Beowulf (2007)

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Writers (WGA):

Neil Gaiman (screenplay) &
Roger Avary (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

16 November 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Fantasy

Tagline:

Pride is the curse.

Plot:

The warrior Beowulf must fight and defeat the monster Grendel who is terrorizing towns, and later, Grendel's mother, who begins killing out of revenge.

Plot Keywords:

King | Reward | Warrior | Demon | Hero

Awards:

12 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Robin Wright	...	Wealthow (as Robin Wright-Penn)
Anthony Hopkins	...	Hrothgar
Paul Baker	...	Musician #1
John Bilezikjian	...	Musician #2
Rod D. Harbour	...	Musician #3
Brice Martin	...	Musician #4 (as Brice H. Martin)
Sonje Fortag	...	Gitte (as Sonja Fortag)
Sharisse Baker-Bernard	...	Hild
Charlotte Salt	...	Estrith
Julene Renee	...	Cille
Greg Ellis	...	Garmund
Rik Young	...	Eofor
Sebastian Roché	...	Wulfgar (as Sebastian Roche)
Leslie Zemeckis	...	Yrsa
John Malkovich	...	Unferth

Also Known As:

"Beowulf: An IMAX 3D Experience" - USA (IMAX version)
"Beowulf: The IMAX Experience" - USA (IMAX version)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence including disturbing images, some sexual material and nudity.

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Old English

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.44 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital | Sonics-DDP (IMAX version)

Certification:

UK:12A | South Korea:15 | Ireland:12A | Singapore:NC-16 | Malaysia:U | Australia:M | Germany:12 | Finland:K-13 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:13 | New Zealand:M (re-rating) | New Zealand:R16 (original rating) | Taiwan:R-12 | Brazil:14 | Sweden:15 | France:U (with warning) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #43938) | Finland:K-15 (director's cut) | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Norway:15 (TV rating) | Iceland:12 | Canada:18A (director's cut) | Spain:13

Filming Locations:

Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

ImageMovers

Trivia:

According Ray Winstone, he and his fellow cast spent days filming in blue skintight suit, "showing up all your lumps and bumps in all the wrong places. Which can be hard when you're standing in front of Angelina Jolie, who looks stunning in hers."

Goofs:

Anachronisms: By the time Beowulf is said to occur according to the movie, Denmark would not have converted to Christianity; conversion only happened under the reign of Harald Bluetooth (935-986AD) about 500 years later. It is even questionable if most people in that area would have even known of or have heard of Christianity by that time, as Emperor Constantine was the first Roman emperor to adopt Christianity in AD 337, which is roughly 75 years before the movie is set, not a very long time for knowledge of that kind to spread to a country far to the north.

Quotes:

[first lines]
King Hrothgar:I want mead! Give me some mead, my queen!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Episode #7.90" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Grendel Lullaby

I AM (slightly let down by) BEOWULF!!!

It seems we have a new cinematic fad coming into fashion... the genre of mythological action. It began with '300' (a film I really enjoyed), and the first that stands to benefit from 300's success is Beowulf. Beowulf is the newest film from Robert Zemeckis. Zemeckis implements many of the same visual themes of his last project, the heart warming Polar Express, with varied success.

Beowulf tells the story of the kingdom of King Hrothgar (a delightfully campy Anthony Hopkins)which is currently being terrorized by a monster named Grendel (Crispin Glover). Help comes in the form of mighty Beowulf (Ray Winstone), who arrives with an army of 14 men and his right hand man, Wiglaf (Brendan Gleeson). It his his job to slay the monster. However, he must also deal with Grendel's mother (Angelina Jolie). Beowulf is opposed by Unferth (John Malkovich), and has also been paying close attention to the king's wife, Wealthow (Robin Wright Penn).

Perhaps the most surprising element of the film is its sly, wink and a nod, sense of humor. This can be viewed two ways. The first view is one of enjoyment and laughter. However, it is hard to comply when we are asked to feel or identify with these characters after so many scenes presenting them as mere caricatures.

As expected, Beowulf is visually stunning. I'd argue it is the one category where this film bests 'Polar Express'. The 3-D photography is shockingly good. It is a film I wouldn't want to imagine in the traditional two dimension format. I strongly advise anyone who is going to see this to view the film in 3-D. Without it, the film would be borderline un enjoyable. The highlight is by far the final battle scene,which just begs you to forget the film's past misdeeds. Close, but no dice.