When I rented this movie, I expected an excellent retelling of the story of Beowulf, instead I was greeted by a horrendously rewritten tale.
To its credit, the costuming was excellent, and the lack of CGI effects was refreshing. The scope of the shots in the film was breathtaking and wondrous. Then it all falls apart.
The people who made this film decided to dress it up; they added a Celtic (irish?) priest, who proceeded to convert the majority of the locals to Christianity. They created a back story for why Grendel was attacking Hothgar's keep. They ignored his mother, reducing her to the role of 'sea hag' who sprouts up now and again. To give it sex appeal they added a witch (who used to be a whore, and is the only person in the film who doesn't even attempt an accent) so that Beowulf can consult her and eventually fall prey to her charms. Grendel is little more than a violent, semi-retarded man-child, and is portrayed as being merely, mis-understood, rather than as a music and revelry hating monster. Then, as a final 'screw you' to anyone who's read the story, they have Grendel awkwardly rape the witch they added, then she bears their child, who sees Beowulf kill the sea hag and challenges him and watches him sail away etc... etc...
The entire goal of the filmmakers here seems to have been that they wanted to tell the story that inspired the story Beowulf, but decided that the story wasn't good enough to stand on its own after centuries. The unfortunate result of which is that people who have not read or even bothered to look up the original will think that this travesty accurately portrays the original story. I feel truly sorry for those people.
To its credit, the costuming was excellent, and the lack of CGI effects was refreshing. The scope of the shots in the film was breathtaking and wondrous. Then it all falls apart.
The people who made this film decided to dress it up; they added a Celtic (irish?) priest, who proceeded to convert the majority of the locals to Christianity. They created a back story for why Grendel was attacking Hothgar's keep. They ignored his mother, reducing her to the role of 'sea hag' who sprouts up now and again. To give it sex appeal they added a witch (who used to be a whore, and is the only person in the film who doesn't even attempt an accent) so that Beowulf can consult her and eventually fall prey to her charms. Grendel is little more than a violent, semi-retarded man-child, and is portrayed as being merely, mis-understood, rather than as a music and revelry hating monster. Then, as a final 'screw you' to anyone who's read the story, they have Grendel awkwardly rape the witch they added, then she bears their child, who sees Beowulf kill the sea hag and challenges him and watches him sail away etc... etc...
The entire goal of the filmmakers here seems to have been that they wanted to tell the story that inspired the story Beowulf, but decided that the story wasn't good enough to stand on its own after centuries. The unfortunate result of which is that people who have not read or even bothered to look up the original will think that this travesty accurately portrays the original story. I feel truly sorry for those people.