Movie Review - Beowulf

So I watched this new adaptation of the great heroic epic last night. In 3-D. An interesting juxtaposition of the old and the new.

I'm not sure how well it turned out. Visually, there's a lot to be said about the film in 3-D. Spears, flames, arrows, hands, etc. literally pop out at you from the screen. And to see Angelina Jolie dripping with liquid gold is a treat. Not to mention more seductive than ever, even though I was unconvinced that she could basically flick her finger and force kings and heroes to submit to her will.

Maybe I underestimate how easy it is to seduce a man. Especially when the lady in question is offering eternal glory in return for a golden horn.

The motion capture technology has improved somewhat, although I think most of the time the characters look cartoonish and wooden. They don't quite look alive, so there's definitely some uncanny valley effect going on, although not quite as bad as the effect for the Heavy Rain demo.

Regardless, I think I'm much more lenient on this film in regards to "historical accuracy" than I would otherwise be - this is a fairly loose adaptation. I think my leniency is due to the idea that Beowulf is, like Homer's works, an oral tale by tradition, and we humans like to weave yarns. I'm also in favor of anything that raises the general public's awareness of great stories like this.

There are some very thinly-veiled innuendos, and an odd fight scene where Beowulf is running around nude. Not sure what I think about that, although they did give Ray Winstone some killer abs ala 300 fame.

There are some pretty chewed-over ideas that they've brought to the film. Basically, they've made Beowulf an unreliable narrator for sake of glory. That kind of tarnishes it a bit, don't you think? I like the ideas they used for the dragon as well (even if it's a pretty run-of-the-mill dragon). I think my favorite ideas they used were for Grendal's Mother. There's a lot to be explored with her, I think.

A few ideas that I liked (or extrapolated) that they used for Grendal's Mother:
1) She is this seemingly immortal supernatural being. I think, in the context of this film, she represents man's internal struggle against temptation and desire for glory. The three men she seduces fail their saving throws vs. seduction. Doesn't say much for humanity, does it?
2) The offspring from her efforts at seduction I think represent some hidden side of the fathers. I'm not sure if that was something the director had in mind when he made the film, but I think it's something interesting to talk about. I don't want to give too much away, even though it's pretty obvious if you've read some interviews.
3) Finally I think you have this really interesting concept of male vs. female going on here. In this film, Grendal's Mother is, without a doubt, the strongest character in the entire movie. She's a foil to God and to Odin, because she makes an already famous name legendary. Without her guarantee, it's possible Beowulf would not have become the great hero.

So there you have it: an intellectual excuse to go see a pretty standard action film, even with the plot holes.