Has anyone seen Beowulf with Angelina Jolie?

[Aura]

How bad are the scenes with her in them, really? My senior is reading Beowulf this year, and I was thinking that it would be fun to watch with him when he finished. I think he'd like it, and based on IMBD, I don't see a problem for him, but they don't cover that "Well, Angelina is covered, but she might as well not be" sentiment that I've heard about.

[BigMamaBird]

I remember very little from that movie except the extended pan of her hiney as she got out of some water.  Her butt was a magnet and the poor camera man just couldn't pry away from it.  

[MercyA]

I haven't seen it, but there's a detailed review here.

[Carla]

Here is another review... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0442933/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg

[dirty ethel rackham]

I'd skip it.  It is not very well made.  It does not stick to the original story.  It is all CGI inspired by the actors, which is a look I don't like.  For those reasons alone, I wouldn't recommend it.  If you are concerned about the appearance of nudity (which was only a passing concern of mine), she looks like she is wearing body paint rather than clothes - not unlike most female comic book characters.  She is portrayed as a seductress.   

[Spy Car]

Terrible movie. 

 

Bill

[FaithManor]

It was terrible, and for those that are interested, it wasn't her butt either because she did not agree to that in her contract. It was photo-shopped in (another actresses hiney), and that was controversial because Angelina didn't know about it until after the final cut was released. She even did an interview - can't remember the name of the journalist but may try to look it up later -  in which she expressed not only her dismay about that, but worse that since it was a classical piece of literature often studied in the middle school years or early high school, she hoped no English or history teachers would show the film in class. Pretty sad when a lead actor feels that way about their own film!

[Bluegoat]

Well, with a senior I actually wouldn't care if she was naked.  So - that is where I am coming from.  But I would say that what you see is very similar to the women in skin tight outfits in comic books.  It looks a little more three dimensional, but it is still pretty cartoonish.

 

I think as far as movies go, it is not bad but not great.  It's interesting to see how they have made the story a little more narrative friendly, and it is clearly a modern perspective with a pretty significant psychological angle that seems to be rather Freudian.

 

There is actually another movie version called Beowulf and Grendel.  It also had some serious flaws (the Sarah Polley character they added has the most awkward dialogue ever and Gerard Butler is less than stellar,) but it was also a sort of reinterpretation with a different psychological take on the story that was a little different.  And the scenery was fantastic.

 

It could be worth looking at both specifically as modern takes on an old story, and maybe comparing them.  B&G does have some minor clothed sex in it.

[Guest]

The fact that it was CGI totally ruined it for me.

[Lady Florida.]

I chose not to see it because from everything I read it's not very true to the original poem. In fact, it is apparently quite far from the story we know.

[FaithManor]

For what it's worth, the Tolkein translation is gorgeous. When my son wanted to purchase it, I thought it might be a waste of money because I've been a pretty devoted Seamus Heaney Beowulf lover, but WOW! Love the Tolkein. So for those that have already read it, you might want to consider the possibility of getting a copy of the Tolkein translation.

[Lori D.]

I opted out of watching the movie after reading how VERY much it diverges from the epic poem. This short blog post outlines several extremely significant differences in plot and character motivations.

 

A possible alternative: here is the youtube link to a nicely-done animated version (28 minutes), narrated by Derek Jacobi. The narration echoes the poetic language and uses some alliteration like the original, and I thought the animation style was rather artistic and suggestive of a hero tale from long ago.

[Aura]

Thanks everyone for your input!

 

Angelina's character sounds very similar to Mystique in the X-Men. He's seen that, so that wouldn't be a problem. As far as everything else, yeah, I saw that the reviews weren't that great. We may pass just because of that. Thanks again!

[Dicentra]

 

There is actually another movie version called Beowulf and Grendel.  It also had some serious flaws (the Sarah Polley character they added has the most awkward dialogue ever and Gerard Butler is less than stellar,) but it was also a sort of reinterpretation with a different psychological take on the story that was a little different.  And the scenery was fantastic.

 

It could be worth looking at both specifically as modern takes on an old story, and maybe comparing them.  B&G does have some minor clothed sex in it.

 

Is that the one with Stellan Skarsgard?  If so, I agree - the scenery was gorgeous. :)  I was also impressed that they had the actors riding what seemed to be true Icelandic horses.  When they were in scenes where they were moving faster than a walk, the horses were tolting.  It's a fascinating gait to watch in a horse.

 

[Dicentra]

Is that the one with Stellan Skarsgard?  If so, I agree - the scenery was gorgeous. :)  I was also impressed that they had the actors riding what seemed to be true Icelandic horses.  When they were in scenes where they were moving faster than a walk, the horses were tolting.  It's a fascinating gait to watch in a horse.

 

 

Although now that I think about it, why would the characters in Beowulf be riding Icelandic horses?

 

Ah well - it was still fascinating to watch. :)

[Bluegoat]

Is that the one with Stellan Skarsgard?  If so, I agree - the scenery was gorgeous. :)  I was also impressed that they had the actors riding what seemed to be true Icelandic horses.  When they were in scenes where they were moving faster than a walk, the horses were tolting.  It's a fascinating gait to watch in a horse.

 

Yeah, that is the one.  It was filmed in Iceland, and I think it is actually illegal to import horses there, so the choice may have been totally practical.  But far northern horses do generally seem to be similar in type, so I think it gives the right feel.