Beowulf & Grendel
Adapted from the Anglo-Saxon epic poem, Beowulf, that inspired J. R. Tolkien’s Lord Of The Rings,Beowulf and Grendel is a medieval adventure that tells the bloodsoaked tale of a Norse warrior’s battle against the great and murderous troll, Grendel. Heads will roll in this provocative take on the first work of English literature.
Member Reviews
Ahh... - Bigs
I have to say that I was expecting a lot for this film, and perhaps that idea tainted my perspective a little. I was dissapointed by everything but the scenery, and the fact that the troll was actually a real actor versus a C.G.I. stunt double! I just hope that this film encourages people to go out and find the original poem and appreciate it. Then one day some quality director may re-discover this story and re-create a better film, and it may just lead you into new history that you may have previously overlooked! M.C.Surprised me - stevemuhlberger
First or 15 minutes, I thought this movie was a dead loss. I had ordered it from Zip.ca almost as a matter of self-defense. Since the movie was an Icelandic-Canadian co-production and I am a Canadian medievalist with lots of re-creationist friends I felt sure that eventually one of them would pin me down and expect me to have an opinion about this movie and how it compared to the big-budget Hollywood production of a couple years back. A short way into the movie, I was cursing myself for feeling that need, which had trapped me into watching a complete dud. The introduction was completely incomprehensible, in part because the mixture of odd accents among the actors. I did not notice any Icelandic accents, but there were plenty of what seemed to be thick Irish and Scottish ones. Even though I know the story of Beowulf quite well I was getting completely lost.
But as we went on I got more used to it and eventually it won me over. This movie had some of the most believable early medieval armor and costuming, and the landscape may not look very much like Denmark but it evoked a premodern era very strongly. The acting is good and the story is a success on its own terms. This movie actually is less faithful to the poem than the big-budget one, but in some ways that was an advantage. It is not like the big-budget version really caught medieval personalities and ways of thinking; this one may not have either, but to my modern sensibility at least there was a sense of reality about the entire picture. One instance is that Grendel is not a CGI monster of uncertain origins, but a big troll-like human being, who comes from a tribe of troll-like human beings. He's strong and ugly and dangerous but not superhuman. The Beowulf poet might not approve of this treatment, but he is in good company. The people who made the movie don't approve of the poet's presentation either, and they felt free to introduce subplots and different perspectives.Long awaited, some pros and cons - squirrelnutzipper
Pros:
Incredible scenery, visually stunning from start to finish. Made me want to visit Iceland.
Stellen Skarsgaard and Gerard Butler! Both were strong in this film and delivered great performances. Stellen looked very believable as a King going over the edge, and was even somewhat funny in his line about 'why a @#$%@ troll does what a @#$@# troll does'. Gerard Butler portrayed a very 'real' believable man but also a hero. In his line 'I'm Beowulf" all I could think of was Fat Bastard in Austin Powers with that Scottish accent "Aihm dayed sexxxy". Apologies to Scots, it just sounded funny.
The armour, clothes, mead hall, boats all seemed very believable for the period. I was pleased with the intro, showing the rough year, and a map of the region. Also the reference to 'Angle-land' and a Saxon visiting Hrothgar were nice nods.
Cons: I felt the movie could have been a bit more elaborate in its sets. E.g., the area is good, but it is hard to believe Hrothgar as a king would be in a such a lowly populated area with not many buildings, etc. It's more like an outpost.
The prosthetics were ok but you could see the folds of fake skin on Grendels arms (inside elbow). Also, the whole concept of gredel as a 'kid troll' seemed kinda hokey to me. I understand they wanted to set up his motivation, but it didn't really work for me.
Another con was Sarah Polly. Totally miscast. Sorry Sarah, but your Canadian accent (the only one in the film) and your weak sounding voice just detracted from a rough dark age tale. Speaking of accents, this film was all over the place. You've got scots, english, swedish, and others. I didn't mind that, but it could/would confuse non-history/language buffs.
Another drawback was the idea of Grendel breeding with Selma, and Selma being the village whore. I could see the latter, but not the former. Just left a bad taste in my mouth, and I found the movie somewhat went downhill there in terms of dialogue.
Verdict: Had
Member Reviews
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Ahh... - Bigs
I have to say that I was expecting a lot for this film, and perhaps that idea tainted my perspective a little. I was dissapointed by everything but the scenery, and the fact that the troll was actually a real actor versus a C.G.I. stunt double! I just hope ...Surprised me - stevemuhlberger
First or 15 minutes, I thought this movie was a dead loss. I had ordered it from Zip.ca almost as a matter of self-defense. Since the movie was an Icelandic-Canadian co-production and I am a Canadian medievalist with lots of re-creationist friends I felt sure ...Long awaited, some pros and cons - squirrelnutzipper
Pros:
Incredible scenery, visually stunning from start to finish. Made me want to visit Iceland.
Stellen Skarsgaard and Gerard Butler! Both were strong in this film and delivered great performances. Stellen looked very believable as a King going over ...