Day 214 - 8/2/09 - Movie #210
BEFORE: This is the all-CGI version from a year or two ago. There are classic storylines, then there are classic STORIES. In fact, this is based on one of the first stories ever, it's only like 1,000 years old! For once I don't have to worry about giving away plot details as the plot is just - man fights monster, right?
THE PLOT: The warrior Beowulf must fight and defeat the monster Grendel who is terrorizing towns, and later, Grendel's mother, who begins killing out of revenge.
AFTER: Not only one of the first stories, one of the first examples of three-act plot structure, based on Beowulf's three battles - vs. Grendel, Grendel's mother, and then later in life, a dragon. But there's a twist here which is sort of soap-opera like, and adds a whole new dimension to the fight with the dragon.
I noticed that Neil Gaiman co-wrote the screenplay - I'm very curious now to find out about the deviations from the original Beowulf storyline, and whose idea they were. Of course, classic stories change over time, and reflect the times in which they're told - one example of this is having Grendel's mother appear not as a monstrous beast, but as a hot, naked, Angelina Jolie, covered in liquid gold. Well, do you think that when the devil appears to you, it's going to look like a horrible dragon, or a beast with horns and a spiked tail? No, that's not how the devil works - the devil will appear to you in a very seductive form, like a hot, naked Angelina Jolie, covered in liquid gold!
In the first part of the story, as the kingdom is being attacked by Grendel, we come to suspect that there might be more to King Hrothgar's story than he's let on - what's his connection to Grendel, and for that matter, Grendel's mother? Why is the beast attacking the kingdom, anyway? None of this matters to Beowulf, of course - he came to town to slay monsters and drink mead, and he's all out of mead...
Beowulf prefers a fair fight - Grendel doesn't have a sword, so he can't use one. Grendel doesn't wear clothing, so Beowulf strips down. This sets up a great fight sequence - you can see Beowulf holding back while he studies the way that Grendel kills his men. He's learning his opponent's strengths and weaknesses, and figuring out a way to defeat him! In addition to showing monster-fighting in the buff, the movie is filled with phallic references - when he encounters the hot nakedness of Grendel's mother, she literally melts his sword. And later when fighting the dragon, Beowulf's sword is just a few inches too short - does he have something to prove, or what?
The CGI animation is slightly better than what was seen in "Shrek 3" - but the action is a non-stop thrill ride, with the best dragon-battle sequence I've seen all week...
RATING: 7 out of 10 serving-wenches
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
The movie is full of gore, nudity, epic music, great acting and marvellous effects. Unfortunately, the plot development, several flaws and two actors are pulling it down.But still i will say, this movie is nicely presented and the story is amazing. So here you are with the link to this movie.. Click here to see
ReplyDelete