DVD Review Beowulf and Grendel

By Patrick Luce Sep 28, 2006, 15:29 GMT

The film is adapted from the Anglo-Saxon epic poem, Beowulf and follows the medieval adventure that tells the blood-soaked tale of a Norse warrior\'s battle against the great and murderous troll, Grendel. Heads will roll in this provocative take on the first major work of English literature. ...more

Although it may not be as “action packed” as some viewers will hope, Beowulf and Grendel is excellent adaptation of the epic poem. The film features great performances from its cast, and presents a more human spin on the legendary battle between the ultimate fighter and the ultimate monster.

Filmed in Iceland, Beowulf and Grendel was directed by Sturla Gunnarsson and stars Gerard Butler, Stellan Skarsgård, and Sarah Polley.

Along with adapting the epic poem, the film also gives a good look at the Viking life, and the emergence of Christianity into the Viking faith. In my opinion, these two extra touches made the movie extremely interesting, and made up for some of the film’s slower parts.

The movie follows Beowulf (Butler) as he travels with a band of warriors to help King Hrothgar (Skarsgård), Lord of the Danes, free his land from a great and murderous troll named Grendel (Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson).

While Beowulf and his men prepare to fight Grendel, we also see that Hrothgar’s kingdom is also under attack by the emerging faith of Christianity – which is challenging the king’s old ways. He dismisses the faith at first, but as the attacks continue many of his people begin to convert. They believe (thanks to the promises of a monk) that the faith will save them from Grendel’s attacks, and even the king converts towards the end (although this is more to save his neck than a real conviction of faith).

Beowulf and Hrothgar face more than just a troll in the film

Beowulf also discovers Grendel’s past from a “witch” named Selma. This discovery challenges Beowulf to question whether he should honor his vow to Hrothgar to slay Grendel or just leave the cursed place. Before he can decide, Grendel attacks and the two finally clash. This also leads to Beowulf having to deal with another problem, but I will leave that out of the review for those not familiar with the poem.
 
While the film stays true to the epic poem, it also adds elements to the Grendel character that makes you sympathize with him, and at times even look past the murders he commits. He is simply seeking revenge on Hrothgar and his men for the death of his father – which happens in the opening minutes.

The film strips the character of being a “monster” or the traditional idea of a troll, and makes him more of an overgrown and really hairy man. This redesign of Grendel may disappoint some fans who wanted to see more of a monster, but it does work for the movie (which has a realistic and earthy feel to it).

Beowulf and Grendel does have some problems. The pace is extremely slow at times, and the lack of action might turn off some viewers. Some of the film’s changes to the poem also make it feel a bit cliché, and certain characters (such as the crazy monk) just don’t really work. However, the film also features extremely good performances from Butler, Skarsgård, and Sigurðsson.

Grendel is more human than monster in the adaptation

Butler and Skarsgård are both a bit stiff at times, but manage to deliver believable performances. I enjoyed the contrast between Butler’s young warrior and Skarsgård’s old king. Butler is the cocky and confident warrior , and Skarsgård is the king who knows the warrior’s confidence will fade with the years. With each of Grendel’s attacks, Skarsgård sees more of his culture, faith, and life coming to an end.

While the movie may be called Beowulf and Grendel, much of the stories focus is on the Grendel character thanks to the brilliant performance by Sigurðsson. The role could have simply been the actor roaring and looking mean, but Sigurðsson also brings a lot of emotion – which makes it almost impossible to see him as a monster. You have to laugh at Grendel’s welcoming to Beowulf and his warriors. The actor is truly great in the role, and his performance will make you change the way you think about the Grendel character.

The DVD comes loaded with special features that help make the movie even more enjoyable. The features include commentary with the director, writer Andrew Rai Berzins and other film crew. In the commentary, they discuss taking liberties with the poem, and the harsh climates they faced filming the movie in Iceland.

Wrath of Gods is look at the making of the movie (taken from a full-length documentary). It includes interviews with the cast. There are also about nine minutes of deleted scenes – which don’t add too much to the movie, but are nice to watch. Finally, there is a look at the film’s costume design which includes artwork, sketches, and storyboard comparisons.

Beowulf and his men investigate Grendel’s lair

I have always loved the Beowulf story, and was very interested in seeing this adaptation. While the film did make changes to the poem and its pace does slow at different times, I would highly recommend the movie. It has great performances from its cast; an “earthy” look to the film which really works with the story; and combines a historical look at the time with the fantasy elements of the story.

Beowulf and Grendel is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for this version of the DVD in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.