OK, so being a big fan of historical epics, war/adventure films, and Dark Age legends in general, I went to see the new chest-beating testosterone fest, Beowulf, this weekend...and in 3D no less.
Not my first 3D experience recently - we had just seen Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D on Halloween night, and it was pretty cool. But as far as this film, I went into it thinking I'd check my brain at the door, and just enjoy the ride. I have to admit though, once I got used to the hybrid animation, poor accents, and seemingly cheesy hero-talk, I found myself completely engrossed. It was an entertaining telling of a familiar story, and I had a great time.
So good, in fact, that I immediately re-read the original epic poem the next morning - over dark coffee and an almond croissant (a most heroic breakfast, if I've ever heard of one). Needless to say, I enjoyed Beowulf a whole lot more the 2nd time around, which was not surprising considering I hadn't cracked the cover since I read it in Mr. Hodermarsky's high school English class. Not only was I awed by the stunning beauty of the text, but also by the complex layering, allusions, repetition, and many textural themes of the story, interlaced with other heroic and tragic legends (that would have been familiar to the original audience). It made me want to be there at the moment of its first telling, when such verses may have been composed on the spot, and recited aloud by the skilled bards of the day. In fact, this oral composition tradition reinforces for me just how much we underestimate our ancestors, and their vast creative powers. It is easy to imagine the extreme emotions a performance like Beowulf must have stirred within the hearts of its listeners, literally a thousand (or more) years ago. And those over-the-top, heroic speeches that Hollywood writers like to pepper the movies with - the ones we proud pseudo-intelligentsia like to snicker at - actually have their roots in a rather ancient art form, which remains quite effective today (whether we want to admit it to ourselves or not). Everyone enjoys a little inspiration in their life. Alas, Beowulf has enough inspiration to fill any movie.
Yet, before I immerse my head too deeply into the mists of time here, the point I want to make is that, whether or not you can stand an extra helping of fromage in your films, even the silliest of epics translated to the Big Screen can still inspire you to go back to the original art forms...and that's worth the price of admission.
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3 comments:
I'm really surprised you liked this one - the preview didn't look promising, and the animation seemed distracting!
It was a bit distracting at first, but the 3D grows on you, and pretty soon you've suspended your disbelief and settled into the ride. As far as other distractions, I'd say a major distraction was La Jolie's completely nude (animated) body rising from the water - complete with demon high heels, which elicited a chuckle here. She does play a rather good seductress, and I enjoyed the way the original plot was twisted to accomodate this. On the downside, Jolie used the same accent in this movie as she did in Alexander, which, if you're familiar with that film, seemed out of place there too. There's a sexual theme in this film that goes completely above and beyond anything implied in the poem. Does it work? Well...I didn't mind - it was meant to be entertainment, not great literature.
have you ever listened to an audiobook beowulf?
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