For adults only | Beowulf (Unrated Director's Cut) | Robin Wright Penn, Ray Winstone

Classic tale, classic animation | Beowulf (Unrated Director's Cut) | Robin Wright Penn, Ray Winstone

DVDs:


	• Beowulf (Unrated Director's Cut) Robin Wright Penn, Ray Winstone Paramount, 2008 average customer review:based on 211 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

Beowulf CGI supreme

This is the best Computer Animation I have seen to date, not only is it a great story it is well done and the CGI is without a doubt the best yet put on screen.

For adults only

Numerous takes have been done on the Beowulf legend, but this is probably the most expensive one to date, and surely the most ironic one to date, in that it is animated, yet primarily for adults. The twist on the story is new, Beowulf sleeps with Grendel's mother, who in turn bears a dragon as a child. Beowulf then dies while stopping the dragon from destroying his kingdom.

Several things to know before watching this movie. First of, don't let the kids watch it. The amount of blood, killing, cannibalism, and nudity should classify this as a rated R. Second, the themes are complex, with adultery, revenge, and betrayal being strong throughout the movie. Third, there is minimal humor, and the graphics are actually quite life-like. For some reason, Beowulf looks astonishingly like Sean Bean, even though a different actor, Ray Winstone, voices him. The other characters do look very similar to their voice actors and actresses.

The movie itself progresses quickly, with lots of action scenes. The ending is open, but I doubt a sequel would be made. All in all, worth the time to watch it, though I would not buy the DVD.

for more information click here

Classic tale, classic animation

Beowulf is certainly a landmark in animation movies. The animators have succeeded in a near perfect resemblance to not only the way the leading actors look but talk and act also. Now that was something. Another landmark aspect was the use of motion capture which is not new and a similar technique was used in The Polar Express but Beowulf takes it one step further. Some of the incredible action scenes are almost impossible to create without computer animation. The colors used in Beowulf were good too. Apart from the technology here is an animation movie for adults. This is certainly not a 3D movie for kids as there is violence, blood and gore in good measure. There is some nudity too. Somewhere after the half of the movie the plot gives away after Beowulf's meets with the monster's mother, Angelina Jolie who is animated to sheer brilliance, and you get a feeling that the story is almost over and by the time more action is seen our hero has turned an old man.

The soft acoustic songs the queen sings are lovely and I wish I could get longer versions of the same.

Four stars.

for more information click here

It's Entertainment, folks!

Wow, such strong feelings on this movie! First off, the animation: I think it's well-done, and whether or not it was a good directorial choice is something on which I have no opinion. It is what it is, and as far as I'm concerned, it worked well.
There are many complaints about such elements as nudity, rude jokes, Beowulf's boastfulness and "silly" chest-pounding dialogue. Some people are clearly lacking imagination as they seem unable to see beyond their 21st-century Christianized perspective. Nudity was no big deal to our heathen ancestors. Bawdiness was a large part of their humor, just as it is much of ours today. There are many bawdy jokes and riddles surviving in Old English. Human nature doesn't change that much. These elements of the movie are all perfectly accurate. This was a time and place where a king might retain a professional "fartist" in his mead-hall, who entertained the men with his skillful control of flatulence!!! Be glad the movie kept things as low-key and tame as it did!!!
Boasting was also a cultural practice that was taken very seriously, and public boasts about future accomplishments could be considered binding before the gods; failure to achieve them was shameful and required some kind of debt-payment (known as "scyld"). Beowulf's boastfulness should be seen within cultural context; it is actually highly ritualized, not simply the product of his own ego.
Someone complained of Angelina Jolie's accent that it wasn't "pre-Anglo-Saxon Old English". First, there is no such thing as "pre-Anglo-Saxon Old English"; Old English developed from the combined tongues of the Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Frisians when they invaded the British Isles. Second, as far as I know, none of us living today was around to hear what an "Old English accent" actually sounded like, if there even was such a unified thing (unlikely, given the variety of accents spoken throughout England today). Third, the poem is set in Denmark, not England. And fourth, the character is not a member of any human society, she is a sea-troll. Who knows what a sea-troll's accent sounds like?
As for the storyline - the story of Beowulf was told orally long before it was written down and concretized in one form, so the license with the story seems quite appropriate to me, and a good way of updating the themes to resonate more with the complexities of our time.
And, humor and drama CAN coexist, people. It doesn't have to be one or the other. Above all, the tale is meant to entertain.

for more information click here

In the age of heroes comes the mightiest warrior of them all Beowulf. After destroying the overpowering demon Grendel he incurs the undying wrath of the beast s ruthlessly seductive mother who will use any means possible to ensure revenge. The ensuing epic battle throughout the ages immortalizing the name Beowulf. Academy Award® winner director Robert Zemeckis tells the oldest epic tale in the English language with the most modern technology advancing the cinematic forum through the magic of digitally enhanced live action. A stellar cast is led by Ray Winstone ( The Departed Sexy Beast ) in the title role. Joining him are Academy Award® winner Anthony Hopkins as the cursed King Hrothgar John Malkovich Robin Wright Penn Brendan Gleeson Crispin Glover Alison Lohman and Oscar® Winner Angelina Jolie as Grendel s mother.System Requirements:Running Time: 114 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: SCI-FI/FANTASY/FANTASY Rating: UNRATED UPC: 097361323145 Manufacturer No: 132314

for more information click here