Beowulf

[ROC]

So I saw it last night in IMAX 3D and well, it disappointed; quite a bit, actually. I don't know, I don't think that Avary and Gaiman did a very good job with the story, especially since they started writing it 10 years ago. Visually, in IMAX 3D, it's amazing but the story is shit. I apologize to JP Sousa because he was right about it for the most part. The pacing of the movie was pretty off as well.

Regardless though, people should see the movie but only in 3D because it truly is awesome visually; they just didn't bother putting together a fluid story.

[Sousa]

I apologize to JP Sousa because he was right about it for the most part.

I usually am.

To be fair, though, I had seen just as much of it as you had before (mainly, the commercials), so either of our observations were perfectly viable at the time. Plus I don't get into a lot of the 300-esque over-the-top heavy-metal sword-and-sandals (or... furs, I guess, in this case) movies. God, did I try with 300, but it did nothing for me.

Zemeckis is an interesting case in this flick. It's interesting, because prior to Polar Express, the guy's resume was damn near perfect beyond one ill-advised Marty McFly Western. But I think his fascination with CGI is misguided, since the most convincing and interesting computer-generated character he's pulled off was that giant bright blue shark in Back to the Future II.

[NobBe Nobbs]

the guy's resume was damn near perfect beyond one ill-advised Marty McFly Western.

[ROC]

I think Zemeckis is good, but his career has mainly been helped by casting. I'll give him credit for seeing Michael J. Fox as more than a sitcom guy and ditto Tom Hanks as light comedy guy (although, I guess Jonathan Demme realized that a bit sooner). I also never got into any of Zemeckis's stuff past Forrest Gump (though Cast Away had a good Hanks performance).

[GhostMachine]

Some people at another board I go to were planning to go see it only because of the Cloverfield trailer being shown before it.

I guess some people just have more money than they do sense or patience....

And I have a horrible feeling that Cloverfield is going to totally suck.

[tenaciousg]

I'm hoping that Cloverfield is what Best Week Ever described it as - a giant lizard with a top hat and monocle, with a bad British accent.

"I say, I'm going to destroy your city!"

[LexChaney]

I'm going to the cinema on Friday to watch this film, but from what I have seen it looks freakin awesome and I can't wait to go and watch it.

[Farmer Reil]

Meh, I was unimpressed. Some bits were cool, but the CGI just seemed completely unnecessary, and in parts the CGI was frankly shocking. Most scenes with Queen Wealthow in them looked like they'd been FRAPSed from Oblivion ffs. It would've been a good 300-style hack and slash, but the hacking and slashing was interrupted by storyline elements (too many of which were completely changed from the original poem) that were slower than a tectonic plate, and horribly acted out. I was bored for really long periods.

I think I'd rather watch Dragonheart. Looped. For a week. That's how bad it was.

On the plus side, it had a really cool Dragon (although one does wonder how evolution managed to miss the huge glaring weak spot, and indeed how the dragon managed to survive that long in the wild with it ).

So yeah, probably worth a rental for a light-hearted action film if you're bored. But if you like the story of Beowulf, and are looking for a good fantasy film, avoid it.

It might've been slightly better without all the CGI...

Edit: I didn't see it in 3D, maybe that would've made it not so.. shit.

Edited November 22, 2007 by Farmer Reil

[RPS]

I'm pretty sure if I saw it in a 3D theatre, I would have thought it was pretty good.

But seeing in a non-3D theatre meant it was really a wasted experience.

[apsham]

I hear that Waterson is the narrator... that is the only bonus that I see here.

[LexChaney]

The film was really slow to get going and I wasn't all that impressed at the start of it, but once it got going I seemed to get into it a bit but the plot wasn't all that great.