2008 Woodie Awards
"Beowulf"
Like "shrek" on crack!
Alan Sharp
Issue date: 11/21/07 Section: Entertainment
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Robert Zemeckis' CGI stunner "Beowulf" is chock full of action and pathos. Loosely based on the classic myth and more closely based on the graphic novel by co-screenwriter Neil Gaiman, "Beowulf" tells the story of a Nordic hero that journeys to the land of the Danes to end their suffering at the hands of the monster Grendel.
Danish King Hrothgar (Sir Anthony Hopkins) is a randy old party animal that wants to reward his subjects for their loyalty by having built a grand mead-hall, called Heorot, where he can hand out treasure as he sees fit. The revelry of the Danes tortures the ears of Grendel, who lives in the distant moors, which drives him to viciously attack Heorot and just about everyone in it.
Beowulf, ("The Departed's" Ray Winstone), always seeking glory and fame, heads to Heorot accompanied by his faithful lieutenant Wiglaf (Brendan Gleeson of "Troy") and a baker's dozen of Geat soldiers. Beowulf is a boastful hero, never hesitating to inform anyone within earshot of his prowess as a killer of monsters. A feast is thrown to lure out Grendel and a naked Beowulf (yep…naked) engages the monster in mortal combat.
After defeating Grendel, Beowulf assumes his work is done and prepares to head back home. A second attack shocks the hero. King Hrothgar, shutting the barn after the horse is already out, tells Beowulf that Grendel has a mother and that she apparently sought vengeance for the death of her baby boy. Beowulf ventures into the murky depths of the moors to seek out the matriarch from hell and avenge the death of his men at her hands.
Your enjoyment of the story will really depend on how familiar with the Beowulf myth you are. It's kind of like Stanley Kubrick's film version of "The Shining" back in 1980. If you didn't read the novel by Stephen King, it's a pretty good stand-alone tale. However, those familiar with the original story may nitpick with the vast amount of dissimilarities. I've read both the graphic novel the film is based on and the original myth (HUMS 271-Intro to Mythology at LCCC. Big ups to Professor Pam Bryan!). The film was close enough to the graphic novel, as well as far enough from the actual myth, to be enjoyable. The ancient Beowulf myth had the hero as a completely perfect person, totally infallible. The graphic novel and the film cloak him with some flaws, humanizing him nicely.
Danish King Hrothgar (Sir Anthony Hopkins) is a randy old party animal that wants to reward his subjects for their loyalty by having built a grand mead-hall, called Heorot, where he can hand out treasure as he sees fit. The revelry of the Danes tortures the ears of Grendel, who lives in the distant moors, which drives him to viciously attack Heorot and just about everyone in it.
Beowulf, ("The Departed's" Ray Winstone), always seeking glory and fame, heads to Heorot accompanied by his faithful lieutenant Wiglaf (Brendan Gleeson of "Troy") and a baker's dozen of Geat soldiers. Beowulf is a boastful hero, never hesitating to inform anyone within earshot of his prowess as a killer of monsters. A feast is thrown to lure out Grendel and a naked Beowulf (yep…naked) engages the monster in mortal combat.
After defeating Grendel, Beowulf assumes his work is done and prepares to head back home. A second attack shocks the hero. King Hrothgar, shutting the barn after the horse is already out, tells Beowulf that Grendel has a mother and that she apparently sought vengeance for the death of her baby boy. Beowulf ventures into the murky depths of the moors to seek out the matriarch from hell and avenge the death of his men at her hands.
Your enjoyment of the story will really depend on how familiar with the Beowulf myth you are. It's kind of like Stanley Kubrick's film version of "The Shining" back in 1980. If you didn't read the novel by Stephen King, it's a pretty good stand-alone tale. However, those familiar with the original story may nitpick with the vast amount of dissimilarities. I've read both the graphic novel the film is based on and the original myth (HUMS 271-Intro to Mythology at LCCC. Big ups to Professor Pam Bryan!). The film was close enough to the graphic novel, as well as far enough from the actual myth, to be enjoyable. The ancient Beowulf myth had the hero as a completely perfect person, totally infallible. The graphic novel and the film cloak him with some flaws, humanizing him nicely.
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