Who is the real Beowulf? Another Adolescent Superhero Movie

            The writers of this movie obviously have a very liberal interpretation of what "based on the books" means.  This film could not have been further off from the true story of "Beowulf."  In fairness, it did make the movie interesting and gave the plot some more twists and turns.  It's always fun to see your protagonist nearly destroy his home land and solve his people's problems by cleaning up the mess he effectively created.  And this is the plot of most other superhero movies, right?  After watching the first ten minutes, you can already conclude how the movie is going to end.  Right off the bat, you know it follows plots #3 and #4 of Superhero Nation's 17 Stock Plots.  Nevertheless, this is a very entertaining movie.  It is action packed with very few extended dialogue scenes therefore is easy to follow and enjoy.

            Released in November of 2007, the first thing that jumped out at me was the director Robert Zemeckis use of live actors in combination 3D animation.  Actors Ray Winstone (Beowulf) and Angelina Jolie (Grendel's mother) were represented by animated depictions on screen.  This feature allowed Zemeckis to take advantage of the mythic nature of the story.  With the use of animation, the movie really came to life with monsters and dragons wreaking havoc on the Danish lands.  It also allowed Angelina Jolie to acquire features otherwise intrinsically impossible: spiked heels and a ten foot serpent like braid extending from her head that can support her body weight and has a mind of its own.

            Now, Angelina Jolie role in this is entirely separate topic.  This takes the cake for the biggest change in the production of "Beowulf" as a movie.  In the book, Grendel's mother is portrayed like a mother bear protecting her cubs.  When Beowulf enters the lair of Grendel's mother in the epic poem, it is described as foul, underwater domicile.  Everything about the mother and her place were repulsive to a human and Beowulf left the lair after slaying the mother and taking the head of Grendel as a trophy.  The movie changed this entire sequence up completely and tainted the true story of Beowulf, though arguably made Beowulf more human.  Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary chose to use Grendel's mother to temp Beowulf.  The hero was tested upon entering the home of the monster.  A naked Jolie served to distract Beowulf from his goal.  Beowulf succumbed to the demon and later tells of his failure, "Beautiful, and full of promises.  I was weak.  I am so sorry."  THIS IS NOT A TRUE ILLUSTRATION OF BEOWULF AS A EPIC HERO!  Don't get me wrong, I loved these parts of the movie.  I agree with Chazz Michael Michaels (Blades of Glory 2007) in this case, "Personal philosophy? Clothing optional."  But HELLO?  That's not the story.  Beowulf is not human! He is a machine.  The real Beowulf boasts of his glories, "I am Ripper...Tearer...Slasher...Gouger.  I am the Teeth in the Darkness, the Talons in the Night.  Mine is Strength... and Lust...and Power!  I AM BEOWULF!"  The true hero is introduced as, "I am Beowulf and I'm here to kill your monster."  Beowulf's story is corrupted by this temptation.  He is a "Slasher" who does not succumb.  He is Beowulf.

            I really wish the fierce side of Beowulf was exposed a little more.  After watching this movie, you will walk away with the wrong impression of Beowulf, which is not necessarily a terrible thing if you conclude that he is the best epic hero ever.  It just unfortunate that moviegoers will not get the same image of this hero that readers will.  Moviegoers will see Beowulf's faults; they will remember some of his last words as, "Keep a memory of me, not as a king or a hero; but as a man: fallible and flawed."  I refuse to believe that Beowulf is man.  He can conquer the world.  He destroys demons with his bare hands and dominates monsters while facing death.  He puts his life on the line for his people.  How can he be man?  After reading the book, it's just impractical to portray Beowulf with human folly.  DJ Khaled's song "All I do is Win" sums up the real Beowulf's life fairly well.  Go ahead and watch the movie, but please bear in mind that movie Beowulf is not the real one.  If you take Zemeckis's Beowulf as your archetype for an epic hero, you will suffer.

            I have been critical of the shortcomings of this film, but it does deserve praise.  I'm not going to say it's a "must see" or it deserves "two thumbs up" because it doesn't.  And if you are a student and debating between watching the movie and reading the Sparknotes, for the love of Pete, read the Sparknotes.  On second thought, watch the movie, then tell me what your teacher does with your test afterwards.  But the movie is enjoyable.  The 3D and animation effects are neat to watch and you can tell a lot of thought went into the creation of this film (although they could have done a little better background research.  They portray these lands of Denmark as mountainous though there are no mountains in Denmark and the highest point is about 480 feet-credit to the goofs section on IMDB).  The actors do a nice job and the plot is definitely intriguing.  I understand the decision to make Beowulf more relatable; it makes us as humans feel better about ourselves.  We want to see people, like us, bounce back from adversity: it gives us hope.  We can look up to those in movies as role models and relate our struggles to their struggles.  And early on in the movie, they do capture bits of the real Beowulf: "If we die...it will be for GLORY, not gold."  Beowulf's promise is one of passion, and he and his men do not seek gifts.  Beowulf, in both the book and the movie, is captured as a true hero, his death for the greater good being most heroic.  "His song shall be sung forever."  And so it shall.