Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6069 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-12-24
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• 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

A pity about the 'witch'
I had no idea before spotting this DVD in a sale that a second version of Beowulf was available which had never been generally released. I have not seen the Ray Winstone version but I do know the poem quite well and this film goes some way to representing it on screen. The period look is good, with accurate costumes and superb settings. Many of the incidents in the original are retained, even when it would have been easier to leave them out. What a pity then that they could not resist the temptation to introduce new and unnecessary characters like the 'witch'. Attempts to improve on a great original just look silly. So much expense, so much art, to produce something that throws away most of its dramatic impact.

Gritty take on Fantasy
I enjoyed it! It was different! Dont expect huge battles and CG monsters and instead enjoy the wonderful sense of atmosphere and realistic approach. The Icelandic scenery is stunning & captured to perfection by top-notch photography. You really feel you are in the Nordic mists of time. Decent performances, well cast and some genuine emotional weight to the script. It is NOT anything like Lord Of The Rings but i would place it somewhere alongside The 13th Warrior, Pathfinder or John Boorman's masterpiece Excalibur. Give it a try!

Utter drivel
I was flabbergasted at Gerald Butler of "300" fame being involved in something so dire.

This film is a bit like Conan the Barbarian but opens with a reference to the era being before christ then a priest trying to convert people to christianity...before it existed, no memorable fighting scenes,filmed in that kind of porn style that makes movies look cheap.

I would recommend you give this one the widest possible berth. Life's too short.