DVD Review: Beowulf - Director's Cut

Beowulf is the oldest surviving poem in the English language. The epic work was written sometime between the 8th and 11th centuries. In the poem, Beowulf battles three rivals: Grendel who is attacking the Danish mead hall known as Heorot and its citizenry; Grendel's mother; and later in life after returning to Geatland and being crowned a king, a dragon. I think I had to read the book for the first sometime in junior high and later as a college student. Though the goal of reading it was different each time, I remember being suitably unimpressed.

When Robert Zemeckis, whose directing credits include The Polar Express and Back to the Future, decided to bring Beowulf to the big screen, the prospect intrigued me; maybe a big budget film version would give me some love for the story. Zemeckis certainly surrounded himself with an all star cast for this adventure into the world of ancient England. Sir Anthony Hopkins plays King Hrothgar, he is joined by John Malkovich as Unferth, Ray Winstone as Beowulf, Robin Wright Penn as Queen Wealthow, Crispin Glover as Grendel, Brendan Gleeson as Wiglaf, and Angelina Jolie as Grendel's nasty mother.

The basic story presented in the film is this: King Hrothgar who is drunk all the time, builds a merry hall to revel in his 'greatness' with a big party. His advisor Unferth (John Malkovich) and his Queen Wealthow (Robin Wright Penn) are with him when Grendel (Crispin Glover) gets very angry about all the noise and starts slashing people to death in order to stop the merriment. Because of the carnage, King Hrothgar is forced to close the hall. He sends word that great riches will be bestowed on the individual who can bring an end to Grendel's acts of terror.

After a heated argument with Unferth, Beowulf (Ray Winstone) is able to convince King Hrothgar that he is the man to get rid of the demon Grendel. The King promises Beowulf a gold chalice shaped like a dragon if he can successfully slay Grendel. Beowulf and his men successfully lure Grendel to the hall by engaging in loud singing and cheering. Beowulf rids himself of all his clothing (Beowulf's "private parts" are not evident. I guess Zemeckis really wanted that PG-13 rating) and defeats Grendel after a lengthy battle. Beowulf is now a hero in the kingdom, but he has rankled Grendel's demon mother (Angelina Jolie).  Grendel's mother convinces him to make a pact with her to produce a replacement for Grendel in exchange for which she will make Beowulf king. Years later, the offspring takes the form of a dragon and attacks Heorot.

I guess with Angelina Jolie around we shouldn't be surprised that the sexuality was ratcheted up for the film version of Beowulf. Purists for the original poem may be disappointed, because in the film no man seems to go through Heorot without making a stop in Jolie's Boudoir. Every king has slept with Jolie. While there are a few notable battles featuring swordplay, Zemeckis seemed more concerned with making the audience think about Jolie's sexuality, by having her character appear half naked throughout most of her scenes.

Beowulf: Director's Cut strays from the book quite liberally. Instead of having Beowulf slay Grendel's mother, he instead produces the heir that eventually kills him. The changes in the story also make Hrothgar the father of Grendel. I would have liked to see what the filmmakers could have done within the confines of the original poem, but the film as a whole still wasn't bad.

Article Author: Rebecca Wright

Rebecca is a freelance writer, concentrating in the areas of film, television and music criticism. Her B.A. is in the Humanities with an emphasis in film and writing.She holds an M.A. in American and British literature with an emphasis in dystopian …

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