It’s not a reinvention of the wheel, but in 3D this is an astonishing experience that borders on ‘must-see.’
(Quote from Tom Ambrose, Empire Magazine”)
Link: Beowulf – Rotten Tomatoes
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I didn’t actually know much about Beowulf before I saw it on Saturday- I had read about it a long long time ago, and then it just came up when I was in Thailand (details about the Thailand trip coming next week!). The super theater at Siam Paragon was showing it in 3D, IMAX 3D, and printed some favorable reviews for it next to the movie description, and I said, “what the hell”, let’s do this. I saw Open Season in IMAX 3D in Kuala Lumpur a year ago, and it had been fantastic. The movie itself probably wasn’t that good (good, but not fantastic), but the 3D visual effects really made a difference, and since Beowulf was an action movie, I thought this could be a lot of fun.
And it is. Oh, is it fun. I have no idea how this movie would be not in 3D, but if you have a chance to, you must see it in 3D. It just looks so damn good. All action movies should be in 3D, if there is something that could rejuvenate the movie industry, it’s 3D.
Visually, the movie’s a combination of CG and Live Action. I’m not sure, how to explain it, but you will understand when you see it. I read that it’s a continuation of the technical artistry that you see in Polar Express (which I have not seen) as Robert Zemeckis directed both. The effects just make things pop out, though anyone who has seen any 3D in his life already knows this, but it’s the constant visual image and impression, along with how scenes are seemingly designed with these effects in minds. I think I read something before the movie started that 3D is no longer watching, but being inside the movie- silly marketing for sure, but I guess there’s no other way to describe it. I kind of compare it to when I saw HDTV for the first time at my house, where moving images just looked like hi-res photos. 3D adds another…alright, I’ll say it, another dimension to this aspect.
Beowulf, from the standpoint of the actual movie is still good. I can’t remember anything about the story from high school but the movie does make me to reread it. Angelina Jolie, though her role is a lot smaller than what the promotional materials imply, is in the movie along with Anthony Hopkins and others. Very solid performances and interesting story, with good pacing and length (2 hrs.) I later realized that certain things didn’t make sense or the move could have been made longer to tie up these things, but I also realized it was okay not knowing, the movie is fine.
Go see it! Wherever you can. This is the kind of movie that makes you think if other movies can be done this way, imagine the Matrix when the Agents fire the bullets at Neo….
put “no country for old men” next on your list. a-goddamned-mazing.