By Three D

Beowulf
Blu-ray
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Starring Ray Winstone, Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright
Paramount Home Video
Release Date: July 29, 2008

The only ancient element that you’ll find in this movie is the haunting music being played. Being it is the 21st century, and this being a circa 500 A.D. epic poem, the poem has founded the powerful steroid. When Beowulf is injected with it, boy, does the movie turn out to be an unrelenting, ruthless, and great action film that hit’s a towering homerun. What then had school lads pulling their hair out and reading Cliff Notes instead of the actual poem, will find themselves salivating and standing in long lines over Robert Zemeckis‘ (who tried this motion-capture technique before with Polar Express) wonderful creation. The ancient world that he paints for us is unbelievable and has us wanting more.

Could this movie have worked if it was made with “real” people and “real” settings? I doubt that. Zemeckis really gives birth to such creatures (did we really picture Grendel like that, his mother sure is sexy, and a dragon whose heart looks like any other heart) that only computer animation can bring to life. As far as our actors go, the screenplay team who worked on Pulp Fiction can only help, you really won’t be able to tell the difference.

Everyone seems to be so alive, interesting conversations, able to feel such emotions, and some of them even feel the urge for sex. They make us feel they’re real and that sells the entire movie. You may think it’s your everyday animation movie, but it’s the best animated movie I’ve ever seen this side of some Pixar films.

We all remember the character’s names but Zemeckis makes it possible for us to envision them. Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins) is king of his village. Though he’s more known for his good mead than he is for being king but that doesn’t bother him. The opening scene is terrifyingly good as Hrothgar’s people dine in at the mead hall drinking, singing, making love, and eating. Before you know it they’re interrupted by a huge Gollum-like creature who goes by the name of Grendel. What he does to the tavern is indescribable, killing many of the king’s men. This specific scene sets the mood for the entire movie. Non-stop action from beginning to end.

After this raid occurs, Unferth (John Malkovich), who’s maybe the king’s right-hand man, makes a suggestion to him. He is looking for an answer to put a stop to this Grendel. Unferth asks him “What if we convert to that new religion whose leader is Jesus Christ?” Hrothgar replies “Gods wouldn’t do anything that we wouldn’t do for them. I’m going to wait for a hero.”

This is when the great Beowulf (Ray Winstone never looked fitter) makes his first presence into the movie. He and his men ride to shore through a deadly storm. He’s gotten word that this town needs a slayer and he is more than happy to oblige.

Beowulf describes his battles with such bravura. Tells the village people, most notably the king’s young Queen (Robin Wright), about the giant sea creatures, serpents, and even swimmers he battled. Flashback scenes help us to visualize this occurrences. Could Beowulf be exaggerating a bit? The village eats it up, except for Unferth and a couple of his men who say to one another “last time it was 23 serpents.” But there’s a code between him and his 16 men. They stand by him for some mystical reason and fight until death as well. They respect him, never questioning his options. They know what he can do. Does it really matter if he killed 29 sea serpents or 23?

How can I forget Angelina Jolie! Her character will be forever implanted in my brain. She plays the mother to the hideous Grendel. Just when you think the son takes after the mother you’re dead wrong. She’s never been any sexier, exposing entire self while giving an intense and evil performance. Her trick is to tempt the most powerful man with a temptation that no man should nor could ever turn down.

If you think this movie is going to be all action, which most of it is, there is more lurking. If you can remove your eyes off of Jolie, it can be tough, you can find corruption, jealousy, lust, and a vicious circle that will last until the end of t ime. Hey, sounds like the world we live in today. The poem Beowulf transcends time.

Specifically made for 3D and IMAX viewing, the high definition of Beowulf was eagerly anticipated. The transfer compliments the way Zemeckis intended the film to be seen: as a visual spectacle. As groundbreaking as the film proved to be, my expectations for it on high definition were through the roof. Skipping on the HD version of the film because it was one of their last releases, not putting all they had into it was a fear for me. So I awaited for it on Blu-Ray. This just proves that a reward can be granted for those who wait. The transfer of the animated film is superb. Using mostly dark hues and misty surroundings, Beowulf can surely focus all of its technical time to get these few colors down to perfection. The scaring thing about this transfer is that the animation looks stunningly real, especially the skies. All scenes are worthy of bookmarking especially when Beowulf enters Grendel’s Mother’s cave where the water looks more real than the ocean, and the scene involving Beowulf hanging from the tail of a flying dragon dodging trees, arrows, and fire. After seeing the theatrical release in IMAX, I can proudly say that this Blu-Ray transfer does the film justice. A true demo disc to have at your disposal.

DVD Bonus Features

With the extensive special features, all in which are presented in high definition, the package is well worth the money spent. Surprisingly, there is no commentary by director Zemeckis but he does find time to explain his progress in numerous features.

Beowulf in the Volume
This feature is somewhat like the U-Control that was present in The Mummy Blu-ray, only a thousand times better. A picture-in-picture appears in the left side of the screen. While the movie plays out in animation, the PIP captures the same movie but without the animation; the first stages of the movie are played out in raw format. In the Volume gives the viewer unlimited access to a 25×25 stage that captured all the actors’ movements before they were morphed into animation world. Not only does this feature reflect the work of unprecedented technology, but the work of the actors can really be appreciated. My first instincts about actors acting in front of a green screen were “anybody can do that!” Please forgive me. To watch Ray Winstone, in makeup that can make you laugh, act as though a dragon is after him in a room filled with cameras and spectators (not to mention cushions and mats) is unbelievable. To be able to capture the intensity of certain situations proves to be acting at the highest level.

The Art of Beowulf
Dives into the computer animation and the logic behind creating each set piece in the film. From art direction, sketches, and models, the research team of Beowulf offer their take on why they choose to do things certain ways.

Creating the Ultimate Beowulf
Want to know why Zemeckis chose Winstone to portray the ancient hero? The answers are in this short (2 minutes) but informative feature.

Theatrical Trailer

The Origins of Beowulf
Zemeckis and his film team talk about how they adapted the ancient poem to refer to the world we live in today. Changes that were made from the early text are discussed as well as a change to Beowulf’s encounter with Grendel’s Mother.

Beasts of Burden: The Monsters of Beowulf
A fascinating look on how the production team wanted to bring life to the beasts and monsters found in the movie. Decisions on how to adapt Grendel’s Mother, the evolution and creation of the sea serpents and the dragon (Greek mythology references), all is really presented in an interesting manner.

Deleted Scenes
Adding up to 12 minutes these scenes are worth watching because they are presented in unfinished animation. Nothing groundbreaking that would change or make better for the film.

Conversation with Robert Zemeckis
The director is polite enough to sit down and discuss his groundbreaking film in front of a dozen or so Southern Cal students to answer their questions. Some of the questions are really intriguing.

A Hero’s Journey
Nothing to do with the Beowulf we were forced to read in high school, as said by Zemeckis. The entire cast (minus Jolie – boo!) is brought in to the 25×25 stage and explained what they are to do. The faces on Hopkins and Winstone are priceless when they find out how the filming process is going to go. Then during this feature a pop up comes on screen, which is clickable, and if you choose to enter it a more elaborated discussion is performed on certain terms: “EOG,” “Scanning,” “Volume,” “Sets” and “The Attack.”

The Journey Continues
If you don’t feel like sitting through the 44 minutes of “A Hero’s Journey,” here is your chance to catch a quick summary (20 minutes) of what that feature offers.