Beowulf

A classic literary story turned into a horrible movie. The 2007 computer animated fantasy film Beowulf, based on the epic poem of the same name, takes place in medieval Denmark. Starring Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, and Robin Wright, it is rated PG-13.

Beowulf is a Geatish warrior, who’s come to Denmark to earn glory and make a name for himself. He’ll have to face some monstrous enemies in order to do so, such as the demon Grendel, the sea hag Grendel’s mother, and the Dragon, who all threaten the land. Can Beowulf build himself a legacy? Are his actions truly honorable?

The old story has had great influence upon culture, even inspiring famous fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien with his books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I heard the story in my mythology class and I quickly became a fan. The adventure, great battles, and epic hero are all amazing aspects of the original story. This story deserves a big film adaptation. Unfortunately, this release is what we got.

I’m not a fan of computer animation in general, but most computer animated films still look better than this movie. The animation looks so fake, it appears like cut-scenes that would be shown in a video game. They should have made it a live-action movie instead. Animation doesn’t do justice for a big, grand story like this. Speaking of which, let’s talk about what they did to that story.

It’s not always an issue when you make big changes in a movie adaptation from its source material, but sometimes you end up turning great elements into bad ones. They ruined how the battles should have gone. There was one battle from the book I was really looking forward to seeing in the film, but they cut it completely. Some changes result in a story that doesn’t make much sense at all. There’s also a ridiculous excess of nudity in the film, which did not add to the story. Grendel goes from being an ugly, cool monster to just looking weird and making annoying sounds. Grendel’s mother changes from hideous and monstrous to being beautiful and seductive, with the motion capture of Angelina Jolie.

With all of these problems, the action is at least well done and they kept the gore from the source material, though I felt it wasn’t gory enough. It should have been rated R instead of PG-13. That’s really all I can say for its positive aspects.

Overall, this film was very flawed when it could have been an awesome movie to add to my list of recommended movies. If they really wanted to make a good Beowulf movie, then make a live-action R-rated movie directed by Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. I think I’ll just stick to reading the story.