Description

Admittedly, the fabulous scenery - and the hunky Gerard Butler - are the best things about Beowulf & Grendel. Shooting on rugged Icelandic locations, cinematographer Jan Kiesser provides some gorgeous wide screen vistas that give the film a visual power that goes a long way toward compensating for its narrative deficiencies and its penchant for silliness.

The film itself has moments that are astonishingly dull and fractured - particularly in the first twenty minutes - with most of the action composed of lots of misty eyed running around on rocks and howling at sunsets. Obviously, this Canadianmore…/British/Icelandic co production from director Sturla Gunnarsson is trying to be reality driven, but the movie in the end, suffers from a definitive lack of scope.

The old English tale was majestic and epic, but this film ultimately lacks the grandeur and wit necessary to make the legend fully come alive. The Danish King Hrothgar (Stellan Skarsgård) has built a new "great hall" but the implacable, seemingly invincible giant troll Grendel (Ingvar Eggert Sigurdsson) - seeking revenge for the murder of his father - is repeatedly attacking the King's people.

Hero and warrior Beowulf (Gerard Butler) is recruited by his friend the King to rid his kingdom of this murderous troll. It isn't long before Beowulf figures he's being manipulated by a beautiful a witch portrayed by Sarah Polley - a dead-ringer for Cindi Lauper - who is particularly generous with her sexual favors and who also seems to be hiding secrets about Grendel's mysterious ways.

In order to make the film appear realistically hip, the script is spruced up with long stretches of what seems like Old English with unexpected bursts of cussing, profanity and gleeful vulgarity - Grendel is constantly referred to as a "f*cking troll" and Butler says something about him having a "hairy *ss!" But the language - when you can hear it through the accents - ends up feeling as misguided and somewhat gratuitous as just about everything else in the film.

On the positive side, Beowulf & Grendel does a fairly good job of showing us how this old world functioned in the harsh and cold Nordic environment and how the onset of Chistianity was beginning to infiltrate the pagan Norse ways. Indeed Beowolf is quite sceptical of this new religion, whilst the sickly Hrothgar seeks to be baptised and ponders heavily on the truth of heaven.

The performances are at least competent, with Butler looking appropriately earthy and sexy and heroic-like, although Polley is woefully miscast, appearing in her impeccably contemporary makeup, she makes the film's obviously noble ambitions go entertainingly awry.

Grendel was obviously a murderer but he was also the son, father, lover, and playful child who enjoyed sumersaulting and bowling with human skulls. It's just a pity that this film doesn't really do him justice. All the protracted silliness that ensures along with the rather bland direction will ensure that even fans of the source material will be left scratching their heads in bewilderment. Mike Leonard September 06.

Cast list

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Info:

Category:

Movies > Films

Case Type:

DVD

Release Type:

Retail

Language:

English

Region:

R4

Comments:

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Cover Info:

Title:

Beowulf & Grendel (2005) R4 Retail DVD

Part:

CD

Dimensions:

1409 x 1422 px

Size:

535 KB

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Uploaded:

Report a Problem Wrong Cover Duplicate Image Bad Quality Wrong Info

04/06/07 by KiwiBandit

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