Loading ... At the heart of this take on the epic are the bookended battles fought by the Geat warrior Beowulf (Ray Winstone), the first against Grendel (and his mother), the second against a dragon. Beowulf visits the Danish kingdom, where he eyeballs the queen (Robin Wright Penn) and promises to fight Grendel for the king (Anthony Hopkins). In between intimations of court intrigue, the rest of the characters do what they almost always do in movies set in Ancient Times, namely grunt, shout and eat with their mouths open. Eventually Grendel crashes the party, and Beowulf leads the charge, bouncing off beast and walls completely naked, his genitals hidden by convenient obstructions. Their epic clash forges the timeless legend of Beowulf.
Groundbreaking director Robert Zemeckis offers a unique vision of the Beowulf saga in a way that it has never been told before. “Beowulf” stars RAY WINSTONE in the title role and ANTHONY HOPKINS as the corrupt King Hrothgar, as well as JOHN MALKOVICH, ROBIN WRIGHT PENN, BRENDAN GLEESON, CRISPIN GLOVER, ALISON LOHMAN and ANGELINA JOLIE as Grendel’s mother.
Neil Gaiman (the graphic novel “Mirrormask,” “Sandman”) & Roger Avary (“Pulp Fiction”) have adapted the legend to the screen.
I believe this is an interesting combination, getting all the famous actors and their voices and making an animated movie with them looking as they do in real life. I really enjoyed this movie from beginning to end. This is how a legend should be told from beginning to end. The only thing that was a bit off was the fluidity of the animation, which I guess will improve with technology in time. I give this film a 4 1/2 out of 5, great for a collection so enjoy.
