Get Out More..........................Film Review BEOWULF (IMAX, Birmingham) 11-01-2008
Remember the excitement of going to see your first ever movie - the roaring noise and eye-popping spectacle? Rekindle that first-timers thrill by heading to the IMAX to watch Beowulf in 3D on a huge screen. No matter how jaded your cinematic appetite, I defy you to pop on the special glasses and not be jolted out of your lethargy by the kaleidoscopic onslaught of this Anglo-Saxon monster movie. Now I’ve no idea how this film would stand up on a regular screen – but seen in it’s ideal environment, this is entertainment of the highest order Beowulf – in case you don’t know – is an heroic demon slayer who confronts a series of ogres intent upon destroying his adopted tribe. Grendel, his first foe, is a slimy, scaly, oozing, cave-dwelling giant – so vividly brought to life that you’ll be convinced his blood and gore is dripping all over your pick n’ mix. The opposition isn’t always as gruesome mind – Angelina Jolie surfaces (literally, as it happens) as an altogether more subtle (and superficially attractive) enemy. Playing out amid all this sorcery and swordplay, are time-honoured themes of loyalty, kinship and honesty that echo down the ages. Occasionally, the mix of human action and animated imagery can lend a slightly plastic-y feel to the acting (Ray Winstone in the lead role, Anthony Hopkins as the ageing king) but let’s be honest, you won’t be watching this in the hope of seeing RSC-style thesping. This is all about archetypal heroes and heroines battling to keep their community together in the face of overwhelming odds – with a few laffs thrown in for good measure. It’s a great tribute to director Robert Zemeckis that that twenty first century movie technology doesn’t simply re-tell this fifth century yarn – in terms of bringing this story so vividly to life it enhances it. For my money, Beowulf is the best epic since Gladiator – and seen in it’s proper, megascreen environment, it’ll knock your socks off. Have you seen Beowulf? Join the thread on our Message Board. |
©2007 The Stirrer
