'Beowulf' manages heroic effort

Thursday, November 15, 2007

(Note: This review is of the 3-D IMAX version of “Beowulf,” which is not showing at all theaters. Check your local listings for details.)

It is oddly appropriate that the oldest surviving epic poem in the English language is the inspiration for the latest in motion picture technology. Director Robert Zemeckis tells the 13-century-old tale of Beowulf, the original larger-than-life Anglo-Saxon hero, by using equally larger-than-life cinematic techniques.

The performances of Angelina Jolie (Grendel’s mother), Anthony Hopkins (King Hrothgar), John Malkovich (Unferth), and Ray Winstone (Beowulf) were digitized with motion capture. It’s been three years since Zemeckis used this technology in “The Polar Express,” and in that time the animation has matured by leaps and bounds. Utilizing 3D imaging on top of motion capture makes the theatrical experience feel otherworldly. Everything in the frame (both foreground and background) is rich with color and has so much detail that the 3D absolutely immerses you. It is enough to make you forget you’re watching an animated movie—that is, until the faces start to move.

Beowulf

***

Robert Zemeckis uses motion capture technology to animate "Beowulf," the world's oldest surviving English poem. The heroic tale is tempered by a modern streak of human frailty, but the CGI still had trouble illustrating that trickiest of objects—the human face. Despite this, the 3-D imagery is amazing and enough to make "Beowulf" an engrossing theatrical experience.

Showtimes and more on Beowulf

As amazing as the look of the film is, computers still can’t replicate the movements of the human face. All the faces look like they’re made of Play-Doh, not skin. It’s especially noticeable on the women, and ends up being a constant reminder of the technology’s shortcomings. Perhaps because men’s faces are hairier it isn’t as noticeable, but some characters look like they’ve had too much plastic surgery and they can’t quite muster a convincing smile. That said, the voice acting helps bring characters to life when their facial expressions cannot.

Besides maximizing the functionality of the animation in the art direction department, Zemeckis puts the 3D aspect to stellar use in several swirling fight scenes. Swooping shots follow Beowulf as he dives into action, while other times the point-of-view becomes unhinged and melds with the audience’s perspective, enhancing the excitement. All the while, the movie keeps a consistent depth of field to trick our perception. Even though the effect is dulled slightly by the end of the two-hour running time, the 3D is put to such fantastic use that cannot imagine watching movie without it. A 2D version would probably more akin to watching a very expensive videogame.

Beowulf: Digital 3D

***

Robert Zemeckis uses motion capture technology to animate "Beowulf," the world's oldest surviving English poem. The heroic tale is tempered by a modern streak of human frailty, but the CGI still had trouble illustrating that trickiest of objects—the human face. Despite this, the 3D imagery is amazing and enough to make "Beowulf" an engrossing theatrical experience.

Showtimes and more on Beowulf: Digital 3D

The story itself suffers for having been a model for so many works already. It is strange watching a movie version of the poem that inspired “The Lord of the Rings” (J.R.R. Tolkien was a scholar of the epic narrative) after that successful trilogy and so many warrior movies before it (“Braveheart,” “Gladiator”) have borrowed from “Beowulf” so liberally. Grendel, for example, is a tragic figure, but part of his freshness as a character is gone because it is impossible to forget about the obvious similarities to Gollum. Even Beowulf’s boastful cry “I am Beowulf!” now seems like a nod to “We are Sparta!” from “300.” “Beowulf” is fighting the same uphill battle “Troy” had to fight three years ago when it adapted Homer’s “The Illiad.”

To compensate, screenwriters Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary have taken some liberties with the original text. Hubris and a constant quest for glory is as old as “The Illiad,” but they are accentuated in Beowulf. His excessive pride makes him a blowhard and his great conquering tales seem to change every time told. Beowulf’s also crippled by lust for women, and learns the price one must pay for hurting others the hard way. It’s refreshing to see human weakness in Beowulf, unlike the implausibly perfect Spartans of “300.”

The story has a circular structure revolving around temptation and the folly of man. Avary and Gaiman tackle the corrupting influence of power, something the epic story isn’t concerned about. There are even solemn references to Jesus that signal the end of a way of life. More than one Nordic soldier mocks the “Christ-God” for doing away with glory and ushering a in a new era of martyrdom.

These changes, plus a ribald sense of humor and healthy dose of unrestrained sexual innuendo, do serve the story well. But it is impossible to shake the fact that other movies have beat “Beowulf” to the theater with unmistakably similar stories. The new technology, however, has that “wow” factor that the story is missing. Though its flaws, “Beowulf” is an unforgettable theater-going experience.

Comments

lawrence.com does not necessarily agree with comments posted below - responsibility lies with the relevant user alone. Read our full policy

'Beowulf' manages heroic effort

Beowulf

Beowulf: Digital 3D

Comments

Post a comment