Beowulf & Grendel (C- or 2/4 stars)
Based from the epic poem, 'Beowulf & Grendel' is a medieval fantasy directed by Sturla Gunnarsson. It is 500 a.d. and King Hrothgar (Stellan Skarsgard) has just murdered a troll for stealing a fish from his kingdom. Hrothgar spares the life of the troll's young son ... bad mistake if you're Hrothgar. This young troll, Grendel (Ingvar Eggert Sigurosson), grows up & wreaks havoc on Hrothgar's people for years to come. I love the poem from which this film is based. And while I can excuse some liberties that this film has taken from the poem, I can't excuse the fact that most of this film is plain boring.
Beowulf (Gerard Butler, The Phantom of the Opera), a Norse warrior, is summoned to Daneland, by Hrothgar, to help kill this murderous troll once & for all. Beowulf and his troops sail across the icy sea and arrive to find a terrified kingdom. King Hrothgar is so wrought in fear that all he does is drink. This aside, it doesn't take long for Beowulf to figure out that Grendel is a creature of flesh and bone, like himself. He is not mythical, he is mortal. But it also doesn't take long to realize that Grendel wants vengeance on the Danes, not Beowulf.
Will Beowulf rid this creature for the King of the Danes? Or can he realize (with the help of a witch named Selma), that he would be responsible for killing the son of an innocent, misunderstood creature? Two wrongs do not make a right. Who is more hideous after all, Hrothgar or Grendel? And what is in it for the witch (Sarah Polley) who gives Beowulf such sage advice? I hope you stay awake long enough to care. This movie suffers because the translation from written text onto the big screen gets muddled. I knew the story going in. I am just sad that the interpretation of the poem was altered & dulled down. This poem gives such potential for what could be a gripping tale of revenge, horror, & ultimate loyalty. I love the basic story, but I did not appreciate the 'hip' use of language in this version, either.
One thing I did enjoy was the use of landscape as the setting. This film was shot in Iceland & the primeval rocks, glaciers, meadows, fields, boulders, moss, cliffs, & mist really lent to the feel and mood of 'Beowulf & Grendel'; no special effects were needed here and for that, I am ecstatic. But this is a lackluster effort put in by Gunnarsson (of Iceland). The film is sturdy, but could have been so much better. Perhaps they shouldn't have tinkered so much with the original. Any changes to the story did not prevent me from looking at my watch with hope that my wavering boredom would soon end.
Beowulf (Gerard Butler, The Phantom of the Opera), a Norse warrior, is summoned to Daneland, by Hrothgar, to help kill this murderous troll once & for all. Beowulf and his troops sail across the icy sea and arrive to find a terrified kingdom. King Hrothgar is so wrought in fear that all he does is drink. This aside, it doesn't take long for Beowulf to figure out that Grendel is a creature of flesh and bone, like himself. He is not mythical, he is mortal. But it also doesn't take long to realize that Grendel wants vengeance on the Danes, not Beowulf.
Will Beowulf rid this creature for the King of the Danes? Or can he realize (with the help of a witch named Selma), that he would be responsible for killing the son of an innocent, misunderstood creature? Two wrongs do not make a right. Who is more hideous after all, Hrothgar or Grendel? And what is in it for the witch (Sarah Polley) who gives Beowulf such sage advice? I hope you stay awake long enough to care. This movie suffers because the translation from written text onto the big screen gets muddled. I knew the story going in. I am just sad that the interpretation of the poem was altered & dulled down. This poem gives such potential for what could be a gripping tale of revenge, horror, & ultimate loyalty. I love the basic story, but I did not appreciate the 'hip' use of language in this version, either.
One thing I did enjoy was the use of landscape as the setting. This film was shot in Iceland & the primeval rocks, glaciers, meadows, fields, boulders, moss, cliffs, & mist really lent to the feel and mood of 'Beowulf & Grendel'; no special effects were needed here and for that, I am ecstatic. But this is a lackluster effort put in by Gunnarsson (of Iceland). The film is sturdy, but could have been so much better. Perhaps they shouldn't have tinkered so much with the original. Any changes to the story did not prevent me from looking at my watch with hope that my wavering boredom would soon end.