Review of Beowulf & Grendel (2005) by Miles C — 20 Mar 2008
This is for people who know the poem. While some elements differ and some differ quite a bit the essence of the story is very much alive in this retelling.
Most of the reviews trashing this film say it's low budget or hard to understand... these people A) do not understand the original poem past a 9th Grade english reading and B) likely don't know much about european film, much less nordic film.
The film requires a LOT from it's audience. It leave a lot to facial expressions and uses the setting as a character. Unlike an American film where the audience is walked from point A to B, this film sets you on the shoulder of the main character. This means while we may see point B, Beowulf might miss it entirely and unlike an American film, the main character is largely imperfect. This often means while we may realize something as audience, the film doesn't deal with it because Beowulf doesn't deal with it. We have to deal with it external to the film.
This review of Beowulf & Grendel (2005) was written by Miles C on 20 Mar 2008.
Beowulf & Grendel has generally received mixed reviews.
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