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Another Couple Of BEOWULF Reviews Come In For You!
Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.
I'm on the record already saying that I think BEOWULF is a hell of a ride, especially if you see it IMAX 3D, and I'm already getting mail from people saying, "So that means it's no good, right?"
Let me clarify. I think the film would be quite good even if you only saw it on DVD in 2D. I think it's a canny look at the nature of storytelling and the desire to live forever in recounts of your exploits. It is about the tradition of heroic storytelling, and it's a damn good heroic story.
The reason I want people to see it in IMAX 3D is because that's the best possible version of the experience, and it enhances what is already damn good. My advocacy for that particular version of the film does not mean that it's just a technical trick with no soul; far from it.
But don't take my word for it. Check this out.
Hey all this is my first time writing into AICN. If you use this review just call me Trojan Man.
I just got back from an advance 3-D screening of Beowulf at USC tonight and let me just say, wow.
First off, let’s talk about this films biggest “hook,” the CGI. The characters, for the most part, look photorealistic, or at least enough so that the CGI does not detract from the story. Beowulf is by far the best display of computer animation to date. However, did the CGI really add anything to this that live action couldn’t? No, not really.
It felt almost like the CGI was implemented to prove a point, to prove that photorealistic actors could be done, which seems to be Zemeckis’ obsession these days. Instead of contributing to the narrative, it just made me say “wow, that looks almost real.” That’s not necessarily a bad thing though and was definitely cool to see.
Though the CGI is what is most hyped in Beowulf, the real draw is the 3-D presentation. Quite simply, if you live within range of a theater showing this in 3-D, GO SEE IT. No other film has ever developed a quality, immersive, 3-D experience to the level that Beowulf does. The 3-D has depth in both directions. Objects stretch far into the distance and others reach out of the screen toward the audience. But at no point does this ever seem to feel “gimmicky,” but rather serves to pull the viewer deeper into the film.
During a conversation with Jeffrey Katzenberg earlier today, he said that he believed 3-D is the future of cinema (coincidently, Bee Movie, his latest film, opens today in 3-D). When she aid earlier in the day that in 10 years, 50-60% of films would be in 3-D, I thought he was rather crazy. But after seeing Beowulf, seeing what 3-D looks like when done RIGHT, I believe him. This is the future of movie-going. Gone are the days of red and blue glasses and splitting headaches. Though the new wave of 3-D technology has made several appearances in everything from Spy Kids to Harry Potter, it has never been done like this. It will blow your mind.
As for the story, this was probably its weakest point. Beowulf (the poem) is painfully short and not very cinematic to begin with, so the vast majority of the film strays far from its source. The result is not very pretty. There is little emotional connection to any of the characters, much less any real development. Perhaps most damnably of all however, Beowulf, the hero, plays like a bad imitation of Gerard Butler as Leonidas in 300.
The performances were all fine considering the source material they had to work with. No real standouts that I can think of.
Cinematography was gorgeous. The entire movie is a feast for the eyes.
A note for parents, THIS IS NOT A KID’S MOVIE. The CGI may make it a tempting weekend outing for the family, but the films is full of very strong violence and gore, as well as multiple instances of full frontal female nudity.
Bottom line, if you can see this in 3-D, then GO. As soon as it is released, JUST GO. If you’re limited to 2-D screenings, it may be worth a watch, but you’d probably be just as well off renting it on DVD in a few months.
I hope you guys can post this. I should have a review for Southland Tales coming in next week as well.
-Trojan Man
I think people keep overstating the full-frontal female nudity. Angelina Jolie’s character is a monster, and her “nudity” is rather stylized and, in some ways, sanitized. She’s about as anatomically correct as a Barbie doll, 100% camel-toe free.
Small quibble, though. It’s just strange how it keeps coming up in reviews. Here’s another quick reaction from someone who saw it in the same place:
Yo Harry,
I'm in Leonard Maltin's class at USC and he screened us Beowulf in 3D on Thursday night. Robert Zemeckis was on hand later for a Q&A. First things first, quoting Maltin here (and I have to agree), never has anyone started clapping at the Paramount logo. That's the level of "cool" we're going with the 3D technology. The interactivity is downright fun. After that, the film immediately immerses you into the world of Beowulf. The ever-moving camera soars through Scandinavia in one particular scene where a rat is plucked from a roof by an eagle and we watch in awe as we fly through the sky. On the whole, the animation is a giant improvement since the soulless children of The Polar Express but there were still moments of shudder, in particular Alison Lohman's potato shaped head, which called attention. When this movie kicks ass, boy does the shit go down. In particular, Beowulf vs. Grendel and Beowulf vs. The Dragon. These two major sequences are breathtaking and it is fair to say that this film will set a certain precedent in terms of these types of movies.
I have to disagree with XiMan's review about if Beowulf was live action. I honestly believe this film would not work as live action. If this were live action, it would have been a crappy Reign of Fire meets 13th Warrior mess. Also, and Zemeckis addressed this later, there really isn’t anyone out there who could be Beowulf (he did say maaaybe Russell Crowe), even if it was Crowe, the live action version would have had a shitty CG Crowe battling a shitty CG Grendel in the style of Matrix Reloaded. Zemeckis, by creating a fully CG environment, has brilliantly made the action seamless and created a visual feast.
I loved the liberties they took with the poem; dare I say better than the original? By enhancing the fallible qualities of our lead and emphasizing the mythic nature of the story, there were moments that the film oddly reminded me of Petersen's Troy (also with Brendan Gleeson) but in a good way. They could have gone really over the top by adding Odin and the rest of Valhalla but by only referencing the gods, much like Troy, a grounded reality emerges, which fits the film very well.
Casting was pretty much spot on. Winstone, although not his likeness, brings the haggard bravado of a hero to life. And it helps that he's a complete badass. Angelina Jolie is the best casting as her role needed to be someone who was quite frankly so hot that you would screw over your kingdom for a night with her. Brendan Gleeson, much like Liam Neeson has become THE mentor in many of his films, has basically become THE "badass partner to the badass", case in point with Troy, Braveheart, Kingdom of Heaven. However, he's awesome cos you know he would have your back in battle any freakin time. Crispin is back with Zemeckis and it's great. There are echoes of the freakish Thin Man here, with all that screaming but he and later Jolie's monster side both contribute to some genuinely scary moments.
All in all, this was a thoroughly enjoyable ride, would have been right at home as a summer movie, and despite some cheesy moments between Beowulf and Robin Wright Penn's Queen, the bulk of the film has some great set pieces and the good thing is after the initial awe, you actually get into these characters and the story, without a continuous stream of WOOOOOOW. Now, here's to an unrated edition on DVD!
Cheers,
Sanjuro Kuwabatake.
I just got back from an advance 3-D screening of Beowulf at USC tonight and let me just say, wow.
First off, let’s talk about this films biggest “hook,” the CGI. The characters, for the most part, look photorealistic, or at least enough so that the CGI does not detract from the story. Beowulf is by far the best display of computer animation to date. However, did the CGI really add anything to this that live action couldn’t? No, not really.
It felt almost like the CGI was implemented to prove a point, to prove that photorealistic actors could be done, which seems to be Zemeckis’ obsession these days. Instead of contributing to the narrative, it just made me say “wow, that looks almost real.” That’s not necessarily a bad thing though and was definitely cool to see.
Though the CGI is what is most hyped in Beowulf, the real draw is the 3-D presentation. Quite simply, if you live within range of a theater showing this in 3-D, GO SEE IT. No other film has ever developed a quality, immersive, 3-D experience to the level that Beowulf does. The 3-D has depth in both directions. Objects stretch far into the distance and others reach out of the screen toward the audience. But at no point does this ever seem to feel “gimmicky,” but rather serves to pull the viewer deeper into the film.
During a conversation with Jeffrey Katzenberg earlier today, he said that he believed 3-D is the future of cinema (coincidently, Bee Movie, his latest film, opens today in 3-D). When she aid earlier in the day that in 10 years, 50-60% of films would be in 3-D, I thought he was rather crazy. But after seeing Beowulf, seeing what 3-D looks like when done RIGHT, I believe him. This is the future of movie-going. Gone are the days of red and blue glasses and splitting headaches. Though the new wave of 3-D technology has made several appearances in everything from Spy Kids to Harry Potter, it has never been done like this. It will blow your mind.
As for the story, this was probably its weakest point. Beowulf (the poem) is painfully short and not very cinematic to begin with, so the vast majority of the film strays far from its source. The result is not very pretty. There is little emotional connection to any of the characters, much less any real development. Perhaps most damnably of all however, Beowulf, the hero, plays like a bad imitation of Gerard Butler as Leonidas in 300.
The performances were all fine considering the source material they had to work with. No real standouts that I can think of.
Cinematography was gorgeous. The entire movie is a feast for the eyes.
A note for parents, THIS IS NOT A KID’S MOVIE. The CGI may make it a tempting weekend outing for the family, but the films is full of very strong violence and gore, as well as multiple instances of full frontal female nudity.
Bottom line, if you can see this in 3-D, then GO. As soon as it is released, JUST GO. If you’re limited to 2-D screenings, it may be worth a watch, but you’d probably be just as well off renting it on DVD in a few months.
I hope you guys can post this. I should have a review for Southland Tales coming in next week as well.
-Trojan Man
I'm in Leonard Maltin's class at USC and he screened us Beowulf in 3D on Thursday night. Robert Zemeckis was on hand later for a Q&A. First things first, quoting Maltin here (and I have to agree), never has anyone started clapping at the Paramount logo. That's the level of "cool" we're going with the 3D technology. The interactivity is downright fun. After that, the film immediately immerses you into the world of Beowulf. The ever-moving camera soars through Scandinavia in one particular scene where a rat is plucked from a roof by an eagle and we watch in awe as we fly through the sky. On the whole, the animation is a giant improvement since the soulless children of The Polar Express but there were still moments of shudder, in particular Alison Lohman's potato shaped head, which called attention. When this movie kicks ass, boy does the shit go down. In particular, Beowulf vs. Grendel and Beowulf vs. The Dragon. These two major sequences are breathtaking and it is fair to say that this film will set a certain precedent in terms of these types of movies.
I have to disagree with XiMan's review about if Beowulf was live action. I honestly believe this film would not work as live action. If this were live action, it would have been a crappy Reign of Fire meets 13th Warrior mess. Also, and Zemeckis addressed this later, there really isn’t anyone out there who could be Beowulf (he did say maaaybe Russell Crowe), even if it was Crowe, the live action version would have had a shitty CG Crowe battling a shitty CG Grendel in the style of Matrix Reloaded. Zemeckis, by creating a fully CG environment, has brilliantly made the action seamless and created a visual feast.
I loved the liberties they took with the poem; dare I say better than the original? By enhancing the fallible qualities of our lead and emphasizing the mythic nature of the story, there were moments that the film oddly reminded me of Petersen's Troy (also with Brendan Gleeson) but in a good way. They could have gone really over the top by adding Odin and the rest of Valhalla but by only referencing the gods, much like Troy, a grounded reality emerges, which fits the film very well.
Casting was pretty much spot on. Winstone, although not his likeness, brings the haggard bravado of a hero to life. And it helps that he's a complete badass. Angelina Jolie is the best casting as her role needed to be someone who was quite frankly so hot that you would screw over your kingdom for a night with her. Brendan Gleeson, much like Liam Neeson has become THE mentor in many of his films, has basically become THE "badass partner to the badass", case in point with Troy, Braveheart, Kingdom of Heaven. However, he's awesome cos you know he would have your back in battle any freakin time. Crispin is back with Zemeckis and it's great. There are echoes of the freakish Thin Man here, with all that screaming but he and later Jolie's monster side both contribute to some genuinely scary moments.
All in all, this was a thoroughly enjoyable ride, would have been right at home as a summer movie, and despite some cheesy moments between Beowulf and Robin Wright Penn's Queen, the bulk of the film has some great set pieces and the good thing is after the initial awe, you actually get into these characters and the story, without a continuous stream of WOOOOOOW. Now, here's to an unrated edition on DVD!
Cheers,
Sanjuro Kuwabatake.
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+ Expand All
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Looking forward to this just for the imagery.
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I am going to watch this in IMAX 3D. I am a lover of the right film in IMAX and in 3D. Some movies only use 3D to get more viewers, and some use their box office hits to expose some of it. I saw Harry Potter 5 with the 3D and thought it was wasted. But Beouwulf with it spectacular imagery and action makes if an excellent candidate in my view.
I find it funny that movies that are highly visual in their story telling are often seen a less important. These days an oscar is most likely to go to a small overly verbal piece than a truly visual one.
Film has always been about the visual and I think that IMAX type technology is its future.
That's my nickel on the subject. -
What are your criteria for calling Beowulf short? are the repetitive proto-literary stanzas of Gilgamesh more your taste in ancient epic hero poems? Any movie that is primeval enough to have the hero screwing a female-serpent beast and giving birth to monsters has my vote.
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But I'm willing to give Beowulf a chance. As a resident of Prague, I'll see the film in a regular cinema first, no 3D, and if it holds up and IF it plays here in 3D at the IMAX cinema (which will be dubbed in Czech) I'll catch it there after just to glimpse this 'future of the death of cinema example' that way as well. Hopefully with the huge cost of 3D and/or IMAX, I'll never have this as my only international option in my lifetime. 'Twould be a sad day...
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To all those people who rush to type 'first'or any position, on any talkback. You are living proof that someone can be a winner and a loser at the same time.... Just thought i'd mention it...
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She looks malnourished and veiny...yuck.
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Moriarty, where did you dig up this boob?
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I look at this stuff about IMAX 3-D, then realise it'll be at least a decade - if ever - before we get such a theatre where I live. Poos. Otherwise, I will be seeing this in a traditional theatre, because it looks like creamy goodness.
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...it was old english prose.
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I forgot Crispy Gloves was in this movie... he's always interesting...
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Is that the program they used for the CGI in this movie?
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But CG doesnt look scary onscreen. It looks fake.
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only beef i have seeing it... she is really, really annoying
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"...better than the original?"
No, you dare not. Maybe after you write some poetry that's lasted _over_thirteen_centuries_, you can start offering suggestions. -
Does anyone else have trouble getting over the fact that despite how cool the 3d is, and despite how great the film is regardless of the 3d, at the end of the day, it's still a cartoon? I'm just not much of an animation guy outside of Pixar and South Park. I'm much, much more excited for Avatar. Live action 3d done as well as it sounds like this was, is quite a bit more intriuging to me.
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Nov 04, 2007 7:49:37 PM CST
So it reminds one reviwer of Troy and the other says....
by industrykiller!
"As for the story, this was probably its weakest point." I'm really thinking people WANT to like this film more than they actually like it. I mean for christ sakes you have people trying to gleam something good from TROY?? I talked to a kid today who was at the USC screening and he said it was alright and obviously technically impressive but nowhere near something like Lord of the Rings. I think it will be a lot of fun for the kids of today but not much for anyone looking for the next brilliant genre film.
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Nov 04, 2007 7:53:12 PM CST
and it distrubs me that Zemeckis's vision is so thin...
by industrykiller!
that he says this story couldn't possibly be done live action. That is just total and utter bullshit. and not to be a dead horse with the comparison but Lord of the Rings proves it can be done. It's sad when a man like Zemeckis, who could literally get the greenlight for any film he wanted to make, is limiting himself in such a capacity. Now 3-D might be the future, but you're a fool if you think computer animation is going to replace actors.
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I have to fully agree with Industry killer. I know Zemeckis is deeply invested in CG and 3D technologies and as such he is tunnel-visioning his work. I mean LOTR aside isn't he the one that made Forest Gump talk to dead presidents and remove Sinise's legs digitally and this is over 10 years ago. We have leaped in tech since then.
Still I think there are stories that can be told very well in CG and this is one.
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OK..About Jolie...as a film fan I'm sick of her half assed "talent" as much of the next guy. But as a "Guy" I do see some appeal to the sleezy tart...she has alot going for her.
1. She reportedly shagged her Brother.
2. She openly talks about liking S&M..mostly the M
3. Is a low morals home wrecker..meaning shes good about throwing a buddy a fuck now and then, married or not
4. Likes other women.
all in all quite the spank bank resume don't ya think?
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Really Zemeckis..bury the hatchet with the Mouse already and make another fuckin Roger Rabbit flick. Eisner is gone, the rest of the bozos that pissed in yours and Spielbergs' punch are gone...come on..if you MUST keep up with this CGI overload at least use it where it will work with good effect...Making Toons!
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Why did that 2nd reviewer have to go and dump on Reign of Fire & 13th warrior. I think both those movies are pretty entertaining. I've recently seen both and really felt they're greatly underrated. but what do I know i found all of the LOTRs snooze fests.
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Nothing against Angelina but its too much....when she walked into the Wanted trailer I literally said "Shit! Not her again..."...its like casting people need a sexy girl, they call her.
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I've been told that the IMAX 3D presentation is in fact inferior to the RealD one? Is this so, because I can't decide which format to go see this in - IMAX is tempting because of the big screen, but I just get the feeling that perhaps this was meant to be seen projected digitally.
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I saw Beowulf at an industry screening Friday night. It’s a terribly busy looking film, and difficult to follow. The screenplay is the best Neil Gaiman’s done, which isn’t saying much since his screenplays have all been confusing messes and insulting to the audience. The 3D was fun, but gave may people headaches after a few minutes, and was very distracting from the already difficult to follow story.
The mocap was on par with Monster House, but not much better. And was the film ever UGLY! The designs were about as appealing as a piece of month old road kill! Both the characters and backgrounds are so overwrought with sweaty detail that they’re hard to watch.
The entire experience was incredibly depressing. Especially since many people who worked on it were sitting around me and I had to pretend for the moment it was fine. But I almost went into convulsions while watching the film.
A more mature, challanging, visually engrrossing, and thoughtful film like Ratatouille, a film that respects it’s audience and thrills by entertaining ALL of your emotions, has more “animation” in any one scene than the entire mess that is Beowulf.
Sigh.
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I thought she was excellent in A Mighty Heart (terrible title, great movie). Seeing her portrayal of Marianne Pearl, it's no wonder that the news media never could get a grasp on who that woman really was. She was/is a unique soul, and I think Angelina's best moments were at the end, when she found out about Daniel's murder and how she coped with it afterwards. It was a revealing look at Marianne, the worldly people she and Daniel were.
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in that movie. It was totally about the portrayal of a real person, and that's a nice break from Angelina the movie star.
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I was very skeptical hearing one of the reviewers say that the CG rendering is the best to date, considering that the trailer showed some pretty poor and stiff rendering. Stuff that's subpar to what we've seen in LOTR and King Kong, even. I mean, Kong wasn't a great movie, but the CG was amazing - there was life and soul behind his CG eyes, where Zemeckis' characters still have that mannequin look.
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http://tinyurl.com/2473nl
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don't know whether that's good or bad...
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LOL! (sorry) But seriously: ANGELINA JOLIE is a fucking Oscar-winning, 2 time Golden Globe winning, soon to be 2nd Oscar nomination having (A Mighty Heart) actress. She can't help it that she is sexy enough to make men cheat on their wives and women fantasize about "their first time with a a woman"... LOL! (sorry, again)
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Besides the fact that this film would really cost too much in live-action... who the fuck could really play Beowulf??? And I'm sorry, but Russell Crowe--NOOOO! Then it would have looked like a rip off...of GLADIATOR! There was no one who wanted this to be live-action more than me, and I left the theater saying....MASTERPEICE!!!
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And anyone who says different is a 300 PLANT!
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Good for you dude. You have some redemption now man.
Most of these idiots on this board are wanna be know it alls with no life, who actually know very little about anything.
It makes them feel big to yell out Plant. Stupid sheep. That's all they are.
One kid brought up how Beowulf was reviewed on another site and got a 1.5. He apparently didn't bother to notice that all those reviews were for the live action Beowulf, starring Christopher Lambert.
Don't sweat the yammering idiots here. Just replace whatever nonsense they're spouting with RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE.
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... and the positive reviews certainly help, but seeing that trailer was like seeing granma masturbating. Total buzz-kill. It looked like a fuckin video game, with soulless mannequins dressed up as gay vikings. I can't help feeling that guys like Zemeckis and Rodriguez are falling so hard for all the new tech that they end up ignoring everything else. I enjoy good visuals and I'm still gonna go watch this, but story and performance has to count for something.
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Maybe that's a way around the strike...
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might see this.
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I just noticed that the key to the young male audience is to have a protagonist that
a)kills a bunch of people
b)screams a lot in a funny accent about the fact that he kills a bunch of people.
Scarface, Braveheart, Bill the Butcher from GONY, Maximus the Gladiator, King Leonidas, all are adored, all have those two qualities. Watch for my blockbuster featuring a Finnish serial killer with Tourette's and that yelling disease Will Farrel had on SNL weekend update. -
also the funny accent screaming badass has to die at the end
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If you're into digital Man-Ass this flick is up your alley, otherwise an honest reviewer would say "Beowulf has some serious flaws." This site is sadly becoming a PR rag.
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