It did, but he lost at least a foot, maybe two, when he dropped the sword.

seriously? that's what you're discussing? how many feet he gained/lost by cutting his arm?? oy vey.

It's symbolism, duh.

actually, you're all wrong. the whole heart scene made no sense

beowulf with sword and no unsevered arm. tries and fails
beowulf with sword and severed arm. also tries actually. but fails.
beowulf, no sword and severed arm. tries and succeeds.

but all this is plausable cause HE IS BEOWULF!

That sounds like a truly frightening costume on you loyal...

WORTH IT

Aaah yes I remember Loyal detailing his sleuthing on the matter. Most impressive the results.

Is there anything more exciting than forum trolls exposed? No, no there isn't.

This better be more exciting than the BKB reveal.

I am not a troll.

I am a contributing member of the KJ community. I have written reviews for almost every movie released in the past three years since WOKJ started. I attempt to add a sense of humor to my posts. I do have opinions on movies and many other topics, but simply because you may not agree with them, does not make me a troll.

I demand an apology, "Positive"*Jon.

Cant argue with that logic.

Not until Loyal spills. I don't give out apologies to shady characters.

Seeing it tomorrow. In 3D actually, at one of only 22 theatres in Germany that show it in 3D.

This is certainly interesting. . .

The movie couldn't have been the reason since it is sooo great.

I have added you to my ignore list (my first at KJ). Your lack of honor is repugnant.

BEOWULF: 7/10 ( B )



This would have been a really great movie if only it was shortened about twenty minutes or so in the middle. It kind of dragged a bit. Still, it was highly entertaining and a nice film to watch, especially since I knew just nothing about the original story the film was based on. The 3-D was also a joy to watch, during some sequences it was breathtaking. Definitely recommended, but it is a bit disappointing but still very good.

Visually stunning, but overlong and at times a bit dull. The animation is spectacular and really shows what can be done with the medium, and the action sequences are exciting and thrilling throughout - especially the final dragon fight at the end. But there is too much time (especially during the beginning of the film) where nothing really happens, and that makes it feel tedious. There are alaso periods where it rides the fine line between camp and seriousness, mainly in the flashback sequences and some of the more dramatic moments. I'm a fan of the original source material, so I had high expectations for this one. While they were met for the most part, this is simply a solid film that could have actually been really great.

B/B-

It was thrilling and fun but lacking in heart and humor. And it's not that the film doesn't try in those areas, but the animated characters -- just as they did in The Polar Express -- lack the nuance of real actors, and the humor, while present, seems largely out of place (the naked fight scene, etc.).

While I think the film proves that this style of real actors imposed onto 3-D graphics can work, I also think it proves that, as least as of now, there's something that they'll always lack when it comes to displaying actual emotion. Robin Wright Penn's gets hit the hardest here, as her character's animation requires manifestations of complex emotions of which these things just aren't capable.

Like loyal pointed out in the podcast, though, you could argue that the action scenes would have been cartoony in a live-action form. I guess it's a toss-up.

I also agree with thompsoncory about the lulls in the film. There are more than a few dull moments.

And while I'll also praise the 3-D, I didn't love it. I didn't feel like my eyes ever really adjusted, and at times it simply felt like the stuff on screen was jutting forward instead of popping out.

It's fun, though. And nicely done, for the most part. Story's not great, but not bad.

Solid B.

Dunno what Levy was smoking, Beowulf was the best fantasy movie since LOTR. Easily an 8/10.

My expectations where fairly low before going to see it - but damn what a fantastic two hours. Saw it in IMAX 3D and really I cant imagine seeing it any other way. Its filmed for 3D and some scenes would be quite mediocre and silly in 2D.

I was scepticle about the whole mo-cap animation - and while not yet 100% convinced - I think Zemekis did a great job with it. Some scenes worked better than others but all in all it won me over. Hopefully films like Avatar can take it a step forward and render more emotion in the character's eyes. My only gripe is that without the 3D its shelf life is limited.

Loved the battle with Grendel and the whole last half hour - dragon, arm cutting and the new King's temptation - which I suspect he manages to not give in.

The film isnt all monsters, blood and gore - it does touch on the theme of temptation, sin and damnation.

BTW - the sea monster scene was over the top and outrageous - but it had to be as it was one of Beowulf's made up/exaggerated 'war' stories.

Im surprised more here didnt like it. Its a great experience and thats what movies should be.

Beowulf - Grade A

Meh. I had low expectations going in, and it couldn't even really meet them. I saw it in 2D, and though the visuals were very impressive and at times stunning, there were too many instances where it seemed obvious that they were going for the 3D 'look' (basically, any time something flew at the camera). The backgrounds and sets and creatures all looked terrific, but the human characters were nowhere near realistic and just seemed to be rejects from the Shrek movies. I feel they should have used real actors, no animation, with every else CG - something like what 300 or Sin City did. As a result, I couldn't be simply wowed by the images.

The story has potential, but fails on the execution. I do like what they changed from the poem; the whole film flowed better and it got interesting right in the middle with regards to Grendel's mother. Unfortunately, the ideas the film brings up are never really fleshed out, and before long there's another incredible action scene to distract us from the plot. The acting is pretty bad, not only because the animated characters can't express emotion, but the voices are bland and have trouble getting around the clunky dialogue. Read the poem (and the excellent novel Grendel by John Gardner) if you want to think, see this if you want to be entertained.

It's not terrible, but it's not an overpowering experience like it's been made up to be. The action scenes aren't that impressive, and they're made even less so by the fact that it's all animated. It's more of a showcase for this new technology then a coherent, interesting movie, though it does adapt the poem well. It's a fun watch, and should definitely be seen in theatres, but that's about it.

got about 20-25 minutes left in the film. Must say I find it horrible. As a huge fan of the poem, they are simply raping it.

awful awful awful film. Completely lost everything that made the poem so great. If it wasnt for the visuals i'd give it a flat F but instead it gets

D.

B+


This movie, must. absolutely. be. seen. in. 3D.

Otherwise, I can completely understand the disappointment with it as the visuals is the main thing it has going for it...and what visuals these are! You know, before this I never bought into the whole "Motion Capture and 3D is the future of cinema"-talk. Now, I am far more inclinded to do this, especially considering that The Polar Express and this are better than the two live action efforts by Zemeckis that preceded these films (Cast Away and What Lies beneath). Beowulf also shows how far the technology has come since The Polar Express as I geniunly thought that in some moments several characters and settings did look photorealistic. I disagree, though that Jolie looked by far the best. I'm sure they spent some more time on her character, but I thought that in many scenes Beowulf looked equally well-done.

Overall, the action scenes were mostly great, especially the final showdown with the dragon. I felt like on a ride. I also liked their approach to the story of Beowulf. It wasn't simply an adaptation of te source material, but much rather the take on how the source material came to be (considering that in it Grendel's mother is killed which is how the story is told everywhere in the movie...even though some characters know the real "truth"). The open ending is well-done too. On the whole I must applaud Zemeckis for making the bold move of creating an animated film for adults and I'm really really surprised this managed to pass as PG-13!

Of course, not everything is as great, though, as indicated by my grade. The main and foremost flaw is the running time of the film which really could have been cut down on. Some characters were too much of a caricature (like Malkovich's Unferth), while others were complex and well-handled (Beowulf and his wife, for instance). The dialogue was very good at times...and terrible at others.

The positives clearly outweigh, in my opinion, though and the movie remains as one of te biggest technical achievements of the year, while at the same time offering some good and old-fashioned fun.

I was dragged out to see Beowulf a second time, and after swallowing my revulsion at the creepy mo-cap eyes, I actually found the overall movie much better this time. It is a variation on the source tale, one that both expands the time frame of the story, and adds a lot of comedy. Since it is a story that has been told untold times, I believe there is room for many variations to suit the given audience, and it worked for me this time. I still would have liked to see real actors in cgi backgrounds until the technology is fixed, but I seemed to be able to enjoy it in the same way I enjoy the old Thunderbirds show in "Supermarionation". Mo-cap gives a very similar effect, and certainly hides the strings better.

(I saw it in Real D, but I still argue that the 3D is not essential, having seen a section of the movie in the 2D big screen version. The 3D is nice, but the 2D is also fine.)