THE STORY: Out of allegiance to the King Hrothgar, the much respected Lord of the Danes, Beowulf leads a troop of warriors across the sea to rid a village of the marauding monster. The monster, Grendel, is not a creature of mythic powers, but one of flesh and blood – immense flesh and raging blood, driven by a vengeance from being wronged, while Beowulf, a victorious soldier in his own right, has become increasingly troubled by the hero-myth rising up around his exploits.
THE REVIEW: Beowulf & Grendel comes from an ancient poem crafted in medieval times and was recreated a few years ago which brought this ancient poem into modern times. Beowulf & Grendel is a grand epic adventure which has found its way to film and there is nothing more exciting than an epic adventure in medieval times with monsters and sword fighting.
The difference between Beowulf & Grendel and Lord of the Rings are the effects. Beowulf & Grendel doesn’t have the budget for huge special effects or fantastic makeup. It is possible to overlook the less than stellar effects because the story is rich and engaging. The landscape is breathtaking and compares well to Lord of the Rings—but it lacks the movie magic.
THE EXTRAS: The featurette “Wrath Of Gods” is a mini documentary that is a look at the production of Beowulf & Grendel. It’s interesting to learn about the struggles of making the film. The audio commentary by Director Sturla Gunnarsson and by Screenwriter Andrew Rai Berzins offers interesting insight into filming in Iceland and behind the scenes information. There are also interviews with the cast and it’s a nice featurette. Finally, there are deleted scenes and a look at the costumes, storyboards, stills and more!
FRANKLY: Ultimately what really hurts Beowulf & Grendel is the poor makeup and special effects. We are far to used to movies with realistic special effects and makeup that is impossible to tell the difference between fiction and reality. Beowulf & Grendel makes it hard to truly get caught up in the story because most monsters look like people wearing bad Halloween masks. The story itself is highly entertaining and were it given a larger budget, Beowulf & Grendel has all the potential in the world to be a great epic adventure.
+ Charlie Craine
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