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Amazon.co.uk
Spectacular animated action scenes turn the ancient epic poem Beowulf into a modern fantasy movie, while motion-capture technology transforms plump actor Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast) into a burly Nordic warrior. When a Danish kingdom is threatened by the monster Grendel (voiced and physicalised by Crispin Glover, River's Edge), Beowulf--lured by the promise of heroic glory--comes to rescue them. He succeeds, but falls prey to the seductive power of Grendel's mother, played by Angelina Jolie... and as Jolie's pneumatically animated form rises from an underground lagoon with demon-claw high heels, it becomes clear that we're leaving the original epic far, far behind. Regrettably, the motion-capture process has made only modest improvements since The Polar Express; while the characters' eyes no longer look so flat and zombie-like, their faces remain inexpressive and movements are still wooden. As a result, the most effective sequences feature wildly animated battles and the most vivid character is Grendel, whose grotesqueness ends up making him far more sympathetic than any of the mannequin-like human beings. The meant-to-be-titillating images of a naked Jolie resemble an inflatable doll more than a living, breathing woman (or succubus, as the case may be). But the fights--particularly Grendel's initial assault on the celebration hut--pop with lushly animated gore and violence. Also featuring the CGI-muffled talents of Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs), Robin Wright Penn (The Princess Bride), and John Malkovich (Dangerous Liaisons). --Bret Fetzer
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
Because the visuals in the movie are entirely computer generated I had my doubts that even a high definition transfer would be able to enhance them. But after watching the movie on Blu-Ray I realised Beowulf is everything a first-rate HD transfer should be. The level of detail is now so high that a close-up of Beowulf reveals lines and pores in his skin, blemishes and individual facial hair and even the colour and complexity of the iris in his eyes. Now Grendel looks even more grotesque, his mother even more captivating and the dragon even more spectacular. The characters and monsters look more life-like than ever which begs the question does this type of movie-making represent the future of movie-making?
So what does seperate the Director's Cut from the theatrical version shown in cinemas? Not much to be honest. The scene where Grendel attacks the Mead Hall involves a few more spectacular murders and mutilations. The scene where Grendel's Mother seduces Beowulf contains a few more lines of dialogue and we get to see a bit more of the Golden Boy. The extras include a making of documentary and lots of short featurettes that show the production process. There are some additional scenes but these are not digitally enhanced.
I am sure I am not the only viewer who thought the movie was better off for being unfaithful to the original epic poem. Beowulf is great entertainment for people of all ages although some of the nudity and violence is unsuitable for children 12 or under. Surprisingly Beowulf is rated a 12. So is Beowulf on Blu-Ray worth the extra you pay over the DVD version? Unequivocally YES.
So what does seperate the Director's Cut from the theatrical version shown in cinemas? Not much to be honest. The scene where Grendel attacks the Mead Hall involves a few more spectacular murders and mutilations. The scene where Grendel's Mother seduces Beowulf contains a few more lines of dialogue and we get to see a bit more of the Golden Boy. The extras include a making of documentary and lots of short featurettes that show the production process. There are some additional scenes but these are not digitally enhanced.
I am sure I am not the only viewer who thought the movie was better off for being unfaithful to the original epic poem. Beowulf is great entertainment for people of all ages although some of the nudity and violence is unsuitable for children 12 or under. Surprisingly Beowulf is rated a 12. So is Beowulf on Blu-Ray worth the extra you pay over the DVD version? Unequivocally YES.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
Quite superb in action and detail,the day when actors are not needed on screen is surely drawing closer judging by Beowolf.It is certainly gorey for a 12 rating,but the film gets better as it moves on.I am judging the film on itself rather than anything else.I do not go for total CGI generally but this was great,well worth buying.
18 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
A fantastic modern rendition of the Norse classic poem. You will lose yourself in the splendor of the quality crafted CGI imagery and the wonderous voice talents of Anthony Hopkins and Ray Winstone. A MUST see for all fans of Fantasy and Action. The classic poem is brought to life in front of your eyes and it's just dazzling. You will want to watch it again as soon as the final credits have rolled. If you missed this in the cinema, catch it on DVD or Blu-Ray...your senses will love you forever.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Awesome.
Along with Avatar this has to be the best 3d film I have seen,very well animated and executed, well worth a watch!
Published 3 months ago by MaryPoppins
TIENE AUDIO Y SUBTITULOS EN CASTELLANO
ESTE BLURAY TIENE AUDIO Y SUBTITULOS EN CASTELLANO,COMPROBADO DE PRIMERA MANO Y LOS SUBTITULOS EN INGLES NO ESTAN QUEMADOS EN EL DISCO.PODEIS COMPRARLO SIN PROBLEMAS.SALUDOS
Published 5 months ago by Pirujo
Beowulf the Film
An excellent film that follows the original story fairly well. The original Beowulf is a poem of over 3000 lines written in England around the middle of the seventh century (in Old... Read more
Published 9 months ago by T. J. Cliffe
Beowulf
`Beowulf' is an animated fantasy film based on the ancient legend of Beowulf and Grendel. This has an all star voice cast (Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie, Ray Winstone, Robin... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Spider Monkey
Beowulf
This is a glorious High Definition film which has managed to go a long way with its use of CGI special effects. I would really mention that this isn't a 12 at all. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Astandane
This Robert Zemmeckis animation is nothing childish!
The stylization of violence so common in action movies take advantage of the loopholes and thus migrates to the story. Read more
Published 20 months ago by RafaelSchuch
Better in Blue-Ray
Watching this film, I'm still wondering how much is computer imagery or whether a special camera was used as it borders on being real and digitised. Read more
Published on 11 Sep 2009 by G. Yearling
Dark Digital Fantasy
As a film I quite like this; it's a pretty grim and violent dark fantasy tale that explores human flaw in the context of a mythological setting. Read more
Published on 11 May 2009 by Paul WJM
Very gory for a 12 rating!
A lot of reviews already cover the impressive computer generated images, high HD quality and likes and dislikes re the voices so I wont go over that again. Read more
Published on 9 May 2008 by Le Wrat
Movie: 3/5 Picture Quality: 4/5 Sound Quality: 4.5/5 Extras: 3.5/5
Version: U.S.A / Paramount / Region A, B, C
MPEG-4 AVC BD-50 / AACS / High Profile 4.1
Aspect ratio: 2. Read more
MPEG-4 AVC BD-50 / AACS / High Profile 4.1
Aspect ratio: 2. Read more
Published on 9 May 2008 by STEELBOOK_MAN
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