Beowulf and Grendel

[horacethegrey]

Just watched this on DVD, and had to share my thoughts on it. For those expecting a fantasy smackdown in the vein of LOTR, you'll be dissapointed. This is a cerebral film, a revisionist take on one of the oldest epic poems in the English language. It's more of a character study than anything else, with special focus on the motivations of Beowulf and of course, Grendel.

While there's hardly any action, when it does happen it's violent and quite gory, which I think is quite appropriate given the subject matter. Acting wise the movie does an okay job. Gerard Butler is quite decent as Beowulf, but special kudos goes to Ingvar Sigurdsson as Grendel, as he has the best part. As for the rest of the cast they do a fine job, though Sarah Polley can't do an English accent if her life depended on it.

The real reason to celebrate though, are the spectacular locations where the film was shot. The scenery makes one feel like they've been transported back to the 6th century when the poem was written. The production design also gets high marks, from the historically accurate weapons and armor that adorn the cast, to the Heogrot, which looks like a digny mead hall as it should.

All in all, it was a decent flick. And well worth a rental.

 

[Viking Bastard]

I have it sitting on my hard drive, waiting to be watched.

Ingvar Sigurdsson is a fantastic actor. Y'know, he was nearly cast as both Darth Maul and as the albino monk in The Da Vinci Code. Good at teh evil.

And well, being an Icelandic producton, we have lots of experience doing viking movies. Although they usually suck arse, they tend to look great.

Ironically, though, it's yet to be released in Iceland.

 

[horacethegrey]

Ingvar Sigurdsson is a fantastic actor. Y'know, he was nearly cast as both Darth Maul and as the albino monk in The Da Vinci Code. Good at teh evil.

Really? Well I have to admit, he does a fine job here. But the Darth Maul casting kind of threw me for a loop. Was Lucas looking to cast Maul as some hulking Sith at one point? Still, thanks for the info!

And well, being an Icelandic producton, we have lots of experience doing viking movies. Although they usually suck arse, they tend to look great.

Well, I know next to nothing of movies made in Iceland. But could you give some good examples of the aforementioned Viking flicks you mentioned? I'm taking an interest in anything relating to Norse culture as of late, whether it be comics, books or movies.

 

[Mouseferatu]

*blink*

I didn't even know this was out yet, or that it was going straight to DVD. Where did you find it?

 

[horacethegrey]

*blink*

I didn't even know this was out yet, or that it was going straight to DVD. Where did you find it?

That's for me to know, and you to find out.



*cough*pirated DVD*cough*

 

[Agamon]

Is it coming to North America? I'm not big on the whole movie download thing, but I guess I would if that's the only way to see it.

 

[Viking Bastard]

Really? Well I have to admit, he does a fine job here. But the Darth Maul casting kind of threw me for a loop. Was Lucas looking to cast Maul as some hulking Sith at one point? Still, thanks for the info!

I know he looks like a Hulk in this movie, but he's a pretty normal sized guy.

From the accounts I've heard, he had been pretty much cast as Maul, but at the last minute they decided to cut the major talking parts of the character and just use the stunt guy (that, of course, being Ray Park).

As for the Da Vinci Code, it's said that the casting director was really pimping Ingvar for Silas, but Ron Howard ultimately went with Bettany.

Well, I know next to nothing of movies made in Iceland. But could you give some good examples of the aforementioned Viking flicks you mentioned? I'm taking an interest in anything relating to Norse culture as of late, whether it be comics, books or movies.

The best is, most definately, by a far margin When the raven Flies. The director made two others viking movies (Shadow of the Raven and The White Viking) which share a setting and some characters wiithout any direct shared storyline. There is a undercurrent through all the movies of Christianity making it's way to Iceland and the culturual unstability that resulted. These semi-sequals are much inferior, but watchable, and they both look great.

Another one is The Outlaw which is an adaptation of one of the sagas (Gisli's Saga). It has very low production values, but is still very good on the strength of the saga itself and the very good actors.

Ikingut is a family movie about the friendship of a eskimo kid (Ikingut) and an Icelandic boy that takes place in the late-viking period of Iceland. I haven't seen it, but it got good reviews.

There's also a short movie made after Njáll's Saga called, well, Njáll's Saga. It only covers a fraction of the actual saga and it's actually a pilot for TV series that never got made as it was way too expensive.

There are more, but these were the only ones worth a look.

 

[Galethorn]

It's coming to Seattle on the 16th of this month, according to the movie's website, and unfortunately that's the day I'm leaving for a weekend of gaming in Bellingham.

 

[Joker]

I saw it on the big screen at a Fantastic Film Festival.

I especially liked one of the latter scenes when Grendel's mother sneaks into the mead hall, presses a few buttons on Grendel's arm, runs away and from a distance watches as the island explodes in a ball of atomic fury.

 

[horacethegrey]

I saw it on the big screen at a Fantastic Film Festival.

I especially liked one of the latter scenes when Grendel's mother sneaks into the mead hall, presses a few buttons on Grendel's arm, runs away and from a distance watches as the island explodes in a ball of atomic fury.

Really? Was she cloaked the whole time she was doing this? And afterwards did she collect Beowulf's skull and spine and mount on her trophy rack?