Review of Beowulf

If you haven't seen an ad for Beowulf yet, it is a CGI film. All the actors are computer generated to look like video game versions of themselves (for the most part) and they interact in a world where special effects and mythical monsters look pretty realistic. Visuals that could have come across as trite and tawdry are sophisticated, meticulously detailed, and extremely intense.

With the aesthetics of the film being so impressive and the entertainment value centering on consistently engaging action sequences, the plot of Beowulf is actually not too instrumental. Based on an ancient epic poem that a lot of people probably read in high school English and then forgot the details of, Beowulf chronicles the adventures of the title character, a varyingly heroic and corruptible man.

The story begins when King Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins) holds a huge party for his people in a hall he has just built. A local monster, Grendel (Crispin Glover, whose character actually resembles him very little), has sensitive ears and can't stand to hear people celebrating. Grendel crashes into the hall and kills people in an impressively executed sequence, leaving the surviving party-goers terrified. After Grendel returns to the cave where he lives with his mother (Angelina Jolie), Hrothgar offers half of his kingdom to anyone who will slay Grendel.

Beowulf (Ray Winstone) arrives and claims that he and his men will kill Grendel not for gold, but for glory. During a round of loud singing, Grendel again shows up at the hall and a fight ensues. Beowulf punches the monster and eventually rips off his arm, leaving Grendel to retreat to his cave to die.

Concerned about the terror Grendel's mother might unleash as retribution for her son's death, Beowulf sets out to kill her as well. Upon entering the cave where she dwells, Beowulf finds that instead of being a grotesque monster like her son, she is seductively beautiful and makes Beowulf offers of power and wealth.

The plot deviates from that of the original manuscript and Beowulf ends up making a deal with Grendel's mother. He returns to Hrothgar's kingdom, becomes heir to the throne, and ends up living into old age as ruler of the area.

Eventually, Beowulf's promise to Grendel's mother is unintentionally broken and she sends a dragon to destroy the kingdom. Despite his age, Beowulf must engage in one more battle, which he hopes will rid the kingdom of monsters for good.

More plot devices are evident in the film than in the original poem but these actually end up producing holes in the story. There is a golden horn that keeps resurfacing only to advance the narrative, an unexplained suicide, and monsters that can apparently attack one king but not another. Also, Hrothgar's advisor, Unferth (John Malkovich), initially scoffs at Beowulf's tales of outrageous adventures, but suddenly and suspiciously has a change of heart and offers Beowulf his ancestral sword.

Another shortcoming of the film is the unnecessary nudity, included perhaps because it is computer animated, and therefore "not real"? (I don't like to think I'm prudish, but I wasn't exactly enjoying myself when I was exposed to a shot of Anthony Hopkins' robe falling off.) It also isn't really a new ploy to use strategically placed objects to block a character's private parts. Audiences, though, might better enjoy watching a character do something if that character is naked and teens will be glad to get their money's worth for the PG-13 rating.

Overall, however, the unanswered questions and ridiculous nude fight scenes don't come close to ruining the film. Beowulf stands solid on its beautiful visuals which far surpass the standards set by previous CGI films. The details are so thorough that tiny hairs on the tips of characters' noses are visible, snow begins to melt upon touching human skin, and close-ups of eyes show flecks of different colors. The CGI also compliments the actions scenes (arrow points flying directly into the screen) and the impact of the monsters (thick streams of spit dripping from Grendel's mouth).

Beowulf doesn't carry any deep sentimentalities and the storyline may not be complete, but the true value of the film comes from its high level of pure entertainment. Few films are able to maintain such a constant evocation of excitement, anticipation, and awe. The effort that went into making this movie is obvious and that, alone, is enough to make it great.