Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7499 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-12-24
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 100 minutes

Synopsis
This screen adaptation of the Anglo-Saxon poem brings the ultimate battle between warrior Beowulf and monstrous troll Grendel to vivid life. An all-star cast including Sarah Polley as Selma, an intriguing witch, and Ingvar Sigurdsson as Grendel, duels it out in a war of wicked revenge.

Customer Reviews

closest yet to the poem
Those who have criticised this film for its storyline have obviously never read the Old English poem on which it is based (no it isn't a saga!). Of all the film versions this is the one the comes closest to creating a coherent film out of something that is virtually unfilmable in its original form. The reviewer who wanted great battle scenes should be aware that there are no battle scenes in the original 'Beowulf'! Instead the makers very sensibly chose to omit the last third of the epic poem and therefore avoided the clunky shift to fifty years on, where an aged Beowulf fights the dragon in his homeland - which has never successfully been done. By focusing on the personal conflict between Beowulf and Grendel this film is more of a coherent unit than any other film version (if you want to see how truly awful things could have got, go find a copy of the Christopher Lambert film which is bad beyond belief).
Instead we have a film that has attempted to bring the central characters to life in the same way that the 'Lord of the Rings' films approached such characters as Aragorn - by making them more not less human. The alternative approach of going the CGI way may make for some interesting visuals, but does nothing for making the characters understandable. Gerard Butler does a great job of bringing out a hero that is approachable to a modern audience and holds the film together. Moreoever, the whole look of the film fits the period that is being recreated.
That said, it does have its flaws - the biggest being the witch Selma, who is a totally new creation. But then translating a 1200 year old poem to the modern screen is bound to need some changes! For the Tolkein fans out there this film at least gives some idea of why the original was such an influence on Tolkein in his own writing. No it isn't 'Lord of the Rings', but of all the film versions this one where at least it is possible to see the connection.

A Convincing Portrayal of the Time
To start with, I don't know what most of this film's negative critics are on about. I think they must look back on Beowulf through rose-tinted glasses. Life in those days was rough and ready, and if we had the chance to go back to those times we'd soon be pining to go back to the future and today's creature comforts.

In my opinion, this film gives a real feel to the times in which this story was originally told and set. I've now watched this film about 8 times, and appreciate it more and more upon subsequent viewing. All reviews are subjective, I know, but too many critics of this film have gone through it with a fine-toothed comb and taken pedantry to extremes: what do they want, the `whole' script spoken in Old English? This was made on a budget, and it shows, but it's still miles better than the CGI garbage turned out by `money-no-object' Zemeckis.

This is a version I can watch and believe in. It just rings true to me. These weren't sophisticated people; they were simple folk, living simple lives - and prone to exaggeration. Tall men would have become `giants' or `trolls' in the telling; women living alone would have become `witches'; people with down's syndrome, or those suffering with progeria, would have become `goblins' (not that they get mention in Beowulf, just as a further example), and anything bigger than the average large hovel would have become a `huge' Mead Hall etc. It's too easy to judge by modern standards. Your average village church would have been a massive building to those people.

So, if the Beowulf legend was based on any truth, then this version gets as close to it as would be possible. It ain't perfect, but it's still the best yet!

average movie in a beautiful landscape
The legend of Beowulf and Grendel has been explored before in films like "the 13th Warrior". Similar to 13th Warrior, this version tries to keep a certain realism feeling to a folklore legend.

Grendel has a reason to kill in this movie, a story of loss and vengeance. You can almost feel pitty for the monster, quite different from the original tale.

The strong aspect of the movie is the landscape. I was completely amazed by the photography and beauty of the scandinavian lands. They had many troubles shooting during rainy and frozen days, but the end-result is unique.

Grendel is portrayed as a Troll, a half-human, half-monster creature. Grendel himself lacks the presence of the real thing. Although the acting is good, it fails to transmit the horrible creature from the legend. Grendel was huge, not just a strong/tall man.

Also, the costumes used to portray Grendel and his father, have some issues. You can notice arm-cloth wrinkles and that reveals that it's just a costume and not "real skin". Perhaps using a WWW wrestler would be a better idea? (for real-life muscle) Instead they used an actor that lacked the real-life physics to portray the beast (then again, no human could faithfully portray it).

The story lacks rythm. Grendel attacks, Beowulf comes and waits for him in the night, several times. It's a back and forward game before the last encounter and you will notice a slowdown in action towards the middle of the movie, gaining pace again in the end.

Although filmed in scandinavia, the "great hall" of king Hrothgar is a joke. It seems more like a big hut than anything else. Also, where are the other's people houses? This is the only house you will see in Hrothgar village, quite strange (i wonder if they only had permission to build that house in a protected area???). In the legend the hall was huge, so huge that it defied the gods and Grendel's attacks were believed to be a punishment for the Danes vanity.

Gerard Butler fits Beowulf perfectly. He has the looks, the build and the strong presence to portray the hero. Unfortunately the story doesnt do him justice and you will get a sense of "unfinished" in the end of the movie.

One curious detail i noticed were the horses. They actually used scandinavian horses in the movie. Shorter than normal horses, with short legs, viewing vikings on their back is quite hilarious (although perhaps realistic) since the horses run faster than usual (as in faster-motion) almost giving a nonsence Monty Phyton feeling of comedy.

Although with many faults in budget, rythm and story i cannot help but to love this movie. The landscape and environment are unique, Grendel story is captivating (the scene with little Grendel shopping his father's head is quite touching).

If only a more complete version would come out, with more details, more houses, more background.... it would be close to perfect.

For the effort, for the landscape and image, for the soundtrack and Gerard Butler/Stellan Skarsgård performances, im giving it a 4 of 5 stars.

What's funny is... if this was shot in early 1920's, in black & white format with no sound, this would be a classic. Try to look at this movie this way and you will love it more, if you expect a big action movie with a very expensive budget, you will be somewhat disappointed.