Topic: Beowulf Movies

[sirean_syan]

Last year Beowulf and Grendel was released in Europe and as far as I know it never really made it to the US, at least in any fashion that is somewhat easy to see. So, I managed to get ahold of it and it wasn't half bad. If you're interested in the story it's a cool little take on it.

Next year we're also getting Beowulf and Neil Gaimen's one of the writers.

It's aways interesting how stuff like this seems to come in swarms. You know? I found all this stuff after some digging when the Beowulf game was announced a couple months back and just got around to watching Beowulf and Grendel. I always thought it was a cool story even if I couldn't make it through the old English version of it.

[TheOtherBelmont]

Wasn't there a Beowulf movie with Christopher Lambert in it?

[sirean_syan]

Yeah. It was a futuristic take on the story and word was it sucked pretty hardcore.

[Quemaqua]

I'm always curious to see what Neil Gaiman is doing, but this seems like it could be a cool project regardless.  So you said you did manage to see the European released one?  How was it?

[Xessive]

The Christopher Lambert one almost had nothing to do with the Beowulf and Grendel story. It wasn't "futuristic" but it was set in medievel times well after the original poem's intended setting. For me the only real joy of the movie was Rhona Mitra, I think she's crazy sexy.

Beowulf & Grendel @ IMDb
The European one was pretty good. I thought it had a good cast too. It's odd coz I distinctly remember seeing its trailer in the cinemas here in Canada.

[Antares]

What was that one called again?  The 13th warrior?

[Xessive]

What was that one called again?  The 13th warrior?

The 13th Warrior was with Antonio Banderas. I don't think it had anything to do with Beowulf.. Although one of the characters is called Buliwyf. A pun on Beowulf maybe?

I enjoyed it too.

[Quemaqua]

That was based on a Crichton book called (I think) Eaters of the Dead, which was itself based around Beowulf and some other things, if I'm not mistaken.

[Xessive]

That was based on a Crichton book called (I think) Eaters of the Dead, which was itself based around Beowulf and some other things, if I'm not mistaken.

Oh cool!

[MysterD]

Beowulf & Grendel was okay -- decent, but at times draggy.

So, when are they doing the rest of Beowulf, where he goes home and he has his battle w/ the dragon and all....?

[Quemaqua]

So I just saw an ad for this on TV, and I've gotta' say... I'm kind of not impressed.  I'm hoping it's just not a great trailer or whatever, but it just seems like a 100% CG movie that isn't stylistic enough to make that a positive instead of a downside.  Eh.  I'll check it out just because Gaiman's involved, and maybe the movie itself is better than the look of it, but... yeah.

[MysterD]

Why is there another Beowulf movie?? Do we really need another one so soon???

I mean, we recently just had the mediocre Beowulf & Grendel movie -- which really lacked any decent kind of pacing. Was decent -- but it was nothing that good, either.

I really did like reading Beowulf for one of my College Lit classes, a few years back. Yeah, that was some good stuff, to say the least.

I don't know, but this great epic book seems to be almost impossible to capture correctly on film.

[Raisa]

*digs up old thread*

so anyone going to see this?

saw the trailer.. looks bloody.

[TheOtherBelmont]

I just got back from seeing the newest Beowulf movie, awesome stuff.  Wasn't 100% faithful to the story(mainly with Grendel's mother), but that rarely happens with literature being made into movies, it still captured a lot of the spirit of the story and was very well done.  The movie was surprisingly violent for a PG-13 movie and it made me a happy man.  Go see it.

[Quemaqua]

Really?  It was good?  Every time I see a trailer on TV all I can think is that it looks so fucking bad.  I think it looks less appealing to me every time I see anything on it.  And when he yells "I am Beowulf" I just roll my eyes and want to punch him.

[TheOtherBelmont]

And when he yells "I am Beowulf" I just roll my eyes and want to punch him.

That scene was actually really good in the movie.  I had some doubts about the movie as well, but I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was.

[ScaryTooth]

We saw it tonight, on IMAX in 3D!!!

That was amazing. I mean, the movie is sweet, but seeing it in 3D makes it 100x better. It was one of the coolest things I've seen in a while. Man, I hope 3D starts to be a little more common place in movies befitting it. It was seriously awesome.

[Pugnate]

Saw Beowulf just now. Possibly one of the worst movies I've seen in recent memory.

I am not sure how or why people are singing praise of its animation, which was just a weird and terrible mesh of bland, lifeless, and undetailed surroundings, mixed with weirdly realistic facial animations, on bodies very obviously designed in a lab, resulting in uncanny valley from hell.

The whole thing was a giant cliche in terms of narrative, but really, the movie looked like ass. I can think quite a few games that looked better than Beowulf.

The strange thing is that the movie got a lot of praise from critics and fans, which I just find inexplicable.

[scottws]

Yeah, I thought this movie sucked.  I mean it was true to the original story, but you're not kidding about the uncanny valley.

[Cobra951]

Actually, I liked it.  I saw it as good animation rather than bad photorealism.  It certainly wasn't trying to be Avatar.  I liked the story and voice performances too.