Beowulf, movie review

Kahse Mandarino

Mr. O'Brien

Brit Lit

7 October 2013

Easy, Breezy, Beautiful, Beowulf

            Beowulf by Seamus Heaney is a fantastic poem filled with gruesome battles, breathtaking events, and an inspiring storyline. Seamus Heaney uses many descriptive words and phrases that are packed into each and every sentence. To try and capture his detail and put it into a movie is a tough task for anyone. The animated movie directed by Robert Zemeckis, I believe, was a pretty good attempt of turning a book into a movie. Zemeckis states that, “Beowulf is a timeless, epic tale of heroism and triumph. Digital rendering will allow us to depict this incredible story in ways we would never have dared imagine." Zemeckis does a great job in the film Beowulf in many aspects, but there are also bits and pieces that I believe are over the top and could use more thought or in put.

            Let’s start with the bad news first. Even though the movie has a PG-13 rating, there are scenes that will seem risqué to parents if they are planning to watch this with their children. The avatar, of Angelina Jolie, is completely naked in some scenes throughout the movie. Even though I am past the parental guidance stage of movies, this still catches me off guard. Before the brilliant actress, Ms. Jolie, makes her entrance in the movie, there are other sexual innuendoes made. Not only are these not necessary, but they don’t really connect to the actual poem of Beowulf. The decision to make this movie PG-13 is because it is animated. Even if this is the case, don’t be surprised when you see things that look like they should be in adult films.

             Another problem with the movie is the focus of the movie. The movie technique uses real actor faces and eyes disguised through 3D form. The animated movie takes away from the story line a bit. During parts of the movie, especially the battle scenes, I feel drawn into the special effects, bloodshed, and imagery of the battle. In the end, I feel lost because I couldn’t remember what the battle is about, what the fight is over, and whether the good guy wins. For the people who are just seeing the movie, they can feel a little lost and confused as to what is happening. But like me, by reading the book first, it is easier to follow the movie story.

            The last detail I didn’t like about Beowulf is the tone and pace of the movie. The tone of the movie is pretty close to the actual book, I just didn’t like how the tone changes in a blink of an eye. This may be the “Hollywood effect”, meaning people will not come and see a movie unless there is a surprise at every corner. The suspense in the movie should build, rather than just jumping right in to it. I also feel the movie seems to go by too fast. This may be because the 3D is a little overwhelming, but I feel without the 3D, the movie still would seem a little to fast. Definitely more suspense would improve my rating of the movie.

            Now to the good news! Even though I said the 3D seems to take away from the story line, it is still very, very cool. In Beowulf, the fights, battles, and special effects looks almost real at times. The characters also look amazing. The actors’ avatars also look remarkably like real life because of the computer generation of the faces and eyes. Complimenting the 3D are the multiple sound effects heard throughout the movie. The sounds and the looks add substance to the movie and helps me paint a better picture of what the characters in Beowulf, the book, would look like. With all these different things happening during the movie, it can throw you off, but it also keeps you entertained and fixed on the movie at the same time.

            Beowulf, the movie, is good because it is extremely fun to watch, especially if you enjoy battle scenes and special photography.  People that watch the movie are not experts on Beowulf because you have to read the book to grasp a true understanding of the epic poem. There are parts that just make you laugh out loud. Watching King Hrothgar make a fool out of himself while drunk, watching one of Beowulf’s’ soldiers get turned down by a girl, and seeing the everyone party are a couple of the funny aspects of the movie you can’t get directly from the book. Mr. Zemeckis does a good job making the viewers’ imagination run wild through the entirety of the movie.

            The last aspect of the movie I like is the overall detail. The 3D animation is amazing and adds a lot to the look and feel of the movie. I also like how Zemeckis doesn’t stray too far from the actual story line of Beowulf. Mr. Zemeckis is able to fit a

lot into the movie while also adding a little of his perspective. Perspective is another great detail in the movie. The movie bounces around to many different characters and creatures making the movie much easier to follow, easier to understand, and more interesting to watch. In Beowulf, the book, Seamus Heaney fills the epic poem with attention to minor details. I feel Zemeckis did the same in the movie with the minor details of how everything looks, sounds, and feels as the viewer watches.

            In general the movie is unique and in a way adding meaning to Seamus Heaney’s translation of the epic poem of Beowulf. Moviegoers will enjoy watching this movie, especially if they are into action, 3D animation, and visual scenes. I believe there is no other movie quite like this one today and is a great addition to Robert Zemeckis’s successful movie list.