On Hi Def: Beowulf

 

 

Directed By Robert Zemeckis

Starring Ray Winstone, Angelina Jolie

 

HD-DVD may be the official loser in the hi def war but there are still some remaining shots left to fire.  If you want this movie in hi def, at least for now the only way to get it is on HD-DVD.

 

The Movie

 

I'm sure you've heard the story of Beowulf before.  If not, the mythological story is actually based on a poem about a man who travels the lands and defeats evil on an epic level, the first Superman if you will.  In this modern version of the story Beowulf is made more human if you will with a corruptible mind and an overbearing ego.  He talks a big game, and for the most part he's able to back up what he says.  But like most modern men he is weak to the opposite sex, even if she is as evil as she is beautiful.

 

Beowulf is brought to a small kingdom where he is asked to dispatch Grendel, a monster that attacks the town's people at night killing them and eating them.  Grendel is given depth here to, partly by the modern script from Roger Avery and Neil Gaimen but also by actor Crispin Glover who adds character to a visual that could easily disappear into generic villain territory.  The thing that makes this story work is the focus placed on Beowulf's weakness, showing that he is truly a flawed man.  That weakness comes in the form of Grendel's mother (Angelina Jolie) who wants revenge on Beowulf for his attack on her son.  The process she goes through to get that revenge and the outcome of it make this film rise above just another animated adventure.

 

Don't misunderstand me though; this isn't some intellectual period film done with animation, it's just a smartly done campy action film.  It's Clash of the Titans with more attention paid to character and thematic elements.  It's modern, and classic in style at the same time.  Not only do we have classic themes of consequences paid based on moral dilemma but we also have an additional more modern theme running through the film about the importance of storytelling.  It's over the top action in the way that the old Hercules movies were but it's just a bit deeper adding some layers that make the film worth multiple viewings.

 

I can't cover this film without mentioning the innovative way in which the film was made.  I can't say I believe the film was an absolute success when it comes to the motion capture and the CGI. but I can say it's an incredible step forward and that it'll be remembered as the base for amazing things to come.  The actors all performed their parts on a green screen stage in motion capture jumpsuits.  In post their characters were modeled in CG using the real faces including the most minuet of expressions, and body language.  These animated characters are truly virtual versions of the real actors that played them.  With this technology someone who is older and not in the best of shape can play a muscle-bound hero that in standard live action he could never achieve.  Why not just use a big guy to play the part?  Because now the director can pick someone based on their acting abilities rather than their physique.  Sounds good right?  Well it is with only one caveat; some of the actors come off a bit wooden because they are acting in a vacuum, with very little or no set to exist in and often with no other actor to interact with.  It's going to take a while before actors really get used to acting in this new system.  Fortunately this movie works well with over acting because that's often what we get, similar to seeing a play more than watching a film.  Also, some scenes are stunningly realistic while other play more cartoony.  The visuals are going to have to get more consistent in order for the audience to forget they are watching a film that's built on a new technology and just enjoy the story.  For example why does Grendel's mother look nearly real yet the queen looks a little Shrek-ish?

 

That complaint aside, Beowulf is a fast paced exciting rollercoaster ride of a movie with big action, fun and over the top acting, sweeping themes, and gorgeous CGI.  Not only is the film good but it's the first step into a whole new world of filmmaking.

 

8/10

 

The Video

 

The anamorphic widescreen presentation here is outstanding.  This film was created digitally and this version appears to have been taken right from the digital elements rather than from a film print so everything looks identical to the original film.  Colors are gorgeous and vibrant when required while blacks are deep and grain is nonexistent.  Detail is extremely high making all the visual flourishes put into the film visible, including the wrinkles in character's faces.  This is as near a perfect transfer as I've seen on the format.

 

10/10

 

The Audio

 

The Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 sounds great if you have the system to push it.  Dialogue, score, and sound effects are mixed clean and fairly well balanced.  There's tons of immersion with all the speakers in the system getting use for music and effects and there's even a fair amount sub woofer action.  The sound is as bombastic as the subject matter, a great match.  Where's the lossless TrueHD?  Now that could have been amazing.

 

8.5/10

 

The Packaging and Bonus Features

 

The two disc set comes in a standard HD amaray case with a disc inside each flap of the box.  The artwork is a riff on the original poster and it gets the job done as far as showing what the film is all about.  I would have loved to see something more extreme though, something that really represents the style of the film.

 

The first bonus feature on disc one is a picture in picture selection that shows behind the scenes images from the film, mostly just the actors before the CGI and or motion capture was applied.  I found myself a bit bored with this feature to be honest.  As for behind the scenes stuff it all gets more interesting in the featurettes.  The other feature on disc one is the group of brief web enabled featurettes.  These are good for a watch but you probably won't be returning to them over and over again.  The question I have is where is the audio commentary?

 

Disc two features a treasure trove of bonus features but it's not perfect.  The big thing, or person I should say, that's missing is Angelina Jolie.  Not only does she not do any interviews but she manages not appear in any of the behind the scenes footage of which there is a ton.  I have to believe she is excluded by request.  There's no way all of this behind the scenes stuff could have been shot and she never ends up in a single shot.

 

A Heroes Journey: The Making of Beowulf is just what it implies, a making of documentary.  The 24 minute featurette offers a voyeuristic look at the making of the film with interviews and footage of the film being made.  There is an additional viewing method for this featurette that adds additional trivia tracks and featurettes that are of the more technical variety to the documentary.  Next up is The Journey Continues, an additional 20 or so minutes of footage that was used as the alternative viewing option for the first film.  I preferred watching the footage in two separate blocks.  I found it all to be easier to absorb that way.  The additional 20 minutes features more behind the scenes footage and a more technical look at the process of making the film.

 

Next up are a group of brief featurettes that focus on specific aspects of the film such as creating the monsters in the film, the origins of the story and of the script, and the art and style of the film.  These are all brief but very informative featurettes.  I can't help but think all of this footage could have been tied together in one deep feature length making of documentary though.

 

Other than that there's a 10 minute long conversation with Robert Zemeckis where he takes questions from film students, a group of unfinished deleted scenes, and a trailer.  There's a lot of really great stuff here, especially the behind the scenes footage, but there's no commentaries and many of the featurettes feel so short that they should have been tied together into a more cohesive documentary.

 

7.5/10

Beowulf is stunning to look at and it sounds fantastic on HD-DVD.  If you like the film this is the only way to fly!

  

Overall (Not an Average) 8.5/10

The Review

The Series 8/10

The Video 10/10

The Audio 8.5/10

The Packaging and Bonus Features 7.5/10

Overall (Not an Average) 8.5/10

 

Stephen Lackey