the situation that was going on between Grendal and the others The "you are not like me, so you must be destroyed" mentality Being pagan myself, I can relate to the intolerance that others have towards my religionThe movie was fantastic and it was definitely something you couldn't just watch and walk away from It has me thinking about the consequences of our actions- even a week after I've seen itGreat job to all the cast Sarah Polley did an excellent job as well
Great Setting and Atmosphere but Movie so-so.
posted on 21 Mar 2009I recommend this movie for the scenery and atmosphere alone. The viking ships skirting ice floes, the horse rides on the spume flecked beaches and the lonely fog enshrouding the wooden hall is worth the price of admission. You won't have to be a fan of the story to admire the work that went into this film.Unfortunately the acting and story do not share the same drive as the sets. Everybody here seems to fall flat, the only charismatic performance by Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson as Grendel. To his credit, he nails his part, revealing the rage, anguish and loneliness felt by the forlorn monster.The rest of the cast, (even Stellan Skarsgård who flawlessly executed a similar role in King Arthur) seems to be going through the motions, so this film plays like an expensive made for TV Sci-fi channel movie rather than a film on screen. It's really too bad because the story is exciting and the potential was there but it simply didn't deliver.Gerard Butler wasn't bad as Beowulf, but he never really shone either. Sarah Polley was terribly miscast as Selma, her flat and inexpressive tone seemingly inappropriate in a cast of rich accents.I didn't really get caught up in this movie as I did with similar films such as the Thirteenth Warrior. So I can give this film a marginal recommendation for the sets and the performance of Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson as the torn troll.
A Mirror to See Ourselves in.
posted on 26 Aug 2009I traveled 2000 miles to see this film in Canada the first time because buzz on the Beowulf Movie site indicated the story reflected research I'd done on woman's place in the Middle Ages. The connection in fact held up. Selma, an outcast witch, is pivotal to humanizing the tale with her plain-spoken, off-kilter ways. I found it to be a well told story of stark human events that might have been the backdrop for the Beowulf poem. I liked it so well I just made a six hour drive to view it again in Palm Springs, California. This time I had time to appreciate how achingly human and exquisitely wild Grendel was, the perfect mirror to reflect the "civilized" warriors back at themselves. On the whole this isn't a lube job for the eyes, it's a chance to experience shades of gray, get knocked off center, be made uneasy about simple answers to complex problems. Fantasy it's not, it's a hard hitting story of very human frailties, as real now as they were in AD 500. Beowulf and Grendel is a mirror that reflects back a glimpse of ourselves.