Beowulf

Sure, if Zemeckis had conceived of it as a feature film, he would have saved himself a lot of work and money, but he chose a more thorny path because he has always been Mr. Playful and I admire people like him. So I won't bemoan the fact that the young queen of Wealhthéow looks very stupid with her deadpan expression (to the point of being an eyesore), that the movements of the galloping horses lack their natural grace, and that the representation of emotions in the human face through pixels leaves a lot to be desired. After all, this is an animated film, why analyse every twitch of a facial muscle? Besides, Beowulf is mainly adorned with other things: a story that draws you in and doesn't let go, a compelling mythology, lots of blood, as well as heroic, even poetic music, when Wealthéow plays his lute. And what’s more important, the cluster of pixels managed to evoke the atmosphere of the cold Nordic lands, no matter what anyone says. Once upon a time, years ago, I admired the amazing animated intro and the cut scenes on the legendary game “Diablo 2”, which the guys from Blizzard have always mastered perfectly, and dreamed how interesting and daring it would be to make a whole movie in this spirit. Zemeckis came out with something like that and he made me happy. (04/20/2008)

Beowulf is visually stunning in all respects, with great music by Alan Silvestri, whether spectacular or dark, in Angelina Jolie’s cave. Also, the atmosphere of the film is so thick that it could be cut with a knife and the violence, sex and the overall maturity of the film are major pluses. These aspects make Beowulf an original and much livelier animated movie than the childish Polar Express. But there is one big but... these digital pictures just don’t have heart, no matter how hard they try. And at the moments when there is no Anthony Hopkins, Angelina or some monster, there’s nothing to watch. If Robert Zemeckis mastered the heart of digital animation, he might make better movies than Pixar. But he still has a lot to learn. (01/07/2008)

A naively simple story with a classic narrative that relies solely on its breathtaking visuals. Fortunately, they work, and although there will certainly be naysayers who claim that “it’s not proper”, technology is once again a step further, and perfection is only a little – or rather a few years – away. Zemeckis may not be a very skillful director, but he is not afraid to experiment, pursue his own vision, and play with the material. And even though this banal bloody fairytale is easily forgettable due to its flat plot, the heroic music and captivating visuals won't fade from memory so easily. The question then remains, to what extent is this a relevant “film” argument. (07/26/2008)

In terms of the script, Beowulf is surprisingly a very atypical and bold piece of work that is strangely unfocused (100% Gaiman's work) and enriches the heroic epic with the theme of bravado in the face of the awareness of one's own vulnerability. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean it's a well-written screenplay. Avary and Gaiman were dealt a "go wild!" card by Zemeckis during rewrites, saying that if a minute of film was going to cost a mega, let it be seen. Yet they failed to get two thirds of the film out of one pub and instead demonstrate their screenwriting freedom through one-liners like "My mighty lust limb can transport you to paradise, to ectasy, and back". A certain deliberate woodenness and naivety inherent in the myths, then, is the sort of thing that perhaps a classic filmstrip wouldn't pull off as well as a full-CGI one, which we naturally tend to see as a kind of stylization, though Zemeckis doesn't attempt much of one. Then again, the problem (see my review of The Polar Express) is that digital technology will always age rapidly, and today Beowulf already looks worse than interactive titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 or Witcher 3. (06/17/2021)

Effort is good and it definitely counts, but the fact that it is a 3D animated film where the characters look quite realistic is not a factor that would really throw me off. I remember not liking it even in the cinema, and after watching it a second time, I can only confirm this. There are great action scenes, but they don't redeem it overall. (03/11/2015)