Review of Beowulf & Grendel (2005) by Skyler W — 30 Jul 2009

Do not confuse with the Hollywood film that was released to DVD at the same time. This is a much better effort, the result of cooperation between Canadian, Icelandic, and British funding.

Ok, so it's set in Iceland presumably some centuries later than the original Danish/Swedish story. I don't care; this takes the spirit of the original saga and runs with it, yet it shows the human story below the legend. Beowulf is much more cerebral than the standard hack-and-slash hero, a thoughtful and principled warrior who through circumstance finds himself cast in the role of anti-hero: and, monstrous as Grendel is, I defy anyone not to feel some empathy for him.

This is a brutal and bloody tale, yet the earthy humour, filthy language, and tragedy stop it descending into turgid splatterfest, and give a compelling portrayal of a warrior culture.

Costumes are fantastic; scenery is simply exquisite.

This is the film that made Gerard Butler, earned him the Leonidas role in 300. Frankly I think it surpasses that movie by a wide margin. If you enjoyed the Spartan tale but found it a bit melodramatic and "up itself", then Beowulf & Grendel is a good antidote..