Beowulf

[HeavenShallBurn]

This thread seems to have lost its way.

Apologies
Seen the movie, in 2d. Have to say that the cgi was damned good. Still haven't closed the gap it was clearly identifiable as cg but it was some of the most detailed and well-rendered cg I've ever seen. Plot was interesting held attention, action was top notch. Now the changes in the story weren't exactly what I would've preferred and I think that they somewhat belittled Beowulf toward the beginning with implications that his boasts were idle. But a good solid movie and the end certainly made up for the beginning.

 

[Mistwell]

For those who keep calling this movie a CGI movie, and not an animated move, why?

They used motion capture. So did the movie Happy Feet, which took home the Academy Aware for best animated movie. AMPAS just defined that Beowulf qualified for best Animated feature Film consideration for this years Academy Awards. So how is Beowulf not an animated film?

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

For those who keep calling this movie a CGI movie, and not an animated move, why?

Because the animation was computer generated rather than hand-drawn. Happy Feet? animated yes, but animated by computers and thus CGI same as Toy Story or Shrek or Monsters Inc.

 

[The Lost Muse]

Now the changes in the story weren't exactly what I would've preferred and I think that they somewhat belittled Beowulf toward the beginning with implications that his boasts were idle. But a good solid movie and the end certainly made up for the beginning.

In order to become a (capital H) Hero, Beowulf MUST make a heroic boast. As Grendel had already killed several henchmen of Hrothgar, a single man claiming he could vanquish the beast without weapons or armor (haven't seen the movie, going from my rememberances of 2nd year english lit.) certainly wouldn't have been credible, especially given that Beowulf had not yet begun to spread his fame.

Now, if he had made this boast after swimming several hundred miles, and singlehandedly defeating the entire army of Swedes, then maybe they would have paid more respect.

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

In order to become a (capital H) Hero, Beowulf MUST make a heroic boast. As Grendel had already killed several henchmen of Hrothgar, a single man claiming he could vanquish the beast without weapons or armor (haven't seen the movie, going from my rememberances of 2nd year english lit.) certainly wouldn't have been credible, especially given that Beowulf had not yet begun to spread his fame.

My problem wasn't the boast itself it was the snide comments on the side from his own men. In the version I read which was a Middle English translation at the very least his own men reacted as though his statement of encountering sea monsters during the swimming contest was bald fact and supported it. Whereas in the movie several of them make snide discrediting remarks to each other about it even as Unferth attempted to discredit their leader.

 

[shilsen]

My problem wasn't the boast itself it was the snide comments on the side from his own men. In the version I read which was a Middle English translation at the very least his own men reacted as though his statement of encountering sea monsters during the swimming contest was bald fact and supported it. Whereas in the movie several of them make snide discrediting remarks to each other about it even as Unferth attempted to discredit their leader.

Well, the movie - at least to me - was consistent in setting Beowulf up as both a hero and also a bit of a braggart and a liar. He fabricates some things about the fight with the sea serpents just as he does about the meeting with Grendel's mother (and about the fight with Grendel too). So that change matched the rest of the movie.

Yes, that's not the same as in the epic, but I wasn't expecting to see the epic when I went to the theater. As someone who's read it multiple times and taught it too, I think it's a great story and text, but linking the stories of Grendel, Grendel's mother and the dragon into one (which the epic doesn't) actually works better in the movie. And one of the links is Beowulf as a hero, but also a braggart and liar, who eventually attains knowledge and achieves true heroism.

 

[Blackrat]

I saw this yesterday and I got to say I was a bit disappointed about the CGI. It was good but the hype in here got me waiting for something super. The CGI wasn't any better than in Final Fantasy: the spirit within, which was made completely in CGI and the Advent Children was way better. Also the pseudo-danish-accent that few of the actors used was a bit disturbing but at least the one who played Queen Wealtheow did it quite well. Overall I found it to be a great movie, just not as great I hoped for .

 

[Asmor]

I saw this yesterday and I got to say I was a bit disappointed about the CGI. It was good but the hype in here got me waiting for something super. The CGI wasn't any better than in Final Fantasy: the spirit within, which was made completely in CGI and the Advent Children was way better. Also the pseudo-danish-accent that few of the actors used was a bit disturbing but at least the one who played Queen Wealtheow did it quite well. Overall I found it to be a great movie, just not as great I hoped for .

Please excuse me for saying this, but are you daft? I've never seen Advent Children, but I enjoyed Spirits Within quite a bit when it came out, and at the time the CGI was incredible. However, it was still obviously CGI (particularly in the case of the characters). In Beowulf, I stand by my statement that the characters looked photo realistic and many of them were indistinguishable from a real actor, except possibly by their movement.

 

[Darth Shoju]

Please excuse me for saying this, but are you daft? I've never seen Advent Children, but I enjoyed Spirits Within quite a bit when it came out, and at the time the CGI was incredible. However, it was still obviously CGI (particularly in the case of the characters). In Beowulf, I stand by my statement that the characters looked photo realistic and many of them were indistinguishable from a real actor, except possibly by their movement.

I watched Advent Children last month and I would disagree with any claim to it looking better than Beowulf. It was well-animated, but there are definite rough spots.

 

[Orius]

*resurrect*

I saw it on DVD and I was impressed. It was ridiculously over the top, like the sea monster scene (anyone stat those up yet? ), the overdone CG nudity (complete with well-placed sword hilts and the like), all the boasting, bragging, and bawdiness. IOW, the sort of stuff that should inspire a gread D&D campaign.

I will say that the end of the movie was great. That's one of the best dragons Hollywood has ever produced, and the whole fight with the dragon and even Wiglaf running across the burning bridge rocked.

The CG was definitely impressive, though some of the faces seemed a bit flat, especially in the cheeks.