Review of Beowulf (1976) by Chris W — 29 Dec 2010

A brilliant tale, possibly the first written down fantasy story, let down by poor graphics and miscasting of Ray Winstone. Ray Winstone is a fine actor, but this part was not for him. The animation is a good idea, but instead of creating a fantastical world for the allegorical story it distracted from the tale, being flat and soulless. A more graphic novel style such as in the 300 or Sin City would have suited the tale better. All other cast members were aptly cast, so one wonders why Ray Winstone was chosen for the role of Beowulf-Stellan Skarsgaard or Daniel Craig would have been more apt and the film would have benefited from such casting.

However, that aside, Beowulf is beautifully filmed and engaging from start to finish. Grendel and his mother worked well together, and I liked the original language being used for their conversations. A film worth seeing more than once, despite its flaws.