Pace Paw Print

Media Credit: toxicshock.tv The poem many students were forced to read in High School is now a movie.

Beowulf is an awesomely unique movie that doesn't come along often. The movie stars Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie, Robin Wright Penn, and John Malkovich.

The movie is completely Computer Generated Image (CGI), meaning that there are no real people in it at all. But this isn't a bad thing. By using CGI, it gives actors freedom to really get into their roles better and to make them believable. Also it gives every thing a kind of sameness when watching the movie. When watching the movie, you're not solely focused on the cool effects, but more focused on the actors on the screen because of all of the effects.

The story of Beowulf starts off with the monster Grendel crashing King Hrothgar (Hopkins) party, killing many people but leaving the King to live. The King then calls for any man to kill this monster and offers half of his gold; the man that answers is none other than Beowulf.

Ray Winstone (Departed, King Arthur) gives and excellent performance as Beowulf in this movie. His voice is very unique and it embodies that of the character. We are introduced to Beowulf as an ego driven man who is out there to make a name for him self. He is a man that will take any challenge, no matter what the cost, as long as it proves he is better. Winstone pulls this performance off very well; no beat is skipped from every insult to every war cry.

But what makes Winstone's performance great is the transition when Beowulf becomes king. As King, Beowulf is no longer ego-driven, but a man that is waiting for his death because he knows that his mistakes will come back to stab him in the back.

The music is great in this movie, the score that plays in the throughout comes in at the right times and intensifies the scenes so much more. One theme in particular is that of the main theme of Beowulf, during the fighting scene you become so amped to see what Beowulf is going to do next. Another part that stuck out in the movie was the song that was sung by Penn (Forest Gump, Unbreakable). Her singing made you feel like you were actually in their world.

The sound in this movie is very well executed. From the screams of the characters to the creak of a tree, every sound is amplified. One sound choice I found to be remarkable was the way Grendel heard sounds. At first you can hear the low hum of people off in the distance, then all of a sudden the noise becomes unbearable to hear and Grendel pops up screaming.

Director Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, The Polar Express) brings us another great imaginary tale of heroes and monsters. His directing in this film is superb; with the angles he brings to each character giving them a depth that makes you forget they are just some animated puppets on the screen.

One thing that he delivers is the sheer awesomeness of Beowulf. Zemeckis shows Beowulf as the man of men, he doesn't run from anything, which is awesome because no other movie does this anymore, now in days the hero has to show his weak side. But not Beowulf.

Zemeckis does a great job of blending the monster into the world. Zemeckis gives the monster enough breathing room to feel that you can believe that such creatures exist in this world that everything goes hand in hand with one another. Zemeckis does a great job with the action sequences, building them up so that you are anxious to see what unfolds. Just like that of a rollercoaster, you are left at the edge of your seat.

For those that read the Old English version, they are not going to be happy with this adaptation of the poem. There is a major difference from the poem and the movie, but if explained what the difference is, this would ruin the movie. But this is good news because those who read the poem can enjoy a completely new experience and not know what to expect when watching the film.

This movie is rated PG-13 but ask anyone that watched the movie will tell you that this movie seems like a rated R film. The film contains a lot of blood, gore and nudity (yes, Angelina Jolie is in the buck) but this makes the film that much better because it just sucks you into the raw and gritty universe of the characters that much more.

The IMAX 3D experience was phenomenal to say the least. From the opening credits you are in awe of how the 3D looks when the letters BEOWULF pop out at you in the theater. The 3D really does have an affect on the viewer; it gives you more of a sense that you are in their world. There are even times in the movie where you will jump because of the things coming at you from the screen. But like all 3D movies. they do have some gimmicks in the film like coins thrown at the screen or a spear pointing at you. There are times where the 3D just makes your eyes hurt. One example of this was the fights with Grendel. The scene flashes like a strobe light and it just gives you a headache to keep watching. But it's been a long time that a good movie has used 3D and this is defiantly one of them. If you are going to watch this movie, watch it in 3D; I doubt that there will be a good movie like this to do this for a while.

Bottom Line: a movie like this doesn't come around often, and should be watched when it does. Want a good movie and something different to see, this is your movie. A

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