Beowulf (2007)

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

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Writers:

Neil Gaiman (screenplay), Roger Avary (screenplay)

Stars:

Ray Winstone, Crispin Glover, Angelina Jolie

3 wins & 17 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 (as Julene Rennee)
Greg Ellis	...	Garmund
Rik Young	...	Eofor
Sebastian Roché	...	Wulfgar (as Sebastian Roche)
Leslie Zemeckis	...	Yrsa
John Malkovich	...	Unferth

Storyline

Set against the coming of Christianity, this is the story of the last hero: in 507, a monstrous troll wreaks havoc in the mead hall of the Danish king, Hrothgar. He offers rewards for the death of Grendel, so Beowulf, a great and boastful Geat warrior, arrives with his thanes. Beowulf sets aside his armor and awaits the monster; a fierce battle ensues that leads to Beowolf's entering the watery lair of Grendel's mother, where a devil's bargain awaits. Beowulf returns to Herot, the castle, and becomes king. Jump ahead many years, and the sins of the father are visited upon Beowulf and his kingdom. The hero must face his weakness and be heroic once again. Is the age of demons over?

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Plot Keywords:

adult animation | beowulf character | king hrothgar character | 3 dimensional | king | 

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Taglines:

Pride is the curse.

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros [France] Warner Bros [Germany]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Old English

Release Date:

16 November 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Beowulf: An IMAX 3D Experience

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$27,515,871, 18 November 2007, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$82,161,969, 27 January 2008

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$196,393,745, 12 August 2012

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures,Shangri-La Entertainment,ImageMovers

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital Sonics-DDP (IMAX version)

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Roger Avary had originally intended to direct. Robert Zemeckis' friend and partner Steve Bing, who produced The Polar Express (2004), purchased the script for two million dollars, so Zemeckis could direct.

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Goofs

Bards are mentioned in the movie, but bards only existed in Celtic culture. Germanic culture would have had "skalds".

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Quotes

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

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Alternate Versions

Director's Cut features violence and nudity cut from the theatrical version.

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Connections

Referenced in The Making of 'MirrorMask' (2006)

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Soundtracks

Olaf Drinking Song
Written by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary
Produced by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri
Performed by Peter Lavin and Chris Coppola

User Reviews

Easily one of the most male centered movies I've ever seen

And I loved it. The creators of this little gem have far more potent imaginations than I and I envy them that. What a rousing movie! I picked it up in DVD to fill up an evening while my wife was away and what a pleasure it was to get engrossed in this brilliantly told tale of courage and adventure. It took me about 30 seconds to get used to the animation. It will take you longer to get used to the idea that this movie actually does a better job evoking a bygone time than the literature on which it's based. That's amazing to me. Another surprise was that Ms Jolie's much ballyhooed nude scenes were more disappointing than I had expected. I found myself more entranced with Robin Wright Penn's Wealthow who is undeservedly undervalued as an indispensable part of this film's magical weave. Ray Winstone rings more true in the lead than anyone had any right to hope for, in my opinion. And then there's Anthony Hopkins and John Malkovich, both adding bits of irrepressible humanity to the mix. This is in sum a thoroughly enjoyable film and I don't hesitate to recommend it, but especially to guys who will have a richer appreciation of it all than I would expect the usual woman will.