Film Review: Campy ‘Beowulf’ turns up sex factor, disappoints

Although “Beowolf” is based on an epic Old English poem
of the same name, the film is hardly suited for a Westernliterature
class.

Gloriously campy with visually distracting animation, the
movie takes many liberties with the original story, which
focuses on warrior Beowolf. At the bidding of a Germanic
king, Beowolf defeats a terrible beast, Grendel. In the original
tale, after dispatching Grendel and his mother, Beowolf is
killed in a final fight with a dragon, who also dies.

But, in the film’s script, written by Neil Gaiman and Roger
Avery, a sexual relationship exists between Beowolf and
Grendel’s mother, played by Angelina Jolie, and yet more
connections exist between the king, Beowolf, Grendel,
Grendel’s mother and the dragon.

In her supporting (yet hyped) role, Jolie appears as the
anatomical equivalent of a Barbie doll – a gold-covered
demonic Barbie, anyway. In fact, “Beowolf” can probably
attribute any of its box-office success not to the popularity of
its source material, but instead to a heavily publicized scene
featured in the theatrical trailer in which Jolie rises from the
water essentially naked.

Jolie’s casting as a sexy monster is just one of the film’s
snazzy new adjustments that aim to bring audiences to a film
based on a poem.

The movie also adopts a special effects technique used in
one of “Beowolf” director Robert Zemeckis’ previous films,
“The Polar Express.”

The technique involves real actors performing in front of
a blue screen; their performances are then captured and
rendered into film by overlaying computer-generated imagery
and viola! – digitized versions of the actors are transplanted
into a digital world.

Although benefits abound from this animation technique
– for example, real actors can be digitally modified to be
skinnier, fatter, uglier or better performers – the downsides
are plentiful, too. Many of the performances appear to be
muddled by the digital work, and some action segments look
more like bad videogame footage than film-quality animation.

Had “Beowolf” been a live-action movie, the acting and
plot might have been more meaningful, yet as is, the film’s
animation detracts from the overall film.

Nonetheless, “Beowolf” has its moments. The film doesn’t
take itself too seriously until the end, and many of its scenes
poke fun at testosterone-heavy epics of cinema past, such as
“Conan the Barbarian,” in which muscular men destroy evil
monsters and bed many, many busty women.

But, maybe all the slaying and sex would have been a
little more fun to watch if the film hadn’t looked like a bad
Saturday-morning cartoon.

Grade: C