Beowulf Movie

Film Review #76: Beowulf

By David M. Brown on | From blog.elenchera.com

With prices for cinema tickets now reaching ridiculous heights it’s not often I will treat myself to a new release unless it’s something I simply cannot wait for. Instead, I’m happy to content myself with a cheap DVD or a film on TV which may have slipped through my critical net and, believe me, there have been far too many. Whether the films featured here are recent or old I’ll still be providing my honest opinion on them and, with the benefit of hindsight in many cases, may offer a slightly different take to contemporary reviewers.

Beowulf (2007)

I began writing fiction after being inspired by both the Final Fantasy games and in particular Norse mythology which I consider superior to the Greek legends. During my reading I wandered over to the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf which I found to be remarkable given its age, said to have been written between the 8^th and 11^th centuries, so a good thousand years old! When I heard Robert Zemeckis was making a film based on the poem I was naturally intrigued but at the same time concerned the Anglo-Saxon masterpiece would not be given the justice it deserved.

The original poem told the story of a Geat named Beowulf who travelled to Heorot, the great hall where the Danish king, Hrothgar, reigned. The Danes were being terrorised by a monster named Grendel which Beowulf killed but then faced Grendel’s vengeful mother. After slaying both mother and son, Beowulf returned home where he later became King of the Geats. In old age a dragon attacked Beowulf’s kingdom leaving the king to fight once more. After struggling to defeat the dragon, all of Beowulf’s men abandoned him save one, Wiglaf, who supported the king and helped him kill the dragon only for Beowulf to be mortally wounded and buried with the highest of honours. The original poem is brilliant in its simplicity and makes for engaging reading, but Hollywood has changed a few things with the film adaptation.

King Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins) is celebrating with his men in the mead hall, Heorot, when they are attacked by Grendel (Crispin Glover) whose ears are extremely sensitive to all the revelry. Despite killing many of the men, Grendel does not touch Hrothgar but returns to his mother (Angelina Jolie). Hrothgar beseeches a brave warrior to come to his kingdom and kill Grendel and that warrior is of course Beowulf (Ray Winstone) whose force of Geats are as formidable as they are keen to cheat on their wives with the loose women in Hrothgar’s kingdom. Only Beowulf’s closest friend Wiglaf (Brendan Gleeson) seems to remain focussed given the danger that the men are about to face. When Beowulf defeats and mortally wounds Grendel he must next face the vengeful mother who appears in the form of Angelina Jolie as opposed to a fierce monster as in the poem. Grendel’s mother offers Beowulf riches, fame and longevity in exchange for a son but does the brave warrior comply?

Using motion capture, Zemeckis delivers an animated film with Ray Winstone’s Beowulf reminding me more of Sean Bean. As impressive as the visuals are my first issue with the film was deciding to film it in this way. Animation works fine for something like Shrek and Toy Story, but it just didn’t seem appropriate for this particular story. Of course Grendel and his mother would have required impressive visuals to bring them to life but it’s a pity we don’t get to see the likes of Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn and John Malkovich in person. The visuals are only at their best when it comes to the combat but the rest of the time I found myself wishing Zemeckis had opted to film this differently.

The film retains the essence of the Anglo-Saxon poem but there have been a few changes. In the early stages a romance is hinted between Beowulf and Hrothgar’s Queen Wealtheow who is more drawn towards the heroic warrior than her impatient husband’s bed. Beowulf defeats Grendel in the same manner as the poem, stripping naked and using his bare hands to ensure a fair fight. The meeting with Grendel’s mother is where things take a different turn. In the poem Beowulf fought her with the sword, Hrunting, and was dragged underwater for a fierce contest but in the film Grendel’s mother manages to seduce the warrior into having a child with her and promising him he will rule over the Danes as their king. Beowulf accepts the terms of course after being faced with a naked and animated replica of Angelina Jolie. On his return to Heorot, Hrothgar soon dies and Beowulf does become king with Wealtheow as his queen but that’s as far as the romance goes between them. Following the poem as it traces Beowulf into old age, the film keeps him as king of the Danes and finds his kingdom terrorised by a dragon, the son he has had with Grendel’s mother. In old age Beowulf’s love for Wealtheow has gone stale with him finding solace in the arms of a young mistress while his friend Wiglaf is all that remains of the Geats that initially arrived to slay Grendel. True to the poem the film sees Beowulf face another epic battle in old age but there is still the problem of Grendel’s mother to contend with as well.

I really wanted to like Beowulf but in the end I found it a weak adaptation of the poem. I’m puzzled why it had to change the events of the poem but the reason for a nude Angelina Jolie, albeit an animated one, doesn’t need explaining, it’s quite clear why and who that was included for! Up until the seduction of Beowulf I felt the film was following the poem rather well but it couldn’t resist this change. The poem was dramatic enough as it was without this amendment and the crowning of Beowulf as King of the Danes seemed a desperate orchestration for him to be with Wealtheow even though that is never explored in the end and only turns raw from Beowulf’s infidelities. The poem was tragic in its concluding segment with an ageing Beowulf betrayed by his cowardly men, save Wiglaf, who risked everything to fight side by side with his king to the end. Though the battle sequences are quite impressive I found myself disappointed that Beowulf was filmed in this fashion and that Hollywood had added a touch of its glamour to what was already a perfectly good story.

Beowulf will attract more interest from younger audiences than the Anglo-Saxon poem will, in fact I’m sure some people won’t even know it’s based on a poem! This had all the potential to be a great film but a combination of the way its filmed and the changes to the storyline to sex it up a bit were completely unnecessary and disappointing. I would recommend reading the poem rather than watching this film and though many may not think much to it, always consider how old it is and you’ll appreciate it a lot more than this poor imitation.

Verdict: 3/10