Beowulf (Unrated Director's Cut) | 
| Director: Robert Zemeckis
Actors: Ray Winstone, Crispin Glover, Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich
Studio: Paramount
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.99
Buy Used: $0.78
You Save: $29.21 (97%)
New (61) Used (181) Collectible (9) from $0.78
Rating:  282 reviews
Sales Rank: 3113
Format: Color, Director's Cut, Dolby, Ntsc, Widescreen
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 114 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 132314
UPC: 097361323145
EAN: 0097361323145
ASIN: B0011NVC9I
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Release Date: February 26, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Movie DVD
Amazon.com
Spectacular animated action scenes turn the ancient epic poem Beowulf into a modern fantasy movie, while motion-capture technology transforms plump actor Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast) into a burly Nordic warrior. When a Danish kingdom is threatened by the monster Grendel (voiced and physicalized by Crispin Glover, River's Edge), Beowulf--lured by the promise of heroic glory--comes to rescue them. He succeeds, but falls prey to the seductive power of Grendel's mother, played by Angelina Jolie... and as Jolie's pneumatically animated form rises from an underground lagoon with demon-claw high heels, it becomes clear that we're leaving the original epic far, far behind. Regrettably, the motion-capture process has made only modest improvements since The Polar Express; while the characters' eyes no longer look so flat and zombie-like, their faces remain inexpressive and movements are still wooden. As a result, the most effective sequences feature wildly animated battles and the most vivid character is Grendel, whose grotesqueness ends up making him far more sympathetic than any of the mannequin-like human beings. The meant-to-be-titillating images of a naked Jolie resemble an inflatable doll more than a living, breathing woman (or succubus, as the case may be). But the fights--particularly Grendel's initial assault on the celebration hut--pop with lushly animated gore and violence. Also featuring the CGI-muffled talents of Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs), Robin Wright Penn (The Princess Bride), and John Malkovich (Dangerous Liaisons). --Bret Fetzer
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| Customer Reviews: Read 277 more reviews...
 Takes a Wonderfully Heroic Poem with Christian Symbolism and turns it into an anti christian piece of garbage July 3, 2009
M. Gaudet (A Galaxy Far Far Away)
The hero's son is the dragon, he sleeps with grendels mother who is supposed to be a hideous cave troll but somehow is Angolina Jolee.
I just wish Professor Tolkien was still around to tear into just what an abomination this whole hollyweird project is.
It is an outrage to great literature and a big middle finger to those who are Christians who loved the heroism of the original poem.
The strength of the original like tolkiens lord of the the rings is a pagan/christian synthesis. This completely gets the material all wrong.
The monsters are supposed to be the offspring of Kane who slew his brother abel and commited the first spilling of blood and murder on this earth. Also a Kinslaying which was even considered evil by the germanic tribes even though it happened all the time.
There is no way the dragon the leviathan of hell would be the hero's son unless it was because of his sin.
I wish the original poem as wonderfully translated by Seamus Heaney was made and adapted into a film. It could have been as good as Lord of the Rings. Instead We get this garbage. And so far no movie based on beowulf has been true to the text even in the sprit of being an adaptation. You cannot literally film a book but the film could have kept the nature of the poem and what the poet intended instead of some hack writer and directors hijacking his story to use as a war cry to the religious write whom hollywood hates.
This is an anti heroic piece and treats the material in a laughable manner.
If you don't believe dragons and heroes make the stuff of good tales why bother making a film on it?
This guy who stick to writing a screenplay based on his own comicbook the sandman and should stay away from destroying sacred literature of the western tradition.
The Only other film I know of which is so far removed from its source and is such a piece of garbage is troy, the iliad deserves better and so does beowulf.
This film does not even work as an action film or as a piece of cgi fluff. The cgi is incredibly bad and fake. And the action and dialogue render this movie as nothing more than a cacophony of sound and little substance. All noise and fury. No Meaning, no power.
There is nothing of the power in this movie as the original rendered in the old english alliterative verse. Nothing of the Epic hero who comes to a tragic end.
As For the Director Bob Z. He will never make another film as fun and imaginative as Back to the future. And the last decent film he made was cast away, and the last really good film he made was forrest gump.
That Snow Train movie and Beowulf both unworthy of the directors past greatness. I mean i know back to the future II and III were not exactly stellar but they were not complete and utter disgraces like beowulf either.
IMAX only June 12, 2009
James Boyd (Sabattus, Maine United States)
My 37" flat screen just doesn't begin to compare with the IMAX presentation. It's dark and hard to follow anything on screen.
Originally I caught it in a regular theater and it was OK.
Glover wae at his best and makes the movie.
 I know this isn't Beowulf, and yet, the weaknesses and vanity is writ large on the screen May 25, 2009
A. Woodley (New Zealand)
This is not Beowulf, the classic poem which has been so beautifully translated by Seamus Heaney - or written for children by Michael Morpunga (sp) - however as a version of Beowulf displaying the strength, bravado, and weaknesses of Beowulf and the grim nature of Danish and Geat kingdoms, this is an extraodinary telling.
I wondered how much Neil Gaiman had in the telling - certainly through Zemeckis, this version has a great deal of humanity, as well as humour. I really enjoyed it as arip roaring tale. I certainly wouldn't have bothered watching it at all if I hadn't caught part of it on the telly - after that I had to seek out the DVD.
I thought the animation would be distracting, and it does have a flatness to it - but it also allows the telling of the story with its fantasy elements, to develop beautifully.
In this version the boastful, strong but hearty Beowulf is travelling from Geatland to the Danish kingdom of Hrothgar's where the meadhall Heoror has been plagued by a Hell-born monster - Grendel. For 14 years Grendel has ruled the hall and the land of the Danes by night. Hrothgar, an old king with a young wife, has had no answer to it.
In the early stages Beowulf boasts of his feats of strength - killing sea monsters and so on - and his crew and men mock him but not to his face. In fact Beowulf, like many egotists seems completely ignorant of their laughter and their inside knowledge that his boasts are inflated.
Key elements in the story are changed. Grendel is altered from a Hell-born beast intent on destroying pleasure, happiness and all that is good and essentially godly - he is a simple creature - he seems to be simply motivated by hunger and simple stupidity rather than hate.
Beowulf defeats him, naked - and the scenes leading up to the fight are some of the most hilarious - with handily placed drinking cups and so on to conceal his anatomy - a bit reminscent of Austin Powers movies.
After the defeat the movie departs from the original story of Beowulf almost completely. However the re=written story has an immensely powerful theme - and is very reminiscent of King Arthur tales, of weakness and power. Interesting that both Arthur and Beowulf are similar in time, set around the 5th and 6th centuries. Now the King Hrothgar kills himself and Beowulf takes over the kingdom - yet you see that his fate begins to echo that of Hrothgar's.
The question of what or who is Grendel and his mother - and how did they get there is answered in this story - and the Mallory 'Wheel of time' style telling of the story brings things into a full cycle. It is a very clever motif and development.
The actors used for the characters, Ray Winstone, Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich especially do an extraodinary job - and the animation was extremely well done.
I am really in awe of this movie. Not classic Beowulf, as I said, but a classic in its own right.
 He.... is ...... BEOWULF! May 15, 2009
Terrhan Rosell Daniels (Los Angeles)
Cool movie. Saw it in 3-D back when it came out. I would have given it a 5 had it been in 3-D. As far as Beowulf goes. Where do I start. Well I'll say that watching Beowulf in action made me question my own machismo. He strips naked infront of a woman to fight Grendel only because it would make it a fair fight. He literally yelled at a man who was trying to kill him to do so and the man broke down in tears because Beowulf was way too much man to kill. Beowulf simply told his right hand man to give him some gold and that he now has a story to tell. Any man that is willing to lose an arm to kill anything is much more of a man than myself. Beowulf is the only character in history to kill something and give him self a shout out. Simply amazing.
If you like action, and maybe need a few laughs, and wtf moments. This movie is for you.
 Where are the People? May 13, 2009
Victor Hugo (Wisconsin)
I had heard that this "movie" was CGI, so it was not a surprise to me when I saw it. Still, I must say I was disappointed with it for the very reason that it was CGI. Maybe I'm old fashioned but I like real people, real actors, real sets and real action. Cartoons are fine for Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, but why for a movie like this? I don't get it. I can't help but think what the result would have been if Casablanca were a made as a CGI cartoon, or High Noon or Indiana Jones. Of course the story itself is a classic. So there is no fault with the material. I just don't particularly care for CGI for the characters or sets. It has it's place, to enhance some scenes, but as the main element - thank you No. I feel like I've been shorted on the real movie experience.
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