Movie Review: Beowulf IMAX 3D by CD

Title: Beowulf in IMAX 3D
Starring: Brendan Gleeson, Anthony Hopkins, Ray Winstone, Robin Wright Penn, John Malkovich
Directed By: Robert Zemeckis
Produced By: Martin Shafer, Roger Avary, Neil Gaiman
Genre: Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Animation
Release Date: November 16, 2007
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence including disturbing images, some sexual material and nudity.
Distributors: Warner Bros. Pictures International, Paramount Pictures


In the age of heroes comes the mightiest warrior of them all, Beowulf. After destroying the overpowering demon Grendel, he incurs the undying wrath of the beast's ruthlessly seductive mother, who will use any means possible to ensure revenge. The ensuing epic battle resonates throughout the ages, immortalizing the name of Beowulf. -Yahoo Movies


First let me start off by saying I popped my 3D cherry with this film. I had been to the IMAX previously to see Transformers, but I had yet to experience the awesome power of 3D. This film was meant to be see in 3D, no doubt in my mind. The whole world comes alive and you really do feel as if your part of the movie.

That being said, on with the movie review! I am sure you have all read the story/poem of Beowulf. So there is no need to go into the story line in this review. It is a classic story that needs no explanation. So, lets delve right into what everyone has been talking about. No, I don't mean Ms. Jolie's enhanced chesticles. I am talking about the graphics.

When watching CGI films there are 4 things that show you whether or not the rendering is top notch or not. 1. Hair: Usually in CGI movie's they try to get the hair as realistic as possible, but still fall short of realism. This is not the case in Beowulf. Every strand of hair can be seen, even in the facial hair of the characters. 2. Grass: This is another tough one to pull off because grass is a chaotic element. The scenery in this film looks so real you almost feel as if your looking out a window into your back yard rather than watching a movie on the big screen. 3. Water: Realistic looking water is a big challenge for programmers. It is another instance of a chaotic element, with the way water flows and how transparent and reflective it is. Finally 4. Fire: In the past what was done to create the fire effect was simple taking video of a fire and then placing it on top of the scene. As far as I know this was not done in the movie. You could tell it was actually rendered yet, at the same time, it still looked real.

The soundtrack was decent. Nothing all that spectacular to report on it. Just your basic dramatic sweeping orchestral fare. It all fit into the world the movie created. I was enjoying the drunken ballads song by both the king's men and Beowulf's men.

Casting wise I think they did a superb job and got a class A list of actors to bring this epic to fruition. Sir Anthony Hopkins as King Hrothgar was a great choice. It was funny to see him playing a drunk. Ray Winstone played Beowulf to perfection. Another perfect casting choice was Cripsin Glover as Grendel, when you need a creepy freaky dude to play a creepy freaky character look no further than Mr.Glover. Finally, Angelina Jolie was the embodiment of the wicked and twisted temptress that was Grendel's Mother.

Now onto what I didn't like about this film. (Insert dramatic twist music) The first thing was the nudity of Beowulf. I didn't mind him being naked, but the lengths they went to in concealing his mini me bordered on hilarious. At one point I had to remind myself that I was watching a classic piece of literature brought to life and not another installment in the Austin Powers series. Another thing was the incessant need to use motion blur. I get it, the friggen camera and object are moving! I mean really, is their intent to give the viewers motion sickness? I dig seeing the action, not seeing something that vaguely resembles action. It kind of reminds me of when I was younger trying to watch scrambled porn.
Lastly this movie should NOT have been rated PG-13. Rating the film as such just goes to show how far out of whack the MPAA is. This movie is laden with sexual content and gruesome deaths. They seem to think that just because it is animated violence that it is less ugly. Newsflash, animated just means they can really get in there a make it look the best/worst.

I do give a word of warning though, 3D is not for everyone. The technology used to bring the film into the eye popping 3D world may have ill effects on some people. I started getting a headache half way through the flick, but put on my big boy pants and dealt with it. I mean come on it's Beowulf.


Final verdict? Go see it, in IMAX 3D.


I AM “NOT” BEOWULF!

Crobertdunham@yahoo.com