Computer animation has come very far. I remember being wowed when I first saw Toy Story back in 1995. It's still a great looking film, but technology has advanced since then and the big thing now is motion-capture.
Motion-capture is what brought certain characters into our lives, like Gollum, the last take on King Kong, and an all-too-real cartoon version of Tom Hanks. But now, in 2007, we are given a true look into the possible future of filmmaking as a whole, not just for animated films.
Beowulf is quite the vision, but are we drawn in by the story as well as the amazing animation? Sadly, no.
PLOT
Back in Something A.D., a king is partying with his people. They are all getting drunk and doing the Soulja Boy. Okay, not really. Either way, far off in the distance is Grendel, a hideous monster with the most sensitive of ears. Knowing the right way to kill a party, Grendel basically kills everyone there, leaving only a few alive to seek help.
Help arrives in the form of Beowulf, a warrior who comes to town with one thing on his mind, and that's "I'ma kill me a mutha fuckin' monster...and then I'm gonna get drunk and bang village whores." But things don't work out quite the way he planned, and not only does he have to deal with Grendel, but the monster's mama too!
ACTING
Here are the talented actors and actresses that voiced the characters of Beowulf:
Beowulf - Ray Winstone
Hrothgar - Anthony Hopkins
Unferth - John Malkovich
Wealthow - Robin Wright Penn
Wiglaf - Brendan Gleeson
Grendel - Crispin Glover
Ursula - Alison Lohman
Grendel's Mama - Angelina Jolie
WRITING & DIRECTING
Beowulf was adapted from a very old poem, who's writer remains anonymous, into the film being released now. Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary were the writers on staff here, and it was very obvious that this film relied solely on the animation and not the storytelling. Beowulf chugs along at an extremely slow pace and there just isn't enough excitement to make up for the dead spots.
For the first time ever, I'm disappointed in a Robert Zemeckis film. This is the man behind Forrest Gump, the Back To The Future series, Contact, and a ton of other great films. Beowulf isn't the first time Zemeckis played with motion-capture, The Polar Express was. Zemeckis was criticized over how creepy the kids looked in Express, and he definitely fixed that problem this time around, by basically making the characters look about 90% like the actors who voice them except for Winstone, who's quite heavier than Beowulf. I'm sure Winstone liked to be portrayed as a cock-diesel hero who takes any opportunity to rip off his shirt. Seriously, Beowulf rips his shirt off every chance he gets. The standout animation belongs to Jolie's character. At times, it just looks like she's really on-screen.
The final product of Beowulf is an unbelievable triumph in animation and very beautiful to look at, but there is no heart in the storytelling, and a pretty film can only get you so far. If this is a glimpse into the future of making movies, I'm not that excited.
Beowulf...more like Bore-wulf.
Overall Review: *1/2 stars
Best Line:
Winstone: I...AM...BEOWULF!
Motion-capture is what brought certain characters into our lives, like Gollum, the last take on King Kong, and an all-too-real cartoon version of Tom Hanks. But now, in 2007, we are given a true look into the possible future of filmmaking as a whole, not just for animated films.
Beowulf is quite the vision, but are we drawn in by the story as well as the amazing animation? Sadly, no.
PLOT
Back in Something A.D., a king is partying with his people. They are all getting drunk and doing the Soulja Boy. Okay, not really. Either way, far off in the distance is Grendel, a hideous monster with the most sensitive of ears. Knowing the right way to kill a party, Grendel basically kills everyone there, leaving only a few alive to seek help.
Help arrives in the form of Beowulf, a warrior who comes to town with one thing on his mind, and that's "I'ma kill me a mutha fuckin' monster...and then I'm gonna get drunk and bang village whores." But things don't work out quite the way he planned, and not only does he have to deal with Grendel, but the monster's mama too!
ACTING
Here are the talented actors and actresses that voiced the characters of Beowulf:
Beowulf - Ray Winstone
Hrothgar - Anthony Hopkins
Unferth - John Malkovich
Wealthow - Robin Wright Penn
Wiglaf - Brendan Gleeson
Grendel - Crispin Glover
Ursula - Alison Lohman
Grendel's Mama - Angelina Jolie
WRITING & DIRECTING
Beowulf was adapted from a very old poem, who's writer remains anonymous, into the film being released now. Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary were the writers on staff here, and it was very obvious that this film relied solely on the animation and not the storytelling. Beowulf chugs along at an extremely slow pace and there just isn't enough excitement to make up for the dead spots.
For the first time ever, I'm disappointed in a Robert Zemeckis film. This is the man behind Forrest Gump, the Back To The Future series, Contact, and a ton of other great films. Beowulf isn't the first time Zemeckis played with motion-capture, The Polar Express was. Zemeckis was criticized over how creepy the kids looked in Express, and he definitely fixed that problem this time around, by basically making the characters look about 90% like the actors who voice them except for Winstone, who's quite heavier than Beowulf. I'm sure Winstone liked to be portrayed as a cock-diesel hero who takes any opportunity to rip off his shirt. Seriously, Beowulf rips his shirt off every chance he gets. The standout animation belongs to Jolie's character. At times, it just looks like she's really on-screen.
The final product of Beowulf is an unbelievable triumph in animation and very beautiful to look at, but there is no heart in the storytelling, and a pretty film can only get you so far. If this is a glimpse into the future of making movies, I'm not that excited.
Beowulf...more like Bore-wulf.
Overall Review: *1/2 stars
Best Line:
Winstone: I...AM...BEOWULF!
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