Hey, everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
First off, let me just thank everyone who made Chicago's first AICN event such a ridiculous success. MONSTER HOUSE in 3-D is the only way to see it, and you should go waaaay out of your way to hit a theatre showing it in 3-D once it arrives. We had a near-capacity crowd that was excited to see the movie and just damn happy to have an AICN that Chicagoans can get to. And everybody seemed to love the movie. Hope we can do it again sometime soon. And now, on to a weird little bastard of a film that I found strangely interesting...
One of the strangest films you're likely to see this year is this bizarre offering based on the 9th century epic poem. Set in Denmark (but filmed entirely in director Sturla Gunnarsson's home nation of Iceland), Beowulf & Grendel [OFFICIAL SITE HERE] begins with the first of dozens of bloody murders of a man looking after young troll-boy Grendel. Years later, the freakishly large and violent Grendel (Ingvar Sigurdsson) lays siege on King Hrothgar (Stellan Skarsgard) and his troops, picking off several at a time whenever they least expect an attack. This results in the king becoming paranoid and feeling slightly emasculated. Fiercely loyal to his king, Beowulf (Phantom of the Opera's Gerard Butler) and his men arrive in Denmark to protect the kingdom and track down this marauding creature.
Director Gunnarsson takes his visual cues from horror films, draping many outdoor scenes in fog and staging Grendel's flesh-ripping attacks as you'd expect to see in a slasher film. The film also moderately successful as a historical adventure featuring more manly warriors than you can shake a sword at.
And let's not forget the mystical element to this story, including a pagan witch named Selma, played with an unusually dirty passion by Sarah Polley. I also liked that the film puts the era's conflicting religious beliefs in context. A Christian priest travels with these Danish warriors (who still believe in multiple gods), and as times get tough and the attacks from Grendel become more savage, they start to line up to be baptized, thinking it will save them from having their head or limbs torn off.
I'm fairly certain that the objective of Beowulf and Grendel is to show us this legendary tale as it might have actually unfolded if it had really occurred. The film is well-shot, even if the entire production looks considerably cheap and under-funded.
Skarsgard is the king of hamming things up, and on that level he doesn't let us down. I'm still not convinced Gerard Butler is even an actor, but he does what is probably his best work here. The entire production just struck me as odd, and you may find yourself wondering, "Why did they even make this movie?"
Still, I was always curious where the story was going and what strange place would the filmmaker take me next. If you're looking for a high-action alternative to superheroes, pirates, animated characters, and Owen Wilson, consider this little ditty.
Capone
