The Old English epic poem, which is thought to have been written in the 8th Century, chronicles the exploits of Beowulf, a Scandinavian hero who saves the Danes from the indomitable monster Grendel..

In the film, Ray Winstone ( The Departed ) plays Beowulf, a strapping warrior who vows to destroy Grendel ( Crispin Glover ) after the monster lays to waste the best soldiers in King Hrothgar’s ( Anthony Hopkins ) army.. After a grueling confrontation, Beowulf appears to thwart Grendel; but following a victory celebration, his men are murdered by an unseen force.. Beowulf learns that Grendel’s mother ( Angelina Jolie ) may be the culprit, but she seduces the warrior with promises of wealth and success..

Rated: [ PG - 13 ]

Cinema release: 16th November 2007 - US

29th November 2007 - Australia

Running time: 113 minutes

Stars: Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Crispin Glover, Ray Winstone

Returning to the land of men, Beowulf finds himself in line for Hrothgar’s throne, with his predecessor’s wife Wealthow ( Robin Wright Penn ) set to become his companion.. But he soon discovers that his rendezvous with Grendel’s mother may have cost him more than he ever gained, and must fight one last battle in the twilight of his life; not only to save his kingdom, but redeem himself from the malevolent designs of a creature hell bent on revenge..

Robert Zemeckis’ new film Beowulf offers a powerful reminder of how far we’ve come, and perhaps have yet to go, in the ever - expanding world of special effects.. It’s a majestic film, absolutely breathtaking to behold, and yet so many people will complain ( And in fact already have ) because they think the characters’ eyes are dead or the rhythms of their movement aren’t realistic enough.. CGI was in its infancy 20 years ago, and we are now capable of rendering virtually anything on film; meanwhile, audiences are so familiar with the process that they are steadily less impressed the more sophisticated these creatures, characters and landscapes become.. How cynical have we become that we no longer appreciate works of art and instead search desperately for their flaws?

All of which is why Beowulf is not merely a very good film, but an important one.. Not necessarily important in some specific cultural sense, or even perhaps within the timeline of cinema history; but Zemeckis has effectively combined the oldest storytelling form in the English language with the most up - to - date technology possible, in the process creating a singular work of art that reminds us timelessness and modernity are opposite sides of the exact same coin, at least where movies are concerned..

Robert Zemeckis has never known to go small.. The director of big budget Hollywood flicks like Forrest Gump and Back To The Future is the master of putting on a grand show - and he makes no exception with his latest action epic Beowulf..

Like his last film, The Polar Express Zemeckis makes use of a filmmaking technique called ” performance capture ” that blurs the line between digital effects and traditional live action.. By “ capturing ” the real - life performances of his stellar cast, including Ray Winstone as Beowulf and Angelina Jolie as a monstrous seductress, Zemeckis can translate the power and expression of his cast into a virtually limitless digital landscape..

Although Beowulf is a fully animated movie, we seem asked to believe that the actors in it are not cartoons.. Each character’s physical performance was motion - captured, and even the likenesses of their faces are used..

Thus, when animated King Hrothgar comes into the room, he actually looks like Anthony Hopkins.. And his queen Wealthow bears quite a resemblance to Robin Wright Penn.. And yes, that’s Angelina Jolie’s face on the just - nude - enough - to - still - be - PG - 13 body of Grendel’s Mother.. Only Beowulf himself, for some reason, doesn’t look quite like the guy who’s playing him, Ray Winstone, though one might say he looks like a thinner - faced version..

At this point, one must ask: why is this film animated? 300 shows us a strong example of how a similar ” living comic book ” effect can be achieved using real actors against a computer - generated background.. There are a few cinematic decisions to justify Zemeckis’s route, including being able to take advantage of a non - rooted free - flying camera to create views from within spaces that would be very tough for a real camera to travel through.. Also, he’s able to age the characters over a long period of time in a way that feels more natural than with some instances of using makeup.. But frankly, someone could easily counter these reasons by bringing up The Lord of the Rings movies, which featured a wholly convincing mix of dynamic live - action and c.g..

Much like Zack Snyder’s 300, the story itself is strikingly simple; here, a warrior finds himself challenged by one increasingly dangerous adversary after the next - but Avary and Gaiman filter in a remarkable degree of humanity in these quite literally epic characterizations.. Beowulf is a braggart and a self - promoter, but not one without self - reflection or eventually, humility, and his journey is to discover the price he pays for his ambition.. And Grendel’s mother is not merely a deadly sexpot, but a creature for whom deception and duplicity are integral parts of her maternal instincts.. That said, Beowulf certainly also functions on a visceral level, with enough action sequences and breathtaking set pieces to sustain fans of 300 and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but its resemblance to those films is superficial at best, and says nothing of the unique way in which Zemeckis has created Beowulf’s world..

Nevertheless action lovers, particularly comic and graphic novel fans from around the world will love Beowulf - particularly when watched in the immersive experience of IMAX 3D ( Which the movie was conceived for ).. But for anyone looking for an accurate interpretation of the Old English poem, think again!

This adaptation brings some sense and accessibility to an epic story that, frankly, most people know very little about.. That’s not to say it’s a precisely faithful adaptation ( Because it’s not ), but the movie stands as an unapologetically enthusiastic marriage between old - school heroism and modern - day wizardry..

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether you think that the CGI looks perfectly realistic ( Which it isn’t supposed to ), only that it is believable in the context of the film ( Which it is ).. Beowulf is like nothing you’ve ever seen, but not for the reasons you think.. We’ve all seen plenty of sci - fi films and special - effects epics, and been wowed by their technical virtuosity.. Beowulf challenges you to look into the characters’ eyes, study the rhythms of their movement, and think only of one thing; namely, what’s going to happen next..