Review of Beowulf & Grendel (2005) by Kenny S — 10 Jan 2010

I'd never heard of this film prior to it showing up as a recommendation from Netflix. It's unusual, to be certain. A modified telling of the Beowulf & Grendel saga, it blends faithfulness to the story with creative license, and a credible effort as a serious period piece with an unusually light modernness.

The film is full of anachronisms (modern profanity, for one), and strange juxtapositions (the haunting and saucy Selma amidst the general squalor of Danish warrior living). These serve to keep the movie interesting. It carries itself with a bit of levity, considering the life and death nature of the story. The movie takes creative license in creating a backstory for Grendel that legitimizes his unhappiness with King Hrothgar and his men. This telling switches the role of hero and villain, so that Beowulf becomes a brash hired gun on behalf of a king who is getting his rightful comeuppance. Grendel is portrayed very sympathetically.

Woven into this telling of the story is the spiritual aspect of a people whose gods are being displaced by a newcomer - Jesus Christ. The movie provides an interesting depiction of how this conversion may have happened. All in all, nothing is as it seems, nothing is the way it used to be, and uncertainty and anxiousness rule the day. Grendel may pose a physical threat to the Danes, but there are metaphysical threats and misgivings aplenty to further complicate things.

The profanity in the film is out of place and unnecessary. At times the accents make the dialog incomprehensible. It's a visually impressive film, with incredible natural backdrop. The costuming seems fairly realistic, and the location for the shooting seems very, very believable. You'll find yourself shivering throughout this movie filmed in constant frigid conditions.

If you're a literary fanatic, this film will likely annoy you with the liberties it takes. If you're unfamiliar with the Beowulf story, this film will likely bore you. Action sequences are poorly choreographed and very rare. The film takes it's time building up the tension to the inevitable confrontation between Grendel and Beowulf, and then the editing is so poor that it will give you a headache watching it. The pacing could stand a jolt or two of energy, and the film never quite succeeds in conveying the inner angst that Beowulf is intended to convey in this retelling of the story.