Beowulf (2007)
Country: US
Technical: col/scope/IMAX 1.44:1 115m
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Robin Wright, Anthony Hopkins, Ray Winstone, John Malkovich, Brendan Gleeson, Alison Lohman, Angelina Jolie
Synopsis:
In the sixth century the kingdom of Hrothgar is terrorised by a giant goblin, result of his own union with a witch years before. In desperation he sends out bans for a hero to come and save his people by killing the fiend, and Beowulf crosses the water with his Thanes in answer to the call.
Review:
The motion capture animation technique Zemeckis used in The Polar Express here gives life to the unfilmable landscapes and deeds of the dark ages, with breathtaking pictorial results. It is true that the process somewhat limits the range of the actors' performances facially: though their voices are unmistakable, their features are commodified into a smoothed-over blandness resembling the comic strip. However, one grows quickly accustomed to this and the compensations of seeing Jolie cavorting naked in and out of ponds are undeniable. The music too is finely judged, as is the design of the settings and soundscapes, and the makers curiously appear to have retained the original Anglo Saxon for Grendel's speech.
Country: US
Technical: col/scope/IMAX 1.44:1 115m
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Robin Wright, Anthony Hopkins, Ray Winstone, John Malkovich, Brendan Gleeson, Alison Lohman, Angelina Jolie
Synopsis:
In the sixth century the kingdom of Hrothgar is terrorised by a giant goblin, result of his own union with a witch years before. In desperation he sends out bans for a hero to come and save his people by killing the fiend, and Beowulf crosses the water with his Thanes in answer to the call.
Review:
The motion capture animation technique Zemeckis used in The Polar Express here gives life to the unfilmable landscapes and deeds of the dark ages, with breathtaking pictorial results. It is true that the process somewhat limits the range of the actors' performances facially: though their voices are unmistakable, their features are commodified into a smoothed-over blandness resembling the comic strip. However, one grows quickly accustomed to this and the compensations of seeing Jolie cavorting naked in and out of ponds are undeniable. The music too is finely judged, as is the design of the settings and soundscapes, and the makers curiously appear to have retained the original Anglo Saxon for Grendel's speech.
Country: US
Technical: col/scope/IMAX 1.44:1 115m
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Robin Wright, Anthony Hopkins, Ray Winstone, John Malkovich, Brendan Gleeson, Alison Lohman, Angelina Jolie
Synopsis:
In the sixth century the kingdom of Hrothgar is terrorised by a giant goblin, result of his own union with a witch years before. In desperation he sends out bans for a hero to come and save his people by killing the fiend, and Beowulf crosses the water with his Thanes in answer to the call.
Review:
The motion capture animation technique Zemeckis used in The Polar Express here gives life to the unfilmable landscapes and deeds of the dark ages, with breathtaking pictorial results. It is true that the process somewhat limits the range of the actors' performances facially: though their voices are unmistakable, their features are commodified into a smoothed-over blandness resembling the comic strip. However, one grows quickly accustomed to this and the compensations of seeing Jolie cavorting naked in and out of ponds are undeniable. The music too is finely judged, as is the design of the settings and soundscapes, and the makers curiously appear to have retained the original Anglo Saxon for Grendel's speech.