|
|
|
Written by Rick Bentley, MCT
|
|
Monday, 12 November 2007 |
|
|
|
|
 ___
BEOWULF
Grade: C-minus
Rated: PG-13 for adult situations, nudity, violence. Stars Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Angelina Jolie, Crispin Glover. Directed by Robert Zemeckis. Running time: 1 hour, 48 minutes.
___
The credits for "Beowulf" must be wrong.
They say the film was directed by Robert Zemeckis. But after sitting though this movie that is about as exciting as reading the original 3,000-line manuscript, it is just difficult to believe that the man behind "Back to the Future" and "Polar Express" had anything to do with the production.
The film, being shown in IMAX 3-D, regular 3-D, 2-D and even as doodles on the bathroom walls, looks like it was made by teenage boys on a hormone and video-game high.
Granted, the original writings offer little information. Writers Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary do a good job of pulling together bits and pieces into a cohesive story. It is just the presentation that keeps kicking the movie right in the Grendel.
Technology freak Zemeckis has turned to the same capture animation film style he used in "Polar Express." That means the actors' movements were captured by computers and used to create the human-looking animated characters.
On the heels of the magnificent "300," "Beowulf" looks more like an above-average video game than a feature film. Actors in "300" were filmed and then their environment was added. Animating the actors leaves the characters with a lifelessness in their eyes that keeps the film from having a cinematic soul.
And once you have seen the process on the big screen, it becomes old fast.
Zemeckis also shows a film immaturity with the big battle between Beowulf and Grendel. This tale that has been told for centuries - of a hero from afar who is the only hope for a kingdom - takes on the feel of an "Austin Powers" moment.
Beowulf (Ray Winstone) decides to be nude when he fights Grendel (Crispin Glover). That's one way to show off his impressive six pack. But Zemeckis has to use so many gimmicks to make sure not too much of Beowulf shows that the sequence becomes comical.
And speaking of comical, there's Grendel's mother (Angelina Jolie). She's a lizard-like creature who can change shapes. When she decides to take on a human form to seduce Beowulf (a departure from the original story), she appears as a very curvy woman covered only in a gold liquid. The oddity is that her transformation includes a pair of high heels. Her legs look great but there couldn't have been that many trendy shoe shops in the 6th century A.D.
The praises of "Beowulf" should have been sung from the hallowed halls of theater complexes across the land. That the animation style loses its power quickly, coupled with juvenile direction, leaves this a tale that won't last the ages.
| Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. |
|
|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
|  | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
|  | Here at Nextnc we have some characters. Get a sneak peak behind the curtain and find out what amusing antics our staffers get themselves into on a weekly basis. | |
|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
| |
|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
|
|
