DVD Review: Beowulf Director's Cut
Robert Zemeckis Film Stars Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins
Mar 4, 2008
Paramount's motion-captured Beowulf was not a bad little flick. It was enjoyable to watch, and an interesting spin on the classic 9th Century poem. Scriptwriters Neil Gaiman (Coraline) and Roger Avary (Pulp Fiction) decided to have some fun with the story of the mighty Geat who kills assorted demons and dragons before dying heroically in the final scene. In the process, they linked the first and third acts, and made the story into a morality tale of hubris and lust.
Beowulf: Director's Cut DVD
A second viewing of Beowulf only confirms and magnifies the film's strengths and weaknesses, as seen in the initial screening.
The first strength is in Gaiman and Avary's script, which alters the title character from the Ur-Hero of the original poem into a braggart whose skills barely match his bravado. He also possesses a fatal flaw, one that many Alpha Males have, and one that ultimately costs Beowulf dearly.
The second strength is that Robert Zemeckis was wise enough to cast A-List talent as opposed to A-List star power. Ray Winstone (Beowulf), Sir Anthony Hopkins (Hrothgar), Crispin Glover (Grendel) and Angelina Jolie (Grendel's Mother) are heavyweight actors, and all are well-cast in their roles. Jolie especially stands out as the ultimate siren, one who ruthlessly goes after her objectives, and knows more about men's desires than they would like.
The biggest weakness, and what probably doomed the film in theatres, was the plastic nature of motion-capture. The performance capture Beowulf is a vast improvement over Zemeckis' previous flicks, 2004's The Polar Express and 2006's Monster House, but it still has a long way to go when capturing human expression. Much of the nuances within the actors' performances were lost due to the process, a terrible waste when one considers the talent involved. This was likely the main reason why Beowulf failed to make its money back at the domestic box office.
DVD Extras
Surprisingly, there is very little as far as extras go. Zemeckis failed to provide a Director's Commentary for this film, a major omission. However, there are several little featurettes that show what went into the film.
The 24-minute "A Hero's Journey: The Making of Beowulf" is a solid behind-the-scenes look at how Zemeckis captured the actors' performances, and translated them into what the audience saw onscreen. There's also a fair amount of how much, ahem, "physical modification" they did on Ray Winstone.
The 7-minute "Beasts of Burden" looks at the various monsters in Beowulf, and how they were created. The highlight here is watching Crispin Glover, a talented actor who unfortunately allowed his off-screen antics to overshadow his onscreen abilities, performing as Grendel.
"The Origins of Beowulf" is a disappointment, clocking in at a meagre 5:10. It's obvious that Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary have a lot to say about the story, and it's a shame that they didn't have more time to get into it. The biggest lesson for regular folks is that director Zemeckis didn't understand the book either.
"Creating the Ultimate Beowulf" is another disappointment since it didn't touch more on why Zemeckis selected Ray Winstone for the role. Winstone is an excellent actor, but hardly a leading man. Why did Zemeckis decide to go with him, instead of casting a handsome leading man who could act?
"Deleted Scenes" (10:09) Some interesting stuff, but nothing that should have stayed in the movie. Of course, the animation has a very unfinished feel.
"The Art of Beowulf" (5:22): An interesting look at how the visual artists put this flick together. Again, a little brief.
Final Analysis
Beowulf would have made a great live-action-plus-CGI flick. The script was there, and so was the acting talent. The only real reason for Zemeckis to go motion-capture for this flick was to alter Ray Winstone so he'd look less like a lumpy Brit and more like your typical action hero.
Despite this fatal flaw, Beowulf is a good rental. However, the Director's Cut DVD brings little to the table except a few more blood spatters and a couple more shots of a tastefully nude Angelina Jolie.
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