Product Description

In the age of heroes comes the mightiest warrior of them all Beowulf. After destroying the overpowering demon Grendel he incurs the undying wrath of the beast s ruthlessly seductive mother who will use any means possible to ensure revenge. The ensuing epic battle throughout the ages immortalizing the name Beowulf. Academy Award® winner director Robert Zemeckis tells the oldest epic tale in the English language with the most modern technology advancing the cinematic forum through the magic of digitally enhanced live action. A stellar cast is led by Ray Winstone ( The Departed Sexy Beast ) in the title role. Joining him are Academy Award® winner Anthony Hopkins as the cursed King Hrothgar John Malkovich Robin Wright Penn Brendan Gleeson Crispin Glover Alison Lohman and Oscar® Winner Angelina Jolie as Grendel s mother.System Requirements:Running Time: 114 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: SCI-FI/FANTASY/FANTASY Rating: UNRATED UPC: 097361323145 Manufacturer No: 132314

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2304 in DVD
• Brand: PARAMOUNT PICTURES
• Released on: 2008-02-26
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Color, Director's Cut, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 114 minutes

Amazon.com
Spectacular animated action scenes turn the ancient epic poem Beowulf into a modern fantasy movie, while motion-capture technology transforms plump actor Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast) into a burly Nordic warrior. When a Danish kingdom is threatened by the monster Grendel (voiced and physicalized by Crispin Glover, River's Edge), Beowulf--lured by the promise of heroic glory--comes to rescue them. He succeeds, but falls prey to the seductive power of Grendel's mother, played by Angelina Jolie... and as Jolie's pneumatically animated form rises from an underground lagoon with demon-claw high heels, it becomes clear that we're leaving the original epic far, far behind. Regrettably, the motion-capture process has made only modest improvements since The Polar Express; while the characters' eyes no longer look so flat and zombie-like, their faces remain inexpressive and movements are still wooden. As a result, the most effective sequences feature wildly animated battles and the most vivid character is Grendel, whose grotesqueness ends up making him far more sympathetic than any of the mannequin-like human beings. The meant-to-be-titillating images of a naked Jolie resemble an inflatable doll more than a living, breathing woman (or succubus, as the case may be). But the fights--particularly Grendel's initial assault on the celebration hut--pop with lushly animated gore and violence. Also featuring the CGI-muffled talents of Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs), Robin Wright Penn (The Princess Bride), and John Malkovich (Dangerous Liaisons). --Bret Fetzer

On the DVD
The process of creating Beowulf was more interesting than the movie itself--though many of the movie's fans will be disappointed that the "making-of" featurette does not include Angelina Jolie in her skin tight motion-capture suit. We do, however, get to see Ray Winstone (who admits he has a less than heroic physique), live horses bedecked with plastic dots, a "Robo-Grendel," wire props painted fluorescent pink and orange, and a poor production assistant whose job is scooping up horse poop. Other featurettes discuss the monster design (including giving a sea monster a single eye because, apparently, cyclopean creatures have mythological street cred); how excited the filmmakers were to combine Winstone's gruff voice with a preposterously burly bod; and a brief bit discussing the original epic poem, how much director Robert Zemeckis hated it, and the various liberties the screenwriters took with it. But for anyone interested in computer animation, the most interesting extra feature may be the deleted scenes. Because they were cut long before the animation was finished, they show the process at a variety of different stages--at some points the faces don't even move, making Beowulf look like a Thunderbirds-style puppet movie. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

a story long retold, but here in a great new way
This has got to be one of the best HD DVD's I own. The story of Beowulf is well known, and most high school students have read back during my time. This is a great animated version that features stars like Angelina Jolie and Anthony Hopkins. The HD Version is crisp and well worth the extra expenditure of cash. The story is very simple to follow, of a King who has brought a curse upon the Danish Kingdom, and the hero Beowulf comes to save him. However, the boisterous Beowulf gets caught up in his own image and by saving the kingdom may also bring it's demise. Can Beowulf redeem himself. It is a lesson in humility and following through. Watch the movie to see how this story is going to play out, and be amazed by the realistic graphics also.

why mess with a great story?
once again, the movie writer has taken this wonderful old story, honed for years by telling, then written down in beautiful poetry, and changed it. what arrogance! beowulf kills grendel. he then uses a sword from grendel's mother hoard to kill her. he later becomes king of his own country, the geats. he kills a dragon with the help of a young wiglof, but dies of his wounds and is cremated and buried in a barrow with the cursed dragon's gold. a super story, much beloved. so why do we have grendel's mother surviving? why add in sex and half demon children with hrothgar and beowulf? why make him king of the danes? i enjoyed this movie, i have to admit. the animation and language and music were stunning. oh, but if only they had stuck to the real story.

Well written
So many people seem to have the same issues with this movie: Not the original story, bad CGI, why does Angelina Jolie have heels. All of this is redundant. I was absolutely blown away with this movie when I saw it at the theater. I give full credit to how the writes decided to retie the story together. The opening scene was enough to keep you enticed for more. All the actors did an excellent job, especially Robin Wright Penn who I am normally not a fan of. I loved the way Grendel's mother was written. Everything about the scene between her and Beowulf made so much sense, including the fact that she was wearing heels naked (hello, seduction!). I loved how the story was meant to tie into itself. Some may never be able to accept the movie for what it was but I personally felt it was done quite well.