12/3 - Beowululf Comparison

[touchmetrustme]

Six Degrees of Beowulf Separation

Dec. 3, 2007

KINCHEN AT THE MOVIES: Six Degrees of Beowulf Separation

Jolie & Butler in 4-Year Old Lara Croft Flick --Both Go On to Star in Separate Movie Versions of the Epic Poem 'Beowulf'

By David M. Kinchen

Huntington News Network Critic

I was pondering how to compare and contrast -- shades of the English teacher that I might have been -- the flashy new "Beowulf" from Robert Zemeckis with the one I reviewed last year after seeing the limited release Canadian-Icelandic "Beowulf & Grendel" in Chicago.

Serendipity saved me, as it usually does, when I caught the 2003 Jan de Bont-helmed actioner "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life" on AMC. I had just seen the new Zemeckis-helmed "Beowulf" at the AMC (no relation to the TV channel) 25 multiplex on 42nd Street in Manhattan's Times Square. The 3D version was scheduled at an inconvenient time, so I plunked down my $11.75 for the 2D version.

(Link to Kinchen's review of "Beowulf & Grendel":

http://www.huntingtonnews.net/entertainmen...en-beowulf.html.

Link to Tony Rutherford's Nov. 21 review of the new flick: http://www.huntingtonnews.net/columns/0711...lf3dmovie.html)

Gerard Butler ("The Phantom of the Opera") played Beowulf in the 2005 movie, which never had wide distribution before it went to DVD. I have a DVD of it -- I liked it so much, I wanted to see it again. Angelina Jolie plays plays Lara Croft ....and Grendel's very sexy mother in the new film. I don't anticipate buying the DVD of Mr. Z's flick, although the special effects are fantastic. That being said, it will probably have terrific sales, if only because of the portrayal of the golden dragon episode 50 years after Beowulf kills Grendel.

We don't see Grendel's mother in the 2005 "Beowulf & Grendel". The 103-minute, R-rated movie (Zemeckis somehow snagged a PG-13 for his movie) was directed by Icelandic born Canadian Sturla Gunnarsson and written by Andrew Rai Berzins – based on the epic Old English poem.

As I said in my 2006 review: "If you liked the 'Lord of the Rings' movies, the various adaptations of the King Arthur Legend and 'Harry Potter,' you’ll probably enjoy this movie, starring Gerard Butler as Beowulf, Ingvar Eggert Sigurosson as Grendel, Stellan Skarsgard as King Hrothgar and Sarah Polley as Selma the witch. Hringur Ingvarsson is Young Grendel and Spencer Wilding is Grendel’s father."

As for the battle of who's the better "Geat" (Beowulf's clan), let's just say I prefer the 2005 version, but I'm glad that both movies may inspire readers to take a look at the original, in Seamus Heaney's translation (http://www.amazon.com/Beowulf-New-Verse-Translation-Bilingual/dp/0393320979/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196648059&sr=1-1)

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[Songbird]

Thanks Libby! I'm glad that dude finally came to the point and picked OUR movie.

Also, I'm wondering how he missed Grendel's mother's appearance in B&G.

[Mrs C]

Thanks Libby! I'm glad that dude finally came to the point and picked OUR movie.

Also, I'm wondering how he missed Grendel's mother's appearance in B&G.

LOL, I was wondering the same thing!

It is nice to see someone acknowledge B&G. I have no desire to see the new Beo, at all! I am not really into seeing movies simply for the effects, and that movie seems to ride solely on it's effects.

[annabanana]

Thanks Libby! I'm glad that dude finally came to the point and picked OUR movie.

Also, I'm wondering how he missed Grendel's mother's appearance in B&G.

LOL, I was wondering the same thing!

It is nice to see someone acknowledge B&G. I have no desire to see the new Beo, at all! I am not really into seeing movies simply for the effects, and that movie seems to ride solely on it's effects.

He probably missed Grendel's mother in B&G because it wasn't a fairly naked Angelina Jolie-LOL!!

Edited December 3, 2007 by annabanana

[Susan~Sporran]

He must not have realized the sea hag was supposed to be the mother in B&G, at least I think she was because I can't imagine why else she was so p*ssed off after Grendel died. But anything that gets B&G mentioned in a favorable light is A-OK by me.

[Ainaran]

You know, it would be amusing and ironic if the CG 'Beowulf' ended up giving 'Beowulf and Grendel' a bump in DVD sales & rentals. I'm delighted to see our Gerard's movie mentioned so favorably in these reviews.