The translation of literature to film is nothing unordinary in the movie world. Some novel-based films are conceived before the book itself has been distributed to the public. It is strange to think that Beowulf, an Old English epic poem dating back to around 700 A.D., took so long to make it to the big screen. Though its faithfulness to the poem may be questionable, many moviegoers and English majors are anxious to see how Beowulf turns out.
For those of you unfamiliar with the story, Beowulf (Ray Winstone), a notable Swedish warrior, is asked by his Danish neighbors to bring them relief in a time of danger. It seems that the mead hall in town is under the constant attack and scrutiny of the monster known as Grendel (Crispin Glover). Undertaking the journey, Beowulf soon finds that his opposition also includes Grendel's seductive mother (Angelina Jolie). Beowulf realizes that he must enter the mother's cave, a place of great peril, which no warrior has ever returned from, in order to bring peace to the town. On top of all of this, he receives word that his homeland is being attacked by a ferocious dragon. It ain't easy being heroic.
Though there have been a handful of Beowulf-related productions released straight to video over the past decade, Robert Zemeckis' film is the first one to garner any sort of anticipation. Capturing the movements of the actors on a live motion stage, Zemeckis utilized the same type of computer-generated imagery that he used to bring The Polar Express to life. The script, written by Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman in 1997, was kicked around between a number of directors and producers until Zemeckis agreed to direct it in 2005. Hopefully, the director will be able to recapture the sort of movie magic that he once gave audiences with the Back to the Future trilogy and Forrest Gump.
2008 Woodie Awards
