Beowulf is a spellbinder for the senses -- immersive, electrifying, a landmark for techno-fetishist Robert Zemeckis and his throngs of giga-nerd worker drones.
Comment
11/16/07
Beowulf (2007)
71
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:185
Fresh:131
Rotten:54
Average Rating:6.5/10
Consensus: Featuring groundbreaking animation, stunning visuals, and a talented cast, Beowulf has in spades what more faithful book adaptations forget to bring: pure cinematic entertainment.
Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
US Box Office: $82,161,969
Synopsis: Director Robert Zemeckis mines the epic Old English poem for his latest action adventure to feature performance capture animation. The medieval tale was adapted for the screen by Neil Gaiman and... [More]
Starring: Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Reviews for Beowulf
81 - 100 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
As it stands, Zemeckis's movie is only the beta version of the blockbuster of the future, ridden with imperfections that will presumably be corrected in later upgrades.
11/16/07
Until now, the story of Beowulf has been the most excruciatingly dull part of English Lit 101. But plenty of swordplay, monster-slaying and a naked Angelina Jolie turn the centuries-old poem into a bitching action movie.
11/16/07
It's more dazzle than disaster, but the technical ambitions of Beowulf work too sporadically to be completely effective, while the screenplay adaptation of the classic story suffers from serious bouts of corn poison.
11/16/07
A bloody, silly-sexy action spectacle that shamelessly attempts to justify its excess by basing its violent bombast on the epic poem.
11/16/07
I can't speak for the standard-issue version, but the souped-up extravaganza is one of those experiences that remind you of the magic that movies are capable of conjuring.
11/16/07
It's a full-fledged cinematic assault, as if a black velvet painting of Norse gods had sprung to life and begun heaving spears, arrows and geysers of blood directly at your forehead.
11/16/07
If you're going to Beowulf to experience the sweeping passions that only real eyes can convey, you're missing the point.
11/16/07
When Beowulf is in fighting mode, the film rivals 300 as the coolest videogame-like movie experience ever.
11/16/07
Not all of it works -- and not all of it works the way the target audience of jacked-up young males might want it to -- but the movie is hugely provocative fun, and I'm pretty sure that's on purpose.
11/16/07
Despite the wealth of expertise on display, there's scarcely any imagination.
11/16/07
Comic-Con geeks and cinephiles alike will gape at the resplendent imagery (but don ye specs, and see it in 3-D).
11/16/07
A dazzling, immersive and unique visual experience.
11/16/07
IMAX 3D may be a gimmick, but it's a good one, perfectly suited to a film like Beowulf.
11/16/07
The 3-D film isn't just a movie, it's a movie experience that makes you a part of its noble, frightening and fantasy-infused world.
11/16/07
The dots of Beowulf's epic exploits are connected in a way that could have, and should have, matched a tone of grand lust on display in John Boorman's "Excalibur." Instead, the movie's schoolboy snickers about sexuality torpedo the script's inventiveness.
11/16/07
The film is surprisingly thoughtful about adult relationships and human fallibility, while the eerie animation of its stars, like it or not, seems to mark an important development for the future of film.
11/16/07
There's plenty of campery, inevitable when you have Anthony Hopkins and John Malkovich in the voice cast, but for all the ham-inatronic moments, it looks terrific.
11/16/07
This technology is too expensive for the makers to waste a scene.
11/16/07
Beowulf may contain all the modern movie magic at Zemeckis’ disposal, but it plays like something Cecil B. DeMille could have churned out in his sleep ... .
11/16/07
Latest News for Beowulf
May 19, 2009:
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Big, fat flakes of white snow suddenly began tumbling down in the roasting afternoon heat of the Cannes Film Festival yesterday. It wasn't global warming. It was just Cannes.... More...
May 06, 2008:
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February 25, 2008:
RT on DVD: Beowulf, The Darjeeling Limited, Justice League Charge Onto DVD
He...is...Beowulf! Robert Zemeckis' latest CGI hero leads the charge among this week's new releases - get those pause buttons ready for Angelina's nude scene, fellas! - but... More...
January 13, 2008:
Beowulf (2007): Exclusive interstitials 
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