I expected Beowulf to be a cool movie. I expected it to be a kickass movie. I expected a fun night of 3-D.
I did not expect it to be a near-great film—but it is. Far from just the heavy metal visual feast it’s purported to be, Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary’s script is epic, song-like, and a little bit nostalgic—everything that makes this feel like an authentic fantasy tale, but still with the modern satisfaction of humor and excitement.
But let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way: Yes, it’s absolutely meant to be seen in 3-D, so don’t settle for the regular version. The animation is bound to be divisive, but it’s hard to say that’s not based on personal taste. The human models are gorgeously rendered, but the environment and movements still look like a video game (which isn’t a bad thing in today’s next-gen era). While you can argue the merits of going with a more stylistic approach, the photo-realism works well in this particular story. It’s tempting to ask why they didn’t just go for a live-action movie, but I say, why the hell not? They wanted to make an animated film, not a live-action one. There is freedom in choosing a medium, and if the makers of Beowulf opted for a cartoon, then there should always be a place for it. The more important thing is whether or not it works well in service of the story, and here it does so marvelously.
Of course one advantage of going animated is that the MPAA loosens up. Beowulf is sexual, vulgar, and gory—as in, “Grendel rips a man in half and you can see his entrails” gory. Had this been live-action, there’s no doubt that this would\'ve garnered an R-rating.
Much has been said about the similar marketing between this and 300. They have very little in common, of course, but for all intents and purposes they are targeting the same audience—the yelling, the machismo, the male roar. However, while 300 has naked men stomping about acting tough just because it’s cool to fight “for glory,” the characters in Beowulf have more purpose. When they act in a boorish manner, it is rarely cool. At worst, it is played for laughs. At best, it comments on the emptiness of male conquest—either for sex or power. It even notes how the hero says right off the bat that he’d die for glory, yet that turns out not to be the case. It’s just a load of machismo. On top of that, it seems silly to compare this to 300, since director Robert Zemeckis crafts some incredibly thrilling action sequences in this film, instead of just slowing down and fast-forwarding the action (lame!). The battle between Beowulf (Ray Winstone) and Grendel (Crispin Glover) is especially intense.
The story of Beowulf was one passed down in time orally before it was ever written, and as such, there is no “true version.” Instead of just telling it like it is, Gaiman and Avary play with the idea that much of the Beowulf lore could be lies told by those storytellers. In our introduction to Beowulf, he comes ashore proclaiming to be a great warrior—best of the best! But the King’s advisor Unferth (an absolutely hilarious John Malkovich) questions Beowulf about the time he lost in a swimming race and drowned, so Beowulf begins to spin a lie of how seven sea monsters delayed him and a beautiful mermaid pulled him down. It sets up our hero as a flawed and conceited human being, who then continues to make mistakes as the story progresses.
It’s almost the opposite of the hero’s journey: we start with Beowulf already a great hero, and the film then deteriorates him into a frail old dope. It’s surprisingly engaging. As the legend of Beowulf grows mightier, the real Beowulf wastes away. There are also several references to the rise of Christianity over Olden Gods, tied to Beowulf’s growing lament. “There are no more heroes, Wyglaf,” he tells his best friend, played by Brendan Gleeson. “Only self-sacrificing martyrs.” If you know the legend of Beowulf, you know how this plays out at the end. Interestingly, the film suggests that you can’t escape your own lies—as evidenced by how the story is passed down versus Beowulf’s intentions.
The line “Sins of the father” seems to be the theme of the film. It is both literal—King Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins) and Beowulf both suffer a bastard—and metaphorical, father being the synonym for male. The deliciously ambiguous ending challenges men\'s will to overcome lust, which is appropriately preceded by the hedonistic portrayal of Hrothgar’s kingdom.
Both fiercely badass and dramatically stimulating, with magnificent acting from all involved (especially Winstone as Beowulf), I suspect that this might edge out Ratatouille as the Oscar frontrunner.
"Beowulf" opens November 16, 2007 and is rated PG13. Action, Adventure, Animation, Fantasy. Directed by Robert Zemeckis. Written by Neil Gaiman, Roger Avary. Starring Brendan Gleeson, John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn, Crispin Glover, Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins.
